Impromptu Speaking: Organization

For the last few weeks of the school year, we'll be working on how to how to organize a public speech and stand in front of an audience an give a presentation. The focus will be impromptu speaking. According to the Free Dictionary, impromptu is something "spoken, performed, done, or composed with little or no preparation; extemporaneous." Impromptu speaking is also known as "extemporaneous speaking." An impromptu speech can't be prepared in advance, so the student must learn the skills to quickly organize the topic, and then present that topic with ease and confidence. 

For our purposes, each student will be given a card with a topic written on it. They will then have a few minutes to prepare a speech about that topic. Here are some topic examples

·       My three favorite animals.

·       What you would find in my closet. Make something up.

·       What you'd find under my bed.

·       The best letter of the alphabet.

·       Why your mom/dad is special.

·       A day that stands out.

·       The best surprise ever.

(Find more here)

 Organization

It is important to know how a speech is organized before you begin. The picture to the right is a helpful way to think about your speech.

After you have your topic:

First: Make a mental list of three things you want to say about it, and reasons or examples for each. These three things will make up the body of your speech. Once you have these, the remaining elements of your speech, the introduction and conclusion will be easy!

Here's how you speech will look:

Introduction:

“Hello, my name is_______and today I’d like to talk to you about________.

Body: (your three things)

·     “The first reason/thing …..because……”

·     “The second reason/thing” or “secondly” “….because….”

·     “The final reason/thing” or “finally…..because”

Conclusion

“To conclude” or “in conclusion…these are the reasons/things….”

Use this "map" for every speech, and you will be on the road to giving a successful presentation every time!