Off-the-cuff: Tips to Master Impromptu Speaking

“So, Tatiana, tell us about the online conference you just attended.”?GULP, that’s a question I?wasn’t prepared for during our faculty meeting! I had to think fast as the chairperson stared at me.?I needed to provide evidence that department money spent on my registration yielded a?good return on investment. Should I talk about the sessions I attended, or how I networked??Or about tools I learned which could be used in our academic classes? I wasn’t ready to?make a presentation but impromptu speaking is just that — a mini-sized presentation.

When you’re caught off guard and asked to speak without warning, what do you do? FIRST,?take a deep breath! Then, consider the two important questions below. Answering them will help you focus on tailoring remarks to your audience, and keep you on-topic.

-- What is the ONE thing I want my listeners to remember?

-- Why should they CARE?

1.? What’s the ONE thing I want my audience to remember about the conference? Was there?an emerging trend in the sessions that could enhance our operation? Was there a particular?session I attended that identified as a game changer? I needed to think of the most important thing and speak only about that. Don’t neglect to follow up on your one-minded theme with?examples that expand on it. If my remarks described the online conference as being “highly?experiential,” then I needed to follow with details linking that to specific tangibles personalized?to my audience. Consider practicing this skill in everyday situations like leaving a voicemail?message or giving impromptu remarks at a social gathering. Practice with every opportunity and sharpen your single-themed message.

2.? What will matter most to your audience and why should they CARE??Focusing on how your?organization will benefit is most often the key point. In my case, I noted the return on investment for key audience stakeholders and the major trends that emerged from the conference sessions. Just like the single-themed message, tailoring responses to your audience will guaranteed that you deliver effective messages every time.

Let me give you another example. I just returned from a busy work trip to Greece, packed with meeting representatives from five companies that my MBA students have collaborated with this year. The goal was determining our next phase of collaboration and goals for the following academic year. I also met with professors from a local university whose students are collaborating with me on a different course. Finally, I spent some quality time with family members who live in Athens. For both business and family questions posed to me, I relied on the two rules to help me consider useful edits before answering.?

If my MBA students ask about the trip, my response will be about the?appreciation and compliments the clients expressed for each project. If the school Dean is asking, my?focus will be on the academic partnership success we’ve secured with the Greek university. And if a colleague asks me how it went, I’ll be sure to focus on my efforts to balance personal and professional goals during the short time I was there. Beyond the focused practice of targeting what you say specifically to an audience, successful impromptu speaking comes from gathering your thoughts, organizing your response, and always speaking with conviction.

Learning to think on your feet and speaking without any ahh, uhm, or urrr “fillers” is also key.?The more you train for confident responses, the more skilled you’ll become with speaking off-the-cuff. In my academic classes, I rely on the brilliant Table Topics deck from the Toastmasters?International organization that I attended for years. Table Topics cards are handed out in?the beginning of each Toastmasters’ group meeting — speakers address the room while?working to improve targeted responses and confident delivery. Here’s the link to a PDF for you?to use for practice.

Another tool that I refer my students to is the LikeSo app. It selects random topics for users to speak about for two minutes while measuring the filler words they've unintentionally added. This short video tells more.

Mastering the art of impromptu speaking takes time. Just remember the two questions above?and notice what a different direction your remarks take when you answer them. Your comments will be more focused, relevant, and concise — all key attributes for a great impromptu speaker tasked with a “mini-presentation.” Good luck!

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Live Office Hours?Join me Thursday, March 31st at 3:00pm EST as we take a deep dive on drills and quick exercises you can practice for improving your impromptu speaking skills. I have invited designers of artificial intelligence apps that can help you with this task. If you want stronger impromptu speaking skills, don’t miss this event! Sign up here.

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