(Quarter 2 in English 10 - Notebook # 5)

DELIVERING A PREPARED OR IMPROMPTU TALK ON AN ISSUE EMPLOYING

THE TECHNIQUES IN PUBLIC SPEAKING

Impromptu
 means on the spot, off the cuff, no preparation.

Extemporaneous
 means the speaker has a few minutes to prepare.

Public speaking
 refers to speaking to any public audience or speaking in public.
 speaking to a community as a whole
 speaking to a section of the community united by a common interest.

The three elements of public speaking

 the speaker
 the speech
 the audience.

These three elements mean that you will:

• STAND UP AND DELIVER YOUR TALK before a group of people with confidence
and impact. The first focus is you, the speaker. Your mind may be full of ideas worth
sharing, but if you don’t deliver them well, you may as well stay seated; and keep
quiet.

• ORGANIZE YOUR THOUGHTS FOR CLARITY and choose the right words to
express your thoughts properly. The second focus is your content. What do you wish
to say? Are you getting across to your audience?

• CONNECT WITH YOUR AUDIENCE and make them feel good about having spent
time listening to you. The focus is your rapport with the audience. Are you
connecting? Are they enjoying? Or do they feel alienated, belittled, or wasted?

Here’s how to prepare for unprepared talks:

1. Always be ready with something to say.

1.1. Have a ready opening line (prepared ad libs if you will) that you can use
for any topic. As you say the line, you get the much-needed momentum, and you can
think of what to say next. Begin with “Thank you for such an interesting topic…” or
ask, “How many of you thought of this topic before?”

1.2. Be well-informed. Update yourself on the burning issues (e.g., the sun’s
vanishing ozone layer) or the classic topics (say the meaning of what is true, good,
and beautiful). Know the bottom-line arguments about the pros and cons of divorce
or euthanasia or nuclear bombs. Keep reading and listening.

1.3. Develop a related idea if you don’t know anything about the topic forced
on you. If you’re asked to discuss “What is better: acrophobia or triskaidekaphobia,”
and you’re in the dark, talk about phobias or the difficulty of having to make choices.
Just don’t get flat-footed, tongue-tied, or cross-eyed. The idea is: you’re ready
anytime.

2. Do a quick mental structuring. Despite time demands, you can still learn to think
on your feet.

Determine your objective. If your talk is informative, go straight to your point and
develop it via PREP method.

P stands for Point

R stands for Reason or Ramification
E implies Examples
P stands for Point (again)

If your talk is persuasive, catch audience attention and end with a call to action via
AIDA method.

Attention
Interest
Desire
Action

The organize for structure, develop for clarity, and be coherent for a smooth flow.

3. Manage your focus and your time. Stand up, speak up, shut up. Accept the
reality of time and go through the rigors of choosing a focus.

If you have to speak about yourself for two minutes, select one aspect (Fast!
Remember it’s impromptu!) and let your talk rotate on that center. Even if they’ll
listen for thirty minutes, you can’t possibly expose all the delicious details of your life.
Just zero in on your favorite hobby or sport or talent or your wildest fantasy. Choose
only one.

Decide your focus and be happy with it. Stick to your decision. Your audience will
never know the other choices you had to agonize with. Better to sacrifice a detail or
two which sounds so good to you but which you have no time for, than to speed up
your apace and be incomprehensible. Find out how much time you have for your
impromptu talk.

4.Speak in earnest and with conviction. Convey what you truly feel. With a
burning desire, you can throw mental caution to winds and just speak straight from
your heart. What do you believe in? Which side will you take on an issue?
When the heart speaks, body and your voice will take care of themselves.
Enthusiasm will sparkle like a sizzling aura around you. Impromptu talks may be
primarily a mental game, but they’re speeches nonetheless. Public speaking is
physical. It is performance and flair. So don’t forget your gestures, your voice, and
your eye contact.

5. Establish audience rapport. Make sure your audience not only listens but enjoys
listening as well.

As you start your talk, remember to ask rather than tell. Instead of “Let me tell you
my views about homeschooling,” involve the audience and ask, “How many of you
believe in homeschooling?” Always build a bond with your listeners. Connect with
your audience.

6. Practice aloud often, anytime, and anywhere. Catch any two minutes to
practice. That’s all you need to drive home a point with a clear example.

Flex your mental and vocal cords in the bathroom, at the intersection while waiting
for the green light, at the beauty parlor, at the sauna, while jogging. While watching
talk show, pretend you’re right there and answer the interviewer’s question.

Additional Info:

Body and voice should carry the aura of self-confidence, unflappable, and
unflagging. One awkward leaning to the left or a clearing of the throat could reveal
an apprehensive speaker.

Public speaking is physical. It is, in quantitative terms, one-third platform

performance. You spread the remaining two-thirds between content and audience
sensitivity. This three-point mix will remain as the formula through eternity.

GENERAL TIPS

1. Exercise for long-term fitness.

2. Warm up for short-term conditioning.
3. Exude with enthusiasm.
4. Convey clear messages with your gestures.
5. Use positive and appropriate gestures.
6. Know where to place and how to move your hands.
6.1. Place your hands loosely by your thighs.
6.2. Avoid placing your hands in your pockets.
6.3. Avoid the fig leaf gesture.
6.4. Avoid the military parade rest gesture.
6.5. Make your gestures definite and vigorous.
7. Avoid mannerisms and be smooth with your gestures.
8. Show pleasant facial expressions when appropriate.
9. Establish a confident and caring eye contact.
10. Manage your posture, feet, and movement.
11. Use lecterns and microphones with confidence.
12. Modulate, don’t orate,
13. Manage the microphone, or project if there’s none.
14. Speak at a comfortable rate.
15. Vibrate enthusiastically with vocal variety.
16. Avoid fillers (ah, uhm, hmm) and other awkward sounds.
17. Use the pause and the stress to convey meaning.
18. Take care of your voice when not in use.
 QUIZ 6

Read the statements carefully. Identify whether each item is TRUE or FALSE.

_____________1. Public speaking refers to speaking to any public audience or

speaking in public.
_____________2. The elements of public speaking are the speaker, the speech, and
the stage.
_____________3. In delivering a speech, always be ready with something to say.
_____________4. Do not develop a related idea if you don’t know anything about
the topic forced on you.
_____________5. Impromptu means no preparation.
_____________6. With a burning desire, you cannot throw mental caution to the
winds and just speak straight from your heart.
_____________7. Extemporaneous means the speaker has a few minutes to
prepare.
_____________8. Make sure your audience not only listens but enjoys listening as
well.
_____________9. Never build a bond with your listeners.
____________10. Public speaking is physical.

KEY ANSWER:

1. TRUE
2. FALSE
3. TRUE
4. FALSE
5. TRUE
6. FALSE
7. TRUE
8. TRUE
9. FALSE
10. TRUE
 QUIZ 7

Read each question carefully. Choose the letter of the correct answer.
1. Which of the following is not an element of public speaking?
a. audience
b. message
c. speech
d. stage

2. “How many of you thought of this topic before?” This statement is an example
of_______.
a. closing line
b. filler
c. mental structuring
d. opening line

3. It refers to speaking to a section of the community united by a common interest.

a. Community Service
b. Dialogue
c. Public Service
d. Public Speaking

4. What does PREP method stand for?

a. Point, Reason, Example, Point
b. Point, Recapitulation, Example, Point
c. Point, Resource, Example, Persuasion
d. Preparation, Reason, Enthusiasm, Point

5. Which of the following statements is not true about managing your time and your
focus?
a. Decide your focus and be happy with it.
b. Stick to your decision.
c. It is ok for you to focus on different topics.
d. Your audience will never know the other choices you had to agonize with.

6. What does AIDA stand for?

a. Answer, Information, Dialogue, Application
b. Attention, Interest, Desire, Action
c. Attention, Information, Decision, Application
d. Attention, Interest, Decision, Action

7. It means on the spot, off the cuff, no preparation.

a. declamatory
b. extemporaneous
c. impromptu
d. oratorical

8. Which of the following is correct and should be followed?

a. Avoid placing your hands in your pockets.
b. Avoid the fig leaf gesture.
c. Avoid the military parade rest gesture.
d. All of the above.

9. It means the speaker has a few minutes to prepare.

a. declamatory
b. extemporaneous
c. impromptu
d. oratorical

10. Which of the following statements refers to first element, the speaker?
a. Connect with your audience.
b. Organize your thoughts for clarity.
c. Stand up and deliver your talk.
d. All of the above.

KEY ANSWER:

1. D
2. D
3. D
4. A
5. C
6. B
7. C
8. D
9. B
10. C