⚡ Impromptu and Extemporaneous Speaking

Two events, one skill

Impromptu speaking means getting a topic (a quotation, a word, an object, a question) and speaking about it after only a few minutes of preparation. Extemporaneous speaking (“extemp”) means choosing one of three current-events questions, preparing for 30 minutes with files of articles you gathered beforehand (no internet), and giving a speech of up to seven minutes from memory, in the National Speech & Debate Association’s version. Both are offered at many speech tournaments; time limits vary by league.

Even if you never enter either event, the skill helps every debater. Rebuttals, crossfire, parliamentary prep and World Schools impromptu motions are all speaking with little preparation.

Sources: [1]

A structure you can use anywhere

Under time pressure, two well-developed points beat three rushed ones.

1. Hook: a quick story, fact or question that relates to the topic.
2. Thesis: your answer in one sentence.
3. Point one, with an example.
4. Point two, with an example.
5. (Point three, if time allows.)
6. Conclusion: restate the thesis and tie back to the hook.

Using short prep time

• Spend the first part choosing your thesis. Don’t start writing until you know your answer.
• Write only a few words per point, big enough to see at a glance.
• Pick examples from your mental “bank”: a historical event, a book, a science fact, a personal experience, a current event.
• Leave a few seconds to say your first sentence in your head.

Build an example bank

Good impromptu speakers aren’t making things up on the spot; they’re drawing on what they already know. Keep a notebook of examples that fit many topics: a few historical events, a few people who changed their minds, a few scientific discoveries, a few books. The Harvard Classics daily reading and the timeline are good places to fill it.

Extemp tips

• Read news from several sources with different points of view every week.
• Keep files by topic (economy, foreign policy, technology) so you can find articles quickly.
• Answer the exact question you drew; don’t give a prepared speech on a nearby topic.
• Cite sources by name and date: “According to a Federal Reserve report from March…”.

A sample impromptu outline