In this question originally answered on Quora.com, Rae Stonehouse answers "How do I deliver a good impromptu speech?"

1. How do I Deliver a Good Impromptu Speech?
Firstly,youneedtodevelopyourall-roundpublicspeakingskillssothatwhenthe
opportunityarises,youhave the ability andthe self-confidencetodeliveran
impromptuspeech.Secondly,youneedtosaysomethingthatisworthyour
audience’stime tolistento.
Let me clarifyimpromptuspeakingscenariosforanyone readingthisresponse.Here are some examples
of impromptuspeakingopportunities:
 The scheduledspeakerisunavailable
 You are sittingona panel answeringquestionsfromthe audience
 You are fieldingquestionsafteryourowntalk
 You are beinginterviewed ontelevision,radio,webinar,ortelephone
 You are invited(atthe lastmoment) tosaya few wordsat a companygathering
 You are askedtoprovide a brief statusreportforyour projectat a departmentmeeting
 You are motivatedto jointhe debate atthe parentassociationmeetingforyourchild’sschool
 You decide to give anunplannedtoastat an eventwithfamilyorfriends
The gist of impromptuspeakingisthatyouhaven’thadthe same amountof preparationtime asyou
wouldfora formalized,preparedspeech. Attimes,itmaybe a matterof mere minutes.
So assumingthatyouhave the publicspeakingskillstodeliveranimpromptuspeech,how dowe go
aboutcraftingone?
Probably,the firsttaskyouneedtodo is askyourself “DoI know anythingaboutthe subjectthatI am
beingaskedtospeakabout?”There isan oldsayingthatgoes “betterto keepyourmouthshutand let
themthinkyoustupid,thentoopenitand prove that youare!”
In mostcasesyou are notobligatedtospeakotherthanbefore a judge ina court of a law or perhapsa
grand jury.If you doknowsomething aboutthe subjectyouare askedto speakabout,start writing
downyourideason paper.Thisisa brainstormingtechnique.The ideahere istogenerate enoughideas
to give yousomethingtoworkwith.Thenyouwouldanalyze yourpointstosee if there are anynatural
connectionsbetweenthe points.Themeswilllikelydevelopasyoudrill down.Dependingonthe amount
of time thatyouhave for your impromptuspeakingopportunity,youmayonlyhave time toexpand
uponone or two of the themesthatdevelopedfrombrainstorming.The nextstepwouldbe toadd
personal examples,stories,quotationsandfactsto addsubstance to yourpresentation.
Thisall presupposesthatyouhave at leasta few minutestoorganize yourthoughtsbefore delivering
your speech.Oftenyoudon’t!The same processapplieswhenyoudon’thave the advance preparation
time,exceptyouhave todo itin yourhead.Thiscan be challenging.
Once you have takenstockon whatyou actuallyknow aboutthe questionathandthe nextstepisto
decide onan organizational methodi.e.how youwillorganize yourthoughtsfordelivery.
Here are some organizational strategiestoconsider.The ideaistopractice themin advance of actually
needingthem,sowhenthe time comestospeakwithshortnotice,youhave avarietyof toolsto choose
from.

2. 1. Compare and Contrast Extremes:(Examples Pros vs Cons/ Negative vs Positive) Quicklylookat
any situationfrombothsides.Create anargumentforbothsides.Thiscannaturallyleadto
helpingyouraudience make adecisionandincreasingyourcredibilityasa‘thoughtleader.’A
conclusiontothisstrategyisleavingyouraudience withyourrecommendationsonwhatchoice
to make. “Go AheadNow”versus“ThinkAboutIt”;“Our side”versus“Theirside.”Here’sa
question foryouto practice: Question:Whichare better,catsor dogs as guard animals?
2. PREP: Point, Reason, Example, Point.Thisstrategymaybe self-explanatory.Itislikelythe
backbone of any speechthatyoumightdeliver.The example sectioniswhereyourpersonal
storiesoranecdotescome inhandy.
3. Chronological/Historical (Past,Present& Future) Thisis a strategythat can quicklybe usedto
deliveranimpromptupresentationof mosttypes.“Inthe past … this washow thingswere
done…currently … here is howwe are doing it … but inthe future I envision …” Thisstrategy
helpsbuildyourcredibilitywithyouraudience.
4. Categorical: Oranges,Apples,Bananas,Pineapples;orTriangles,Circles,Squares,Rectangles;
or Customers,Managers,Employees,SalesPeople.
5. Hierarchical: Top,Middle,Bottom
6. ReviewOptions:Option1, Option2, Option3, Recommendation
7. Expanding Radius: Individual,Neighborhood,Community
Here are some more thoughtsonimpromptuspeakingfromSeanK.Michael of VelocityVideos thatare
worthwhile sharing.
Three Key Ideas:
“I’m content,nomatterwhat!”
Enjoyyourself!
“I can’t fail!”
Three Tips:
Tip One: Lessismore.
Tip Two: Start witha question.
Tip Three: Make it personal.
Here are evenmore impromptu peakingtips & techniques:
 Anticipate situationswhere youmaybe calledupontospeak.
 Wrap your response aroundasimple template,orframework.

3.  Turn your impromptusessionintoaQ&A session.
 Avoidthe tendencytogoon, andon, and on,and on,and on,and on …
So I won’t… much longer.Iwouldbe remissif Ididn’trecommendjoiningyourlocal Toastmastersclub
to practice and hone yourpublicspeakingskillsaswell asyourabilitytospeak‘off the cuff.’After22
yearsas a ToastmastermemberIhave learnedthathavingnoknowledgeof asubjectshouldn’tprevent
me from beinganexpertonthe subject. Hmmm… perhapsI shouldn’tstate thatpublicly 
As originallyansweredon Quora.com
Rae A. Stonehouse (1954- ) is a Canadian born author & speaker. His professional career as a
Registered Nurse working predominantly in psychiatry/mental health, has spanned four decades.
Rae has embraced the principal of CANI (Constant and Never-ending Improvement) as promoted by
thought leaders such as Tony Robbins and brings that philosophy to each of his publications and
presentations. Rae has dedicated the latter segment of his journey through life to overcoming his
personal inhibitions.
As a 20+ year member of Toastmasters International he has systematically built his self-confidence
and communicating ability. He is passionate about sharing his lessons with his readers and listeners.
His publications thus far are of the self-help, self-improvement genre and systematically offer
valuable sage advice on a specific topic. His writing style can be described as being conversational.
As an author Rae strives to have a one-to-one conversation with each of his readers, very much like
having your own personal self-development coach. Rae is known for having a wry sense of humour
that features in his publications.
To learn more about Rae A. Stonehouse, visit the Wonderful World of Rae Stonehouse at
http://raestonehouse.com .
Author of Self-Help Downloadable E-Books:
Power Networking for Shy People: Tips & Techniques for Moving from Shy to Sly!
PROtect Yourself! Empowering Tips & Techniques for Personal Safety: A Practical Violence
Prevention Manual for Healthcare Workers.
E=Emcee Squared: Tips & Techniques to Becoming a Dynamic Master of Ceremonies.
Power of Promotion: On-line Marketing for Toastmasters Club Growth

4. Phone: Rae 250-451-6564 or info@raestonehouse.com
Rae’s social … are you?
Twitter: http://twitter.com/RaeStonehouse
Linkedin? Rae is http://www.linkedin.com/in/raestonehouse
Copyright 2016 Rae Stonehouse. The above document may be freely copied and distributed
as long as the author’s name and contact info remain attached.
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