CHAPTER 4 – DELIVER THE SPEECH1

There are four basic methods of delivery from which a speaker can choose: manuscript speaking,
memorized speaking, impromptu speaking, and extemporaneous speaking.

1. Manuscript Speaking
Reading from a manuscript is usually a poor way to deliver a speech. Although it may provide
some insurance against forgetting the speech, manuscript speaking is rarely done well enough to
be interesting.

However, some speeches should be read. For example, during times of crisis, statements to the
press by government or business leaders should be crafted precisely, rather than tossed off
casually. One advantage of reading from a manuscript is that you can choose words very carefully
when dealing with a sensitive and critical issue. The key to giving an effective manuscript speech
is to sound as though you are not giving a manuscript speech. Use the tips in the How To box to
help you.

Tip! While preparing the manuscript, consider who your audience is, so as to make it effectual.

Making a speech comes to us as a 'task' sometimes. Be it in school, for a meeting, or at a function;

unless you are at ease with public speaking, speeches may not be everyone's cup of tea. A

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Beebe, S.A., and Beebe, S. J. (2015). A Concise Public Speaking Handbook (4th Ed.). Texas,AS: Pearson Publication.

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flawless and well-structured delivery is always welcome though. Memories of delivering and
listening to a variety of speeches are refreshed when confronted with preparing for one.

Being the most effective way of communication, a speech is also a powerful medium of
addressing controversial issues in a peaceful manner. There are four types of speeches:
impromptu, extemporaneous, manuscript, and memorized. Each has its purpose, style, and
utility. We have definitely heard all of them, but may not be able to easily differentiate between
them. Let's understand what the manuscript type is actually like.

Definition of Manuscript Speech

This is when a speaker reads a pre-written speech word by word to an audience.
It is when an already prepared script is read verbatim. The speaker makes the entire speech by
referring to the printed document, or as seen on the teleprompter. It is basically an easy method
of oral communication. Manuscript speaking is generally employed during official meetings,
conferences, and in instances where the subject matter of the speech needs to be recorded. It is
used especially when there is time constraint, and the content of the talk is of prime importance.
Conveying precise and succinct messages is the inherent purpose of this speech. Public officials
speaking at conferences, and their speech being telecast, is a pertinent example.

Examples
There can be various occasions where this style of speech is used. It depends on the context of
the address, the purpose of communication, the target audience, and the intended impact of the
speech. Even if it is understood to be a verbatim, manuscript speaking requires immense effort
on the part of the speaker. Precision in the delivery comes not just with exact reading of the text,
but with a complete understanding of the content, and the aim of the talk. We have witnessed
this through many examples of eloquence, like the ones listed below.
• A speech given by a Congressman on a legislative bill under consideration.
• A report read out by a Chief Engineer at an Annual General Meeting.
• A President's or Prime Minister's address to the Parliament of a foreign nation.
• A televised news report (given using a teleprompter) seen on television.
• A speech given at a wedding by a best man, or during a funeral.
• A religious proclamation issued by any religious leader.
• A speech in honor of a well-known and revered person.
• Oral report of a given chapter in American history, presented as a high school assignment.

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 Advantages Disadvantages
Precision in the text or the speech helps catch If you are not clear in your speech and cannot
the focus of the audience. read out well, it may not attract any attention
of the audience.
It proves very effective when you have to put As compared to a direct speech, in a
forth an important point in less time. manuscript that is read, the natural flow of
the speaker is lost. So is the relaxed,
enthusiastic, interactive, and expressive tone
of the speech lost.
Concise and accurate information is A manuscript speech can become boring if
conveyed, especially when talking about read out plainly, without any effort of non-
contentious issues. verbal communication with the audience.

Tips for an Appealing Manuscript Speech

• Use a light pastel paper in place of white paper to lessen the glare from lights.
• Make sure that the printed or written speech is in a bigger font size than normal, so that
you can comfortably see what you are reading, which would naturally keep you calm.
• Mark the pauses in your speech with a slash, and highlight the important points.
• You can even increase the spacing between words for easier reading (by double or triple
spacing the text).
• Highlight in bold the first word of a new section or first sentence of a paragraph to help
you find the correct line faster.
• Don't try to memorize the text, highlights, or the pauses. Let it come in the flow of things.
• Practice reading it out aloud several times, or as many times as you can.
• Try keeping a smile on your face while reading.
• Keep in mind that a manuscript speech does not mean 'mere reading out'. Maintaining
frequent eye contact with the audience helps involving them into the subject matter.

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How to Be a More Dynamic Public Speaker:

1. Write to Speak. Compose your talk for the ears—not the eyes—of your listeners. Aim for the
rhythms of conversation rather than the more formal style of memos and reports or the barely-
composed slang of e-mail. That means using simple words and short sentences. Use a tape
recorder and listen to yourself to improve in this area. If it's inspiration you need, wrap your
headphones around any speech by Winston Churchill. The idea is to make your words
conversational, and therefore easy for you to access.

2. Make it Readable. Give yourself pages of typeface (or handwriting) that are easy to see from
the lectern. Use a 16-point sans serif typeface like Arial, and triple-spacing. Avoid printing near
the bottom of the page, or your audience will see the top of your head too often. When you finish
a page, slide that page face up on top of the page that preceded it. It's less distracting for your
audience than if you flip the pages over in the air.

3. Grab Key Phrases: You don’t want to spend more time with your text than with your listeners.
So look down and “grab” a key phrase or idea. Then look up and say it. This is actually easier than
it sounds. Practice it so you acquire a rhythm, an essential skill of public speaking. Remember this
important rule: If you’re not looking at your audience, nothing should be coming out of your
mouth. Especially resist the temptation to look for what's coming next while you're still talking
about the current point.

4. Use 'The Pause That Refreshes'. That’s a slogan from an old soft drink ad. But it applies equally
well for you as a speaker, because you have to learn to use pauses! They help shape your speech.
They show that you’re confident enough to let an idea sit still long enough to sink in. Pauses are
refreshing for audiences. A speech without pauses seems to go on forever, regardless of its actual
length.

5. Make Eye Contact. This is the forest that many speakers don’t see because of the trees that
made up the pages of their manuscript. Get in the habit of looking up from your speech with
every sentence. Audiences need eye contact to believe you’re talking to them. So yes, eye
contact is central to influence.

6. Hit Your Peaks. Your speech needs shape in both ideas and delivery. A speech without a
climax, for instance, is as formless as an amoeba; and presentations without vocal variety are
sheer torture to the ear. The tendency of your voice to “flatten out” increases when you read
from notes or a manuscript rather than actually talking to listeners. Audiences demand much

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more from a speaker than someone who just reads lines on a page. Your job is to breathe life into
those words. Your listeners will love you for it, and wonder where you were if you don't.

Key takeaways from this section:

• It's easy to read from a manuscript while still relating to your listeners.
• Compose your talk for the ears, not the eyes, of your listeners.
• If you're not looking at your audience, nothing should come out of your mouth.
• Despite nervousness, you must pause long enough for ideas to sink in.
• Breathe life into the words, and emphasize the high point of your speech.

Delivering A Manuscript Speech - By David W. Richardson, CSP

Your great opportunity has come . . . you have been selected as a featured speaker at a major
convention. You will be involved in a multi-media presentation which will be operated in rear
projection format on screens to either side of you. This is one of the very few situations in which
your speaking style must change. No longer can you just get up and speak "off the cuff" or "wing
it". Here is where you must work from a manuscript.

In your career you will probably deliver fewer than 10% of your presentations using a script. In
these instances, you will write and/or deliver a prepared speech. These speeches will usually be
presented to large audiences in a meeting room or auditorium type facility and will be delivered
from a lectern. The following tips will aid in the preparation and delivery of a manuscript
speech:

1. The manuscript is still a speech. Sight and sound are still the media. This is not to be
confused with an essay standing on two legs. You are not a talking head.

2. Maintain your energy. It is very easy to become lethargic and thereby come off as dull and
boring to your audience. Your passion for your presentation must come through by maintaining
your energy at a high level. Try this: read an article from a newspaper or magazine out loud into
a tape recorder. Then, put the article down and paraphrase in your own words, with true feeling
and energy, that which you have just read. Notice the difference. You can quickly see the real
challenges to maintaining your energy level so that you are able to support, and are not
overpowered by, the multi-media presentation.

3. Use your own wording if possible. If at all possible, you should use your own words and
phrases. This will happen, of course, if you write your own speech. On the other hand, if your
speech will be written for you, be sure to read it out loud several times before presenting it to

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make sure the words and phrases come easily to you. If they do not, examine ways to change
the wording to suit your style.

4. Use spoken rather than written language. Try to avoid writing the speech out longhand or
on your computer. Instead, dictate your speech into a tape recorder and have it transcribed. You
will find it is much easier to speak the spoken word than it is to speak the written word.

5. Use short, simple sentences. When delivering a manuscript speech, it is important to avoid
using convoluted phrases and dependent clauses that may blur the clarity of your
thoughts. Short, simple sentences will give you an opportunity to pause, look at your audience,
and comfortably return to your presentation.

6. Prepare the manuscript in large print using both upper and lower case. The large print on
the page should be triple spaced with wide margins. Divide the paper from top to bottom in
thirds. Your prepared speech will then look like this: one-third left margin, one-third text, one-
third right margin. Be sure to divide this speech up into paragraphs and use bold letters to set up
each of your key points.

7. "Score" the speech. In scoring the speech you may wish to underline certain key words and
phrases so that you will emphasize them during your presentation. You also may draw arrows at
particular areas where you may wish to raise or lower your voice. Avoid using a yellow
highlighter . . . in many situations the lectern lighting will cause the highlighted sentences to blend
in with the rest of the presentation. So that you can pause in the right places, insert single slashes
throughout each sentence where the natural pause or inflection would occur. Place a double
slash at the end of each sentence and a triple slash at the end of a paragraph.

8. Practice the speech. It is important that you practice the speech, but don't become too
mechanical. Practice glancing down and picking up the words and phrases you wish to use and
then looking at your listeners to deliver them. There is no more powerful way to emphasize your
passion and to drive your points home than by pausing at the end of a strong paragraph or
section. This must be rehearsed in order that you will be able to look in the eyes of your listeners
as you deliver those last 12 - 15 words. Pause for a three or four count, then look down, grasp
your next point, look at your listeners, and continue your speech.

9. Pace yourself. You may find your mind wandering during this presentation, or you read it
too quickly. When you feel the pace is just right, then slow down some more. I have a tendency
to deliver a manuscript speech too rapidly. To help me remember to speak slower, I will write

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the word "slow" in the upper right hand corner of each page. Then as I turn each page I am
continually reminded to slow down.

10. Maintain eye contact. Here is the typical presentation of a manuscript speech. The speaker
reads the speech, occasionally glances up for a brief second, and then comes back to the
page. Several seconds later, when the speaker feels the need to give more eye contact, once
again the quick glance is given. Actually, the speaker sees nothing but the speech and is largely
ineffective. While it is very difficult in a manuscript speech, try to look down to read and up to
talk. Since your speech is scored such that, you only use the center one-third of the page, it is
therefore not necessary for your eyes to go from one side to the other.

You should be able to glance at your thought quickly by looking down, and then look at your
audience. See people in the audience, look to the front, the sides, the back, and let people know
you care about them and are willing to show it by giving them good eye contact. There's no more
difficult speech to deliver than when using a manuscript. Take the time, follow the ten tips
above, and you will have a powerful, moving presentation.

Example:

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2. Memorized Speaking
Memorized speaking sounds stiff, stilted, and over-rehearsed. You also run the risk of forgetting
parts of your speech and awkwardly searching for words in front of your audience. And you won’t
be able to make on-the-spot adaptations to your listeners if your speech is memorized.
Memorized speaking does, however, have the advantage of allowing you to have maximum eye
contact with the audience.

If you are accepting an award, introducing a speaker, making announcements, or delivering other
brief remarks, a memorized delivery style is sometimes acceptable. But, as with manuscript
speaking, you must take care to make your presentation sound lively and interesting.

In memorized speaking, you develop greater audience contact because you can look directly into
the eyes of your audience as you deliver your speech. You can use your gestures to the best
advantage as you become spontaneous in reacting to your own talk.

You want to be able to speak normally, and with ease so your audience will stay focused on what
you are speaking about. Understanding the topic that you are speaking about can really help you
deliver a smooth speech and helps the audiences believe what you are talking about. While it is
true that extemporaneous speaking presents the ideal type of speaking for most people, the
reciting of the speech from memory is used with success by many speakers. You, too, can be a
successful speaker through the use of the memorized manner of speaking.

This kind of speaking will be advantageous to you, beginners in the art of effective
communication. In a memorized speech, you develop a sense of confidence to give your speech
exactly as you have committed it to memory, without flaw or hitch. Here is where you eliminate
stammering or hesitating since your keen memory will serve you to the best advantage. In
memorized speaking, you develop greater audience contact because you can look directly into
the eyes of your audience as you deliver your speech. You can use your gestures to the best
advantage as you become spontaneous in reacting to your own talk. And, there will be a good
deal of animation and directness in speaking from memory.

However, speaking from memory has also its disadvantages: you are likely to forget certain words
during the pressure of delivery unless you have thoroughly rehearsed the speech aloud so that
the words recur to you automatically. This breaks your train of thought, embarrasses you, cuts
your audience contact and diverts the audience's attention from the thought of your speech.

In this type of speaking, you place too much emphasis on memorizing the words rather than on
the communication of ideas. Consequently, you become mechanical or robot-like in your

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delivery. You lose your sense of naturalness and your spontaneity as you do not have the chance
to create thoughts before your audience. Furthermore, in a memorized speech, you are not given
the chance to adapt your speech to unexpected audience reactions. If a point needs further
clarification or if the audience evinces disapproval of a statement, you are unable to depart from
your memorized script and you cannot care for the emergency adequately. Hence, you give your
audience the impression that your speech is ready-made or "canned." For this reason, you reduce
the audience's spontaneous responses to you and you lose their belief in your sincerity.

Lastly, there is much worry connected with this kind of speaking. You are constantly in a state of
nervousness as you are never sure that your memory will not fail you at a crucial point. Until the
speech is over, you cannot be at rest. To be able to use effectively the memorized speech, you
must combine this type with an extemporaneous way of giving your talk so as to win audience
interest and attention.

The Step-by-Step Process to Memorize a Speech

1. Write out the Speech

The first step is to write out your speech. There’s two ways you can do this. The first is simply to
write it out exactly how you want to say it. If you’re comfortable as a writer, or you are trying to
script out a presentation quite precisely, this can work. However, most people are more familiar
with talking than writing, so it’s often better to write out the speech as an outline, instead of as
a full script.

2. Rehearse the Speech, With Your Script/Outline

Next, you want to try saying your speech out loud, with your script. At this stage, it’s okay to read
it. You simply want to know how it sounds as a speech before you start the work of trying to
memorize it. Very often, when you start reading your speech aloud, you’ll recognize parts that
need to change. This is a sculpting process, where you delete, add or reorder large chunks to
make it sound better.

If you wrote out a complete script, you’ll need to do this several times to edit the script to make
it sound more natural. If you’ve written a lot of speeches, this is easier. However, writing and
speaking differ in many ways, so if you just go straight to memorizing a fully written speech you
will probably sound a bit off.

If you only wrote an outline, this stage is where you end up creating the speech. It will probably
take several times just to figure out what you want to say, so this process can sometimes be

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longer. The advantage of going from outline, as opposed to full script, is that you don’t have the
residue of the written script influencing how you deliver it. If you need to appear more casual or
spontaneous, this is especially helpful. Less so if you’re doing a formal presentation.

3. Memorize, Big to Small

The key to memorizing a speech is to memorize it hierarchically. You want to start with the broad
chunks, then specific paragraphs, phrases, and finally, specific intonation and timing with words.

There’s two reasons to do it this way. The most obvious is that, aside from professional speakers,
few people will hit the last stage and memorize the tiny details. Instead, the speech will be “good
enough” when you’ve memorized the broad content of certain paragraphs, and are still loose
enough to switch the delivery a little bit.

The second reason is that this gives you maximum practice at the more zoomed out level of your
speech. This means you’ll have memorized this part the best, and will be able to fall back on it if
you misremember a lower-level detail.

I once was presenting with a team, and one of our team members had the bad habit of skipping
over small paragraphs or sections, like a record skipping over part of a song. For us it was a
nuisance. But for the audience, he was skipping out parts of the logical sequence of the speech.

Suddenly, our beautifully crafted presentation didn’t make any sense since we omitted a key part
of the presentation. Memorizing hierarchically solves this problem by giving you the ability to
remember the gist, even if you forget the parts.

4. Start with the Big Chunks

The first place to start is with the biggest chunks. These should be the logical and rhetorical
content of your speech. The broad strokes of what you’re trying to talk about.

If you’re giving a sales presentation, this might be, “Describing the problem,” “What our product
is,” and, “How to buy it.”

The first way to memorize this is simply to write out what these main points are on the page and
then, covering them up, try to recall them. Spend a few minutes doing this and then try delivering
your speech, focusing on the broad points, without worrying too much whether you get the exact
delivery right.

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5. Move to the Small Points
Once you’ve convinced yourself that the big chunks are 100% memorized (which shouldn’t take
too long), then you want to move to the smaller points. These are not sentences, but they
represent the meaning of what you want to say with them.

Depending on the speech there will be a lot more of these. I recommend expanding your bullets
for your big chunks to represent each idea with one or two key words. This is considerably briefer
than a full script, but it may actually be more detailed than your original outline—since you’ll
have one point every sentence or two, whereas your original outline might have only included
the big chunks.

Quiz yourself to memorize these points. I often like to tie them to the big chunks. So I could ask
myself, “What are the points for — ‘Describing the problem’?” I would then proceed to recall
from memory all the points I want to make and then check my list. Did I get them all right?

This can take a bit more work, so it’s useful to do a mixture of memorizing via this quizzing and
actually practicing the speech. The reason to do some self-quizzing, instead of just rehearsing the
speech, is that we’re trying to memorize the speech content first. Whereas, if you only rehearse
the speech verbatim, it’s very easy to get stuck on memorizing the literal words of the speech
but losing track of the broader structure.

Your goal here should be perfect recall of all the points. If I ask you, what are the points for chunk
X of the speech, you should be able to flawlessly tell me what they all are. If you can’t, or you
have to stop and think for more than two seconds, you don’t know it well enough. Keep quizzing
yourself and you’ll have it memorized soon.

6. Memorize the Delivery

Now, hopefully, you’ve memorized the big chunks of your speech and all the points you need to
make in each chunk. Since you’ve done it in this order, the overall structure of the speech should
be deepest in your memory, followed by the points to be made and only finally some of the ways
in which you are trying to say those points.

For many speeches, this is enough. You can simply go out and deliver your presentation, knowing
that even if you change how you deliver it, the content will remain the same.

However, good speakers often go a step further. They rehearse it top-to-bottom a number of
times so they can start making microscopic changes to the order of words, sentences, even timing
and intonation.

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One example of such a tweak. If I’m giving a speech, I might start to overuse a word too much. If
I were giving this article as a speech, loosely, I might say the word “memorize” over and over
again. In this phase of rehearsing a speech, I could make sure that sometimes I say “memorize”
and sometimes I say “remember” and other times “rehearse” so as to give variety in my
performance.

Jokes and comedy depend a lot on timing and delivery. So if you’re trying to write a speech that
intends to be funny, this step is often difficult to skip since you need to have not only the right
content, but the right delivery to make the speech work.

7. Deliver the Speech

Finally, you need to actually give the speech. Although now we’re onto performance not
rehearsal, it’s important here to remember to focus on the high-level chunks and points, not the
words and delivery in your mind at this stage. Focus on what you want to say, and the “how” of
your delivery will simply come out however you practiced it most before.

This step is important for a couple reasons.

First, it gives you maximal flexibility. If you get interrupted, someone asks a question or you flub
and forget a word, you’ve remembered the meaning not the syntax. This means it’s easier to get
back onto a logically coherent path, rather than trying to spit out sentences in the wrong order.

Second, it will feel the most natural. What makes someone feel natural in their delivery of a
speech is that they are feeling the content of the speech as if it was coming to them right now.
When you memorize the words, the semantics of the speech can get buried, and you can end up
delivering it in a way you would never do in a conversation.

If you did do the sixth step, mastering the delivery, then whatever was best practiced will be the
groove to which the record needle of your mind sticks to. Focusing on the content, not the
delivery, is important here to seem natural. Think about what you want to say and the right way
to say it will come out automatically because of your practice.

Why Bother with Memorizing a Speech?

I don’t memorize every presentation I have to give. If I know I have multiple takes (say I’m
recording a video) very often what gets recorded are the takes I do as I’m trying to figure out
what to say.

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Similarly, if I’m delivering a longer talk then I may aim for improvising around the structure of the
talk, without trying to master some element of the delivery. Longer speeches, obviously, take
longer to memorize, so there may be somewhere when the cost-benefit of memorizing is no
longer being reached.

However, often in your life you’ll have to deliver a speech where the stakes are high and there
are no do-overs. In this instance, knowing how to properly memorize a speech, so you can say it
exactly, without sounding robotic, is a useful skill to develop.

The nice thing about this process is that it goes in order of priority. So, the question usually isn’t,
“should I use this approach to memorize a speech?” but, “how far should I go for this particular
speech?”. You may finish after early rehearsals, or memorizing the points, or even go so far as to
perfect the timing of tiny nuances in your body language or tone of voice for particular words
and phrases. This same process applies throughout.

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3. Impromptu Speaking
You have undoubtedly already delivered many impromptu presentations. Your response to a
question posed by a teacher in class and your unrehearsed rebuttal to a comment made by a
colleague during a meeting are examples of impromptu presentations. The impromptu method
is often described as “thinking on your feet” or “speaking off the cuff.” The advantage of
impromptu speaking is that you can speak informally and maintain direct eye contact with the
audience. But unless you are extremely talented or have learned and practiced the techniques of
impromptu speaking, an impromptu speech usually lacks logical organization and thorough
research. When you are called on to deliver an improvised or impromptu speech, the guidelines
in the How To box can help ease you through it.

Because there is no opportunity to conduct any kind of research before delivering an impromptu
speech, you will have to speak from your own experience and knowledge. Remember, audiences
almost always respond favorably to personal illustrations, so use any appropriate and relevant
ones that come to mind. Of course, the more knowledge you have about the subject to be
discussed, the easier it will be to speak about it off the cuff. But do not make up information or
provide facts or figures you’re not certain about.

An honest “I don’t know” or a very brief statement is more appropriate. No matter how much
knowledge you have, be cautious about the information you share, especially if your subject is
sensitive or your information is classified. If asked about a controversial topic, give an honest but

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noncommittal answer. You can always elaborate later, but you can never take back something
rash you have already said. It is better to be careful than sorry!

HOW TO GIVE AN IMPRESSIVE IMPROMPTU SPEECH-by Peter Khoury

An Impromptu speech is a talk that you give on the spot with no preparation. The speech could
be as professional as a project update or as casual as a toast at a wedding. Either way, you are
expected to say something smart, witty and charming. While it might feel like torture even to the
most second C-level executive, giving an extemporaneous speech the mark of an excellent
communicator and leader.

Impromptu Speech Situations You Must Be Ready For

It’s not how you handle yourself when you are prepared, that demonstrates your leadership, it’s
how you handle yourself when you are least prepared. Most of the presentations you give will
be prepared, yet some will not, and these unplanned events will have a bigger impact on your
personal brand.

Here are just some examples of them

1. Introducing yourself at networking events.
2. Filling in for a late speaker.
3. You are asked to give a toast at a company party.
4. You get asked a question you did not prepare for while on a panel.
5. Job interview questions from left field.
6. You are interviewed by a reporter.
7. You get pulled into a meeting to give an update.
8. There is unexpected push back on your ideas at a company meeting.
9. Say a goodbye speech to a departing employee.
10. Your college refers to you in the middle of a presentation for input.

The Best 3 Impromptu Speech Tips I Ever Got

The first company I interned for during my college years threw me a goodbye party. I was happy
until the manager asked if I had a few words for the team. Then I opened my mouth, and gibberish
came out. It sounded like I was speaking in tongues, “Ahh, Ahh, blah, blah, blah…” Later, my
manager at that time gave me three tips about talking on the spot that I carry to this day: “Stick
to the truth, share from personal experience, and practice out loud.”

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1. Stick to the truth. No need to embellish, exaggerate or stretch the truth. The truth is always
good enough. For example, if you feel happy to have your colleagues in a meeting, then don’t say
that you feel “super excited.” Saying that you feel happy is good enough. At least when you tell
the truth, you will be authentic. Now, telling the truth does not mean that you divulge company
secrets. You stick to your truth at the moment. If you don’t know, then you say you don’t know;
if you are not sure, then you say you are not sure. Sticking to the truth will save you from a lot of
mental anguish.

2. Share from personal experience. When you speak from personal experience, then you are
referring to things that you intimately know. No need to research, no need to investigate, and no
need to memorize anything. When in doubt about what to say, just tell a story from your past
related to the situation. That will make your contribution unique and valuable. For example,
someone asks you about the future of self-driving cars. Instead of making up stuff, just talk about
the time you were in Mountain View, and you saw one of the Google’s self-driving cars for the
first time. Wait, you never saw that. No problem. Talk about the last time you were talking with
your spouse about self-driving cars. Wait you never did that. No problem. Talk about the first
time you heard about self-driving cars. You get the idea here. No need to make up anything, just
look back in your memory to the closest experience with the topic and share that.

3. Practice out loud. Thinking on your feet is like dancing, you can’t learn it by thinking about it.

There Are Two Ways to Practice Impromptu Speaking:

1. On your own. Choose a different random topic every day and speak out loud about it. What
you say does not have to be perfect, or eloquent, or enlightening. The important thing is to speak
out loud. I do this when I am stuck in traffic. I pick a random topic and then I just speak on it for
a minute or so. Don’t overdo it. Just once a day

2. Speak in a group. Practicing in front of a group and getting professional feedback is the best
way to learn impromptu speaking. I know that this option is harder than practicing on your own
for many reasons. Not finding the right group, not finding the time are just a few. However, it is
not impossible. You can try out different speaking classes or join a Toastmasters group in your
area until you find one that resonates with you. It will be worth it.

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Quick And Dirty Impromptu Formula You Can Use Right Away
In an impromptu speech, the structure is the king. Without a present and practiced structure,
you will ramble on and make no point at all. In fact, the structure will be the king, queen, and
general combined to martial and lead your content in a concise and relevant way. There are many
other formulas that I use for impromptu speaking, however, here I want to share with you an
excellent one. It’s called FAT.

F = Feeling
Share your honest feeling about the topic, circumstance or person. If you feel excited to be there
then, that’s the impression that you share (remember to stay close to the truth)

A= Anecdote
Share a relevant story. Most of the time, I share my first experience with the topic. For example,
if it’s a car, then I share a story about my first car in college. If it’s a person, then I share my first
experience meeting the person. It does not have to be that way.

T = Tie Back
After you are done with the anecdote, make sure you tie it back to the topic you are talking about.
Example, if you are doing a toast for a departing coworker, and you share the story of the first
time you meet her, you can tie back by saying, that after that event, you knew that she was
destined for big things and that she will be missed when she leaves.
When you get asked to speak about someone or something, you can always rely on the FAT
formula.

Here Is an Example of An Impromptu Speech Using the Fat Method.

Scenario: you are asked to thank a group of interns that worked with your department for the
summer.
F: Feeling
I want to thank Michael, Amey, and Kira for working with our department over the summer. Their
work is greatly appreciated, and I don’t know how we would have done it without them (only say
it this way if it’s the truth).

A: Anecdote
I remember your first day. You were all quiet, taking notes and probably thinking oh my god what
a mess. Then surprised us all by your initiative and how quickly you learned. With your help, we
caught up on our financial audit.

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T: Tie back
We were so thankful to have you this summer and wanted to wish you the best in your academic
career next year. I know some of you will be graduating, and I look forward to hearing from you.
I hope you would consider coming back to work with us. Good luck!

Ok, that was the FAT method. Easy right?

You don’t have to remember any content; all you have to remember is a structure. The takeaway
is that it can be used for many different scenarios. Weddings, eulogies, goodbyes, updates,
answers, etc.

How To Write Impromptu Speech

Giving a speech is not the easiest task in general. There are plenty of students who struggle with
public speaking and find it hard to deliver a speech even when they have plenty of time to
prepare. When it comes to choosing impromptu speech topics and giving an impromptu speech,
everything is even more difficult, however. Not only you need to speak in public - you need to
improvise and often don't have any time to prepare and to gather all the data you might need.
So there's no wonder that impromptu speeches are considered some of the most difficult to
handle.

When Might You Be Asked To Give An Impromptu Speech?

Usually, impromptu speeches are given at contests and contestants do imagine what they would
be speaking about, even if a little. At least, they know the topics or a theme of a contest, etc.
However, often impromptu speeches are assigned in classrooms as well - and in this case, the
situation could be much different. For example, you may be assigned certain impromptu speech
topics for high school or college to check how well did you memorize the content of the course
or how well have your communication skills developed. You may also be asked to improvise or
to prepare yourself for giving an impromptu speech while picking a topic yourself.

Sometimes there are also competitions when you need to speak in front of the judges that
evaluate and grade your public speaking skills. Of course, this could be even more distressing -
but mastering such skills is very important. There's a chance you might be asked to give all kinds
of impromptu speeches later in life - for example, to introduce yourself to a group of people, to
give a report, to say a toast, and so on. Therefore, it's important for you to prepare yourself for
that kind of situations. This could help you to struggle less with improvisations on a public, so
don't hesitate to learn how to deal with that kind of speeches.

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How To Prepare Yourself to Give An Impromptu Speech?
One of the best ways to do so is to come up with some good impromptu speech topics and to
have them on hand to practice. The main goal of such speeches is to teach you how to improvise
and how to communicate effectively even under stressful circumstances. This means that it's
much more important how you deliver the information than what exactly you deliver.

While this gives you more flexibility in choosing the topics, this still doesn't mean that you
shouldn't keep your audience in mind. For example, practicing funny impromptu speech topics
might be enjoyable but you still shouldn't limit yourself to them only. Keep in mind that you might
be asked to deliver your speech to a serious audience - and if you know how to speak well only
when a topic is humorous, this definitely won't help you.

The key to delivering the best impromptu speeches is not only in picking the right topics but also
in understanding what is needed to make a speech great - a good structure, of course. It isn't
easy to come up with a good structure immediately but you still need to practice and to learn
how to do so. Keep in mind that your audience is listening, not recording the information you
give them visually. Therefore, it's very important to present all your concepts in a logical and
specific manner.

The Structure of The Impromptu Speech

Any speech, not only an impromptu one, should start with the introduction. This introduction
could be very basic - the important thing for it is to be able to capture the attention of the
audience. How to achieve that? You can come up with a sort of introduction that, in your opinion,
could work in any situation. For example, you can start with some personal examples that is
relevant to the speech. Even if this example isn't obvious at first, that's okay - as long as you'll be
able to tailor it to the body (and the main idea) of your speech, everything will be just fine. End
your introduction with a strong thesis - and then move on to the body of the speech. Be sure to
mention no less than three statement and to support each one of them with arguments. Your
ideas should be clear and identifiable - and the transition between them should be clear as well.

The conclusion is just as important. It ties all of your ideas together and gives your listeners a nice
summary - and something to remember as well. Keep in mind that the audience memorizes the
last part of the speech the best - so your goal is to make the most out of it.

Sure, you aren't always allowed to pick your own topics for an impromptu speech. But if you have
the opportunity to do so, pick the ones you're somewhat familiar with. First, this would save you

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some time on preparation. Second, you might be able to have some extra knowledge about the
topic - and therefore feel more confident about giving that kind of speech.

Of course, it's never easy to deal with the impromptu speech - and that's why it's so important
to prepare in advance. Unlike persuasive speech topics, impromptu ones don't require you trying
to convince the audience in something - no, such speeches are more about how you're able to
present and structure the information. Therefore, if you approach them with these tips in mind,
you'll be able to organize your speech nicely and to deliver it professionally.

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4. Extemporaneous Speaking
In extemporaneous speaking, you speak from a written or memorized general outline, but you
do not have the exact wording in front of you or in memory. You have rehearsed the speech so
that you know key ideas and their organization, but not to the degree that the speech sounds
memorized.

The extemporaneous method reflects the advantages of a well-organized speech delivered in an

interesting and vivid manner. An extemporaneous style is conversational; it gives your audience
the impression that the speech is being created as they listen to it, because to some extent it is.
Audiences prefer to hear something live rather than something prepared yesterday or weeks ago.
Seeing something happening now provides added interest and excitement.

You develop an extemporaneous style by first rehearsing your speech, using many notes or
perhaps looking at your preparation outline. After going over your speech a few times, you will
find that you have internalized the overall structure of the speech, although the exact way you
express your ideas may vary. You will rely less on your notes and focus more on adapting your
message to your listeners. The final draft of your speaking notes may be an abbreviated outline
or a few key words and essential facts or statistics that you want to remember.

Preparing Speech Notes for an Extemporaneous Speaking

(https://lumen.instructure.com/courses/218897/pages/linkedtext54268?module_item_id=5007136)

There are two popular methods for creating a graphical representation for notes: outlining, and
mind or concept mapping.

Outlining
An outline is a list of items with each item divided into additional sub-items. Each level in an
outline has at least two subcategories. There are three basic types of outlines:
1. Sentence outline - Each complete sentence includes a heading or single sentence about
the subject of the outline.
2. Topic outline - Each topic is listed and functions as a subtopic of the outline's subject.
3. Phrase outline - Each short phrase entry is a subtopic of the aforementioned main entry.
Speaking notes, topic outlines, and phrase outlines have an advantage over sentence outlines.
For example, you can easily look at your notes for reference and as a personal reminder of which
topics to discuss as you're speaking.

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Outlines commonly take two forms: alphanumeric and decimal.

An alphanumeric outline includes a capitalized number or letter at the beginning of each topic.
Look at the sample:

Thesis statement: E-mail and internet monitoring is an invasion of employees' rights.

I. The situation: Over 80% of today's companies monitor their employees.

A. To prevent fraudulent activities, theft, and other workplace related violations.
B. To more efficiently monitor employee productivity.

II. What are employees' privacy rights when it comes to electronic monitoring and surveillance?
A. American employees have basically no legal protection from mean and snooping bosses.
1. There are no federal or State laws protecting employees.
2. Employees may assert privacy protection for their own personal effects.
B. Most managers believe that there is no right to privacy in the workplace.
1. Workplace communications should be about work; anything else is a misuse of company
equipment and company time.
2. Employers have a right to prevent misuse by monitoring employee communication.

Decimal outline
The decimal outline shows how each item at every level relates to the whole sample.

Thesis statement: ____________________________ (please fill)

1.0 Introduction
1.1 Brief history of Liz Claiborne
1.2 Corporate environment

2.0 Career opportunities

2.1 Operations management
2.1.1 Traffic
2.1.2 International trade and corporate customs
2.1.3 Distribution
2.2 Product development

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Mind Mapping and Concept Mapping
Mind mapping and concept mapping are visual representations of ideas and concepts. A mind
map is a diagram which starts with a single word and then branches out from the central node,
with lesser categories as sub-branches of the larger branches. Concept maps are more free-form,
since multiple hubs and clusters can be created. Unlike mind maps, concept maps do not fix on a
single conceptual center.

For example, in the mind map for student learning, you can view the main component idea and
related ideas which connect to its branch nodes. You can also use a mind map as speaking notes.

Practice and Rehearsal Guidelines

The following guidelines are best practices on how to practice and rehearse an extemporaneous
speech:
• Speak in a conversational style by pretending you are with your audience.
• Rehearse with your graphics and coordinate them with your talk.
• Display your graphics only when you are talking about them.
• Rehearse in front of others and solicit feedback.
• Record and listen to your timed practice speech.
• Prepare for interruptions and questions at the end.

Although extemporaneous speaking may not require memorization and manuscript speaking,
organize and prepare your content and notes ahead of time to deliver a speech that will be well
received by your audience.

Tips on Extemporaneous Speaking

(http://www.wcpublishing.com/3ie/39extemp.htm)

Here is a 6 steps process for doing extemporaneous:

1. Choose Your Topic
Usually, you go to an extemp prep room where topics are posted on the wall. Bring your research
materials (your “extemp tub”) to the room. Find out what speaker you are and then listen for the
announcement of your speech. For each speaker, usually three topics are posted. These topics
are almost always questions about national political, economic, and social issues. You usually do
have thirty minutes to prepare for your speech but you should choose the topic you feel most
confident about shortly--within five to ten minutes. Pick a topic that you know you have materials

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on, that you like to talk about, and that will interest your judge and demonstrate your expertise.
That will make preparing the speech much easier.

2. Make A Thesis Statement

This is simple! Think about the topic you’ve chosen. Now, answer the topic question. “Was
Clinton a good president?” What do you think? Yes, or no? Write your answer down on a sheet
of paper or notecard to tell you what to do.

3. Create Points That Support Your Thesis

Take a moment and think up what would support your thesis. I suggest that at most you make
three points--you only have a very short time to speak. Write the points down on a sheet of
paper, leaving room after each one so that you can add supports for them.

Common Organization for An Extemporaneous Speech

The key to your organization is to provide points that directly support your answer to the
question.

For a policy question (e.g., What should the U.S. terrorism policy be?)
1. Problem, 2. Current policy isn’t solving/causes this problem, 3. This policy would solve the
problem

For an update on events type question (e.g., What is going on in Pakistan?)

List out the key events that are taking place. Make sure you have covered the topic thoroughly

4. Now, Develop Support for Your Thesis

Now, write down supports for your points. Look in your extemp tub and write down short
quotations, summaries of key points in your articles, stories and other key points of analysis that
you have for your points. Have at least two supports for each point if you possibly can and most
extempers are expected to cite at least six sources during their speeches. Write down the
supports.

5. Write Your Introduction and Conclusion

Write down ideas for an introduction. Give a quick attention getter, state the thesis, tell why it
is important to you and your audience. Write down a conclusion. Tie the speech together, build
to a higher point and give it a sense of conclusion.

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The Introduction.
1. Start with an “attention getter”. Use a story, analogy or joke to captivate your audience.
Avoid starting a speech with a quotation if your topic is a quotation, this may confuse your
judge.
2. In your introduction, state the question exactly as it is worded.
3. State your answer to the question; your thesis. Even if you don’t have a clear cut yes or no
answer to the question--state why you say yes but . . . or no but . . . (don’t leave it vague with
“sometimes yes and sometimes no; you can leave it hanging but with a clear direction “the
answer is yes but there is a critical exception which I will explain in my third point.”)
4. why is this topic important to the audience?
5. why are you an expert on this topic?
6. Preview your main points.

The Conclusion.
1. Restate the question and your answer to it.
2. Summarize briefly how your points and supports demonstrate that your answer is correct.
3. Close by referring back to your introduction.

6. Deliver the Speech

Your preparation of the key points in your speech should take 20 or less minutes. In the last 10
minutes, you should walk to where you will present. Along the way, take time to practice the
speech. Go through the intro, the main points, the conclusion. Think about what you are saying,
make corrections. If you arrive at your room early before other you are to speak, then take
advantage of the chance to practice in the hallway or an empty room (although keep close to the
room so that when they announce you are up next, you hear it). When the judge calls you, enter
the room and deliver away with your speech.

Develop Your Extemp Tubs

Use a system that works for you, but here is a good way to organize the many extemp articles
you should have:

Have a foreign issues box: try to organize it by regions of the world (Middle East, Africa,
Southeast Asia, etc) and then alphabetically by country within each regional section. Topics will
cross borders often, but that’s why you have the option in extemp of pulling out TWO files instead
of just ONE!

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Have a domestic issues box: again, organize by major general topics, and then alphabetically
within each general topic. Domestic issues will be tougher to fit entirely under general topics, so
don’t force things that don’t fit because you will lose them. Instead, stick to simple
generalizations (like sticking all politicians in a single general category, arranged alphabetically)
and try to avoid filing things in ways that might obscure them later.

Table 16.1 found at the end of this chapter offers an overview of the advantages and
disadvantages of each method.

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