Preparing Impromptu Speeches
1. Announce the subject.
“Today I’d like to talk about …”
2. State the topic as a question.
“What are the causes of …?”
“What is special about …?”
3. Three possible/effective ways to organize the body.
§ clear concrete examples
§ characteristics
§ comparison/contrast with another concept
For example:
1. Today I’d like to speak about KMA graduate school.
2. What makes it special?
3. a) First, only in our graduate school students …
b) I’d like to limit my comments to only 3 major characteristics. First, our graduate school is ….
c) In order to better understand what makes our graduate school special, we can compare it to … (another graduate school). It is different … It is similar … They both …
Tasks for Impromptu Speeches (1-2 min)
1. Describe an accomplishment in your life (a job, writing, sport, artwork, music, digital, stuff, etc.) of which you are particular proud.
2. Tell about your best course at Bachelor program of NaUKMA (or anywhere). What sorts of things made the course stand out in your mind?
3. Tell about the worst course you ever took in your studies? What made it unbearable for you? What do you wish had been done differently?
4. Describe your expectations for this course.
5. Tell about your relationship to performance (“performance” as a word that could describe acting, singing, sport, public speaking, or anything else you are required to be “on” in front of people.
Your First One-Point Speech
Your first speech in front of the class will be a one-point speech. It takes 2-3 minutes to deliver; the main idea is rather simple and easy to follow. You choose a topic for the first speech and have a possibility to demonstrate appropriate behaviour: manner of delivery, gestures, eye-contact, tone of your voice, etc.
Your first preparation should be organised in a proper way. Such a speech consists of three classical parts: introduction, body, and conclusion.
Introduction: tell the audience what you are going to talk about (the purpose).
Body: share your main idea.
Conclusion: restate what you have told.
Every assignment should follow the rules:
· Introduction – capture interest of audience.
· Body – establish and consolidate message.
· Conclusion – strong summary to reaffirm message.
I. Introduction should contain:
· Acknowledgement of audience: e.g., Mr. MC, Ladies & Gentlemen.
· An Attention Grabber.
The purpose of the speech, i. e. the point of it all, has to be clearly understood by the audience.
The Acknowledgement can be said before the attention grabber or after it, i. e., for impact.
The objective of the Attention Grabber is to catch immediate attention and arouse the audience’s interest in your speech subject. An Attention Grabber needs to be short, sharp and to the point. Examples of Attention Grabbers are:
· A startling question, rhetorical question or a challenging statement.
· A display of an object or visual.
· A quotation, illustration, or story.
· An attention-getting generalization that relates to the speech subject.
Avoid:
· An apologetic statement.
· A commonplace observation delivered in a commonplace manner.
· An unrelated story or joke.
· A non-startling question such as “Did you ever stop to think?”
· A long slow-moving statement or story.
II. Body
Main Point / Sub-points
You can adopt the 2 sub-points to each main point method:
i) State the main point (main point)
ii) Explain the main point (1st sub-point)
iii) Give an example or anecdote or state statistics to highlight / reinforce / substantiate main point and to give the audience a clearer picture of the main point. Always provide source of statistics for credibility purposes (2nd sub-point)
(You may want to have a 3rd sub-point which would be to state the main point once more to be clearly understood.)
Joining Phrase
You can start each main point by using a Joining Phrase which states the purpose of the speech, e.g. for a speech with the purpose to inform that the speaker’s next holiday will be to go to Rome:
Main Point 1 – I’m going to Rome (for my next holiday) because I love the ambiance.
Main Point 2 – I am going to Rome because it’s not expensive.
Main Point 3 – I’m going to Rome because I want to practice my Italian, e vero (it’s true).
Main Point 4 – People will say I am wasting 2 days travel time by going to Rome, however ….. (Joining Phrase is used in the body of the sentence on this occasion).
The use of the joining phrase:
· Keeps the speaker on track as to the purpose.
· Keeps the audience on track as to the purpose.
· Makes the audience aware that a new main point is being introduced.
· Has strong speech impact, i.e., the repeating of the point of the speech over and over.
· Lends itself to vocal variety, i.e., the joining phrase can be said in an assertive manner with more volume.
· Makes preparing and remembering a speech easier. It is particularly useful when not having a lot of time to prepare a speech.
III. Conclusionhas 3 parts, i. e., a summary, a call to action (for “to persuade” speeches) and a memorable statement.
Summary = Tell them what you have told them in one or two sentences. Don’t introduce new material.
Call to Action = only applicable in a speech “to persuade”, e. g. for a speech encouraging people to become real estate agents – “get on the phone tomorrow and enrol in a course to learn to sell real estate!”
Memorable Statement = e. g. for a speech to inform about going to Rome for your next holidays – “I work hard, I deserve my holidays, I’m off to Rome, arriverderci!” A Memorable Statement can be a rhetorical question, a story, a quotation or illustration that emphasizes the purpose of the speech. It is important that the speech has a strong finish.
Practice Assignments
1) Introductions (pair work). (Time limit: 2-3 min)
A. Interview your neighbour:
1. Name
2. Major /Specialization/
3. Future plans include
4. Where were you raised?
5. Tell something about yourself ………….
B. Introduce each other
2) Autobiographical Speech. (3-4 min)
“Pieces of Me”
Select (and bring to class when you give your speech) an artefact of object that symbolizes something important to you. This can be something that relates to your heritage, family, your goals, hobbies, your past, future … anything. Choose this item according to what you want us to know about you and what you think is interesting and unique about yourself.
Use the artefact as a springboard to introduce yourself. Talk about this item, how it relates to you and your life. Follow the basic elements:
1. Develop one theme symbolized in the object.
2. Create introduction that
a) gets the audience attention
b) clearly introduces your artefact
c) clearly details what you are going to talk about
3. Speak extemporaneously. (Do not memorize, do not read. Use 1 note card).
4. Do not exceed time limit (3-4 min).
5. Practice your speech at home.
3) Brown Bag (3-4 min)
For this speech, you will need a bag and three items. The items have to explain to your audience in some way whether they represent you or mean something to you or affected you. They can be an item from your past, an item from your present and an item that might represent your future.
All of those items need to fit in your bag, so if it’s too big for your bag, find a picture of it or a toy replica.
Don’t forget your introduction and conclusion – you can’t just jump right into the items you brought. You will use your bag to create an introduction and a conclusion. Be creative!
