Impromptu speaking safety nets to banish panic
7 structural patterns for impromptu speaking, with outline examples and printables
Do you remember being taught anything useful about how to pull together a reasonable impromptu speech?
I can’t. And I don’t think that’s entirely down to my age! The one instruction I was given was to think, before opening my mouth. This was intended to stop my tendency to blither and blurt in staccato like blasts hoping, while hopping from one take on the topic to another, I’d alight on some aspect I could summon up something to say about. Something sensible. Enough to satisfy. Enough to get me out of the spotlight as fast as possible, dignity intact.
It didn’t work. Despite being an experienced senior teacher, despite taking roles in plays, anxiety trumped thinking when I was called on to speak in public at a moment’s notice and continued to do so until…
(Cue a blast of trumpets to signal the approach of a significant snippet of information. Ta da!)
…I was introduced to ready-made structural formats or patterns for organizing content at Toastmasters. Impromptu speaking went from oh-my-goodness ghastly to definitely doable almost overnight.
Learned formats were safety nets. When I no longer needed to consider structure, I had the freedom and space to think about the content.
I don’t have an explanation about why it took me so long to find the help I needed.* I’m just grateful I did.
You can find those life-saving formats, along with guidelines for practice, here: Impromptu speech outlines - 7 structural patterns with examples, and printables of each of them.
I hope they’re useful for you too.
Susan
* It may seem odd that someone who teaches or takes part in plays gets anxious about impromptu speaking. However, when you teach, your classes become very familiar and it is generally private, happening in a classroom, behind a closed door. On a good day, it’s a delightful world you are in control of.
If you take a role in a theatre production, although it’s public, it’s not you people are watching or listening to, it’s the character you’re playing. In both settings, privacy is preserved.
PS. As I said last week, and I’ll say next, if you have ideas for topics you’d like to see covered in this newsletter, or if you’d like to share an article on some aspect of public speaking, or a speech of your own, please get in touch. Either reply to this email or contact me through the form on my about me page on my website. I’d love to hear from you!
Great post. I am a good speaker but I hate table topics. I also realize I need to get over that! Thanks, Susan.