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Packet # 7 Speech 7
Impromptu Speaking
Impromptu speaking is giving an unprepared talk. A person simply takes the floor, selects a subject, and begins.
A fundamental principle is that the ideas voiced are unrehearsed and unprepared. The distinctive feature is the
unprepared delivery and the suddenness with which a person is confronted with a speech situation. Impromptu
speaking is often required at those times when a person is called upon without warning ―to say a few words‖ at
a luncheon, special meeting, social gathering, or other occasion.
Many people assume that impromptu speaking is easy. Nothing could be farther from the truth. In reality
impromptu speaking is extremely difficult. It is used effectively only by experienced speakers. There are
methods, however, which if used properly, will enable a person to perform acceptably on the spur of the
moment. This assignment will assist you in learning these methods.
How to Choose a Topic for Impromptu Speaking
There is one general rule to follow in selecting your topic: that is, if you have a choice. This rule is: choose one
on which you are best fitted to speak. Consider your audience and the occasion when you are making a choice
of topic.
How to Prepare for an Impromptu Speech
Naturally you cannot prepare for an unknown topic, but you can prepare a method of attack on surprise
offerings from your audience. One system of doing this is to have in mind various orders by which to develop
your ideas.
One order might be the time sequence in which events occur by the hour, day, month, or year, moving forward
or backward from a certain time. This example will illustrate the principle involved: Topic—Houses: (1) Give
the history of houses from a definite date: (2) Tell which part of the country houses were first built in and their
subsequent westward movement with time: (3) Describe how with time the styles of houses change< 1620-
1700-1775-1800, and the like.
A space order would take you from east to west, top to bottom, front to rear…: for example: take the topic,
Houses. Then develop the speech in space order, giving the items in this way: (1) Specify the location of houses
and their types, starting in California and traveling east: (2) Locate various classes of houses found in a city,
starting at a slum area and moving to the wealthy outlying districts: (3) Describe houses according to locations
in various parts of the world.
Using casual order, you might discuss certain forces and then point out the results which follow. Use this
example: (1) Eskimos live in igloos. Why? Give reasons (causes). Or you might mention that South Pacific
tribes dwell in grass and mud huts. Why? Give reasons (causes). (2) Prefabricated houses are now being built.
Why? Give the causes that led to their development. (3) There are many hundreds of styles of houses of
different architecture. Why? Give causes for this great diversification.
A special order, one of your own devising. For example take the same topic – Houses. (1) Tell how to build a
house or different kinds of houses. (2) Give the legal aspects of house construction—such as, wiring, sewage
disposal plants, plumbing, type of dwelling in restricted areas, distance from street, … (3) How to contract for
house construction…
Another method that is effective is listed below. It should be kept in mind that any method a speaker elects to
use is not self-propelled. The person who applies the method will need to keep their wits about them and utilize
only those portions of the device which are adapted to their particular speech, the occasion, the audience, and
their own background and knowledge. You will probably find it necessary to literally memorize the points
which follow. If you do this and then develop you topic in the order of the various headings, you will make a
logical speech.
