Adequate preparation cannot be achieved the day before you’re scheduled to speak.īecause extemporaneous speaking is the style used in the great majority of public speaking situations, most of the information in this chapter is targeted to this kind of speaking. The disadvantage of extemporaneous speaking is that it requires a great deal of preparation for both the verbal and the nonverbal components of the speech. In addition, your audience is likely to pay better attention to the message because it is engaging both verbally and nonverbally. It promotes the likelihood that you, the speaker, will be perceived as knowledgeable and credible. Speaking extemporaneously has some advantages. Then you can resume your message, having clarified an important concept. If this happens, you can add a short explanation for example, “sleep deprivation is sleep loss serious enough to threaten one’s cognition, hand-to-eye coordination, judgment, and emotional health.” You might also (or instead) provide a concrete example to illustrate the idea. The opportunity to assess is also an opportunity to restate more clearly any idea or concept that the audience seems to have trouble grasping.įor instance, suppose you are speaking about workplace safety and you use the term “sleep deprivation.” If you notice your audience’s eyes glazing over, this might not be a result of their own sleep deprivation, but rather an indication of their uncertainty about what you mean. By using notes rather than a full manuscript, the extemporaneous speaker can establish and maintain eye contact with the audience and assess how well they are understanding the speech as it progresses.

Thank the person again for the opportunity to speak.Īs you can see, impromptu speeches are generally most successful when they are brief and focus on a single point.Įxtemporaneous speaking is the presentation of a carefully planned and rehearsed speech, spoken in a conversational manner using brief notes.

Deliver your message, making your main point as briefly as you can while still covering it adequately and at a pace your listeners can follow.

Thank the person for inviting you to speak.

Take a moment to collect your thoughts and plan the main point you want to make.

Here is a step-by-step guide that may be useful if you are called upon to give an impromptu speech in public. As a result, the message may be disorganized and difficult for listeners to follow. The disadvantage is that the speaker is given little or no time to contemplate the central theme of his or her message. The advantage of this kind of speaking is that it’s spontaneous and responsive in an animated group context. Self-introductions in group settings are examples of impromptu speaking: “Hi, my name is Steve, and I’m a volunteer with the Homes for the Brave program.” Another example of impromptu speaking occurs when you answer a question such as, “What did you think of the documentary?” You have probably done impromptu speaking many times in informal, conversational settings.

Impromptu speeches often occur when someone is asked to “say a few words” or give a toast on a special occasion. Impromptu speaking is the presentation of a short message without advance preparation. The next sections introduce four methods of delivery that can help you balance between too much and too little formality when giving a public speech. Speaking, as you will realize if you think about excellent speakers you have seen and heard, provides a more animated message. Reading is a more or less exact replication of words on paper without the use of any nonverbal interpretation. Speaking allows for meaningful pauses, eye contact, small changes in word order, and vocal emphasis. While speaking has more formality than talking, it has less formality than reading. It also means being prepared to use language correctly and appropriately for the audience and the topic, to make eye contact with your audience, and to look like you know your topic very well. This doesn’t mean you must wear a suit or “dress up” (unless your instructor asks you to), but it does mean making yourself presentable by being well groomed and wearing clean, appropriate clothes. During a speech, you should present yourself professionally. Speaking in public has more formality than talking. But public speaking is neither reading nor talking. You already know how to read, and you already know how to talk. But students who do this miss out on one of the major reasons for studying public speaking: to learn ways to “connect” with one’s audience and to increase one’s confidence in doing so. Substantial work goes into the careful preparation of an interesting and ethical message, so it is understandable that students may have the impulse to avoid “messing it up” by simply reading it word for word.

The easiest approach to speech delivery is not always the best. Maryland GovPics – House of Ruth Luncheon – CC BY 2.0.

Online teleprompter autocue