TOASTMASTERS INTERNATIONAL
District 70, Northern Division, Area 32
Port Stephens - blue water paradise
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TOASTMASTERS INTERNATIONAL District 70, Northern Division, Area 32 Port Stephens - blue water paradise |
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Impromptu Speaking
"It usually takes me more than three weeks to prepare a good impromptu speech." - Mark Twain
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Introduction When people are suddenly asked to speak impromptu their nerves begin to flutter like butterflies, however as Toastmasters we have the advantage of practicing impromptu speaking in order to keep those butterflies in formation. The Toastmasters Table Topics Session is a valuable exercise in order to practice the following suggestions and improve your skills and ability to speak extemporaneously. The secret to successful impromptu speaking is to speak on specific illustrations, experiences and examples from your past that you are knowledgeable on, and that you have a desire to share with other people.
If you are asked to give an impromptu speech at a function but you feel that you cannot bring something worthwhile to the audience, decline the invitation. Don't provide excuses and waste the audience's time with weak, meaningless material as it only weakens your image and anything you say. Body: Here are some techniques to help you think clearly and effectively on your feet. 1. Define the purpose and objectives of your speech. |
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* Stop, stay calm and cool in order to formulate your talk. |
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- "I believe that ....... the reason being....." |
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* Remember if you don't know where you are going, any road will get you there!
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2. Choose a Specific Illustration, Experience or Example.
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* Speaking about personal experiences will give you courage and confidence. * Helps you to be clear, convincing and believable. * Just tell about a specific event, example or experience |
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- when it happened. - why it happened - where it happened - what caused it to happen - who was involved - how it happened |
| 3. Conclude: |
| * Summarise by stating or restating |
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- your overall speech purpose - main point or beliefs. |
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* Close strongly
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4.Other Points
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* Don't try to cover too much |
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- Be short, succinct and to the point. The audience will love you! |
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* Never apologise
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There will be times when you need to stand and answer a question or talk on a subject such as in our Table Topics session or when you are in a meeting and have to report on a subject or give an opinion. It is in situations such as these where no time is given for preparation that the following is a helpful framework which you can use to think quickly and organise your thoughts.
Think of the "PREP" system. |
| * P >Point |
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- "The point I want to make is .........." |
| * R >Reason |
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-"The reason I say this is ............" |
| * E >Example |
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- "For example ............" - "My experience ..........." |
| * P >Point |
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- "In summary my point is ......." |
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Another system is to use P P F,
Past, Present, Future |
| * P >Past |
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- "In the past we did it this way because ......." |
| * P > Present |
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- "However we now do it this way because .....' |
| * F >Future |
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- "In the future we envisage that .........." |
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- Prepared by Ian Schleter |
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