How to Give an Impromptu Speech

Have you ever been called upon to make an unexpected speech at a meeting or event or in front of your classmates? How did you react to that? 1) ......................................... Here are some tips to keep in mind for the next impromptu – unplanned – speech you might give.

Step #1 It is a good idea to start with a personal experience: No matter where you are or who you are addressing, it always works because the audience is almost always interested in finding out more about you. By "personal experience", we mean some incident or event you either experienced yourself or know anecdotally. 2) ......................................... and also relate to it the occasion at hand.

Step # 2 Your speech needs structure. This means that you should not ramble on because rambling — 3) ........................................ — is the most common mistake unprepared speakers make. If you want to give an impromptu speech to a couple of friends at your birthday party, fall back on one of the basic tricks of the impromptu speech and divide your remarks into past, present and future.

Step # 3 Most people have short attention spans. You should end your remarks with something strong and reasonably memorable. However you choose to finish, 4)..........................................

Step # 4 You’d better not wait until you’ve finished speaking to figure out what to do when you’re done; 5) ......................................... and take the bite out of your speech. It is advisable to thank your audience for their attention and with one simple effort, give the floor, the microphone and the podium to the responsible person.