We often do not give as much credit to impromptu speaking as we do for rehearsed speeches. The misnomer 'impromptu' gives off an impression that you can't really prepare for it and it gets lost in the glitz and glamour of prepared speeches. After joining Toastmasters, I realized how much practice I need with speaking off the cuff. More often than not, we are presented with scenarios that require a coherent answer. While seems to be an easy task, some of us end up struggling at the most simple situations. Just like it's important to rehearse and practice prepared speeches, impromptu speaking could also use some tools and techniques that allow us to practice and become better prepared for the next time!
Christine and I have seen this as a gap in our Toastmasters education and decided to create a workshop to share tools and techniques to help you better prepare for the next time you are called upon to speak without preparation. We attempted to make it interactive and add enough opportunities for the audience to participate and practice the tools we provided. The workshop was perceived well at the meeting. It was led to an interesting discussion about developing a culture in our meetings to prompt and encourage members to step up to speak in case their is a speaker cancellation. We also talked about hosting debate style meetings. Great ideas and lots for the executive team to work on!
Watch the workshop online here and feel free to provide feedback for improvement.
