Extempore Speaking: Here´s How You Do It
EmPower Research
February 07, 2008
By Shilpashri
Extempore is an impromptu speech that is delivered with little or no preparation. Although it is spontaneous, it requires great effort to deliver an extempore successfully. In the corporate setup, ´extempore´ is one of the ways to assess a prospective employee´s communication skills and thinking abilities. It is also a yardstick of one´s social awareness. Of late, organizations have begun to lay more emphasis on employing wholesome individuals who can think on their feet.
Today, the mantra of vertical growth is the ability to interact with the top-level management and clients with utmost ease and versatility, apart from ´doing your job well´. For all those who aspire to savor responsible and accountable designations, being able to discuss ´any topic under the sun´ is an essential quality to participate in a power lunch. You could never know when your foreign client would want to know where you get the best Benarasi sarees and kurtas. On your best day, he might even want to know how to cook ´Sambar´!
Analyze a subject
Here is a very modest effort to help analyze a subject of talk in an extempore competition.
The most difficult part of delivering an extemporaneous talk lies in the topic itself. While one needs subject matter expertise and current-affair knowledge to speak on social and political topics, it is relatively simpler to speak on subjects which are ´daily rituals´. For example, if you have to talk on what measures India should take in order to attract more foreign investment, you would need to know about financial statistics and hard-core foreign affairs. On the other hand, you need not be a voracious reader to talk on topics like ´Time management skills´, ´Women´s empowerment´ and ´Entrepreneurship as a career option´. Such topics can be handled logically.
Delivering a good extempore is not a Herculean task. Following a definite, organized pattern of thoughts and sentences is what it takes to receive an applause from the audience.
Here is what you need to do, in that one minute or two that you are given, to prepare for the talk.
First, dissect the topic word by word, consider the meaning of each word, one at a time, and then understand the complete topic as a unit. Analyze what the topic means to you.
Then consider what your best friend or someone who you know well would think of the topic. This gives the topic a different perspective other than yours.
Then, recall anything you might have come across recently in the media, which can be used as an example to explain the topic. This helps to approach the topic from a social perspective.
Then, think a little beyond the topic, in order to give it a logical conclusion.
Now, make a complete mental overview of what you have to say.
The first few seconds of the talk are the most important. These are the golden moments when the audience and jury will make their first impression of you. Hence, make the most of it. This needs no extra effort or practice. Do not be ´someone else´; wear your own shoes! The best way to impress is to be ´Just yourself!
Unwind The Content
Unwind the content in exactly the opposite way the thought process was developed. Since it is important to instantly connect with the audience, start the talk with the real-life example or incident, whenever possible. This makes the talk lively and realistic. Real-life examples should ideally be well-known to everyone in the audience, in order for them to comprehend what you are saying.
Be natural with relevant gestures. Make sure you restrict the talk to the allotted time. It is important to follow the rules of the game. Even when the topic is something which has enough content to speak for hours, sum up what ever you want to say within the allotted time frame.
Do look at the entire audience and not restrict your sight to any one person or group, whom you are comfortable with. Make it a point to look at the jury, at least once every 20 seconds in the course of your talk.
When you hear the bell, give your talk a logical conclusion either with your opinion or a close-ended question to the audience.
It is important to remember that although you are entitled to freedom of speech and expression, you do not get personal or offending. Also, do not over-do things.
The next time you hear of an extempore competition at EmPower, just ´give it a shot´, even if you have never done it before. It´s important to make a beginning, things will follow!
Extempore is an impromptu speech that is delivered with little or no preparation. Although it is spontaneous, it requires great effort to deliver an extempore successfully. In the corporate setup, ´extempore´ is one of the ways to assess a prospective employee´s communication skills and thinking abilities. It is also a yardstick of one´s social awareness. Of late, organizations have begun to lay more emphasis on employing wholesome individuals who can think on their feet.
Today, the mantra of vertical growth is the ability to interact with the top-level management and clients with utmost ease and versatility, apart from ´doing your job well´. For all those who aspire to savor responsible and accountable designations, being able to discuss ´any topic under the sun´ is an essential quality to participate in a power lunch. You could never know when your foreign client would want to know where you get the best Benarasi sarees and kurtas. On your best day, he might even want to know how to cook ´Sambar´!
Analyze a subject
Here is a very modest effort to help analyze a subject of talk in an extempore competition.
The most difficult part of delivering an extemporaneous talk lies in the topic itself. While one needs subject matter expertise and current-affair knowledge to speak on social and political topics, it is relatively simpler to speak on subjects which are ´daily rituals´. For example, if you have to talk on what measures India should take in order to attract more foreign investment, you would need to know about financial statistics and hard-core foreign affairs. On the other hand, you need not be a voracious reader to talk on topics like ´Time management skills´, ´Women´s empowerment´ and ´Entrepreneurship as a career option´. Such topics can be handled logically.
Delivering a good extempore is not a Herculean task. Following a definite, organized pattern of thoughts and sentences is what it takes to receive an applause from the audience.
Here is what you need to do, in that one minute or two that you are given, to prepare for the talk.
First, dissect the topic word by word, consider the meaning of each word, one at a time, and then understand the complete topic as a unit. Analyze what the topic means to you.
Then consider what your best friend or someone who you know well would think of the topic. This gives the topic a different perspective other than yours.
Then, recall anything you might have come across recently in the media, which can be used as an example to explain the topic. This helps to approach the topic from a social perspective.
Then, think a little beyond the topic, in order to give it a logical conclusion.
Now, make a complete mental overview of what you have to say.
The first few seconds of the talk are the most important. These are the golden moments when the audience and jury will make their first impression of you. Hence, make the most of it. This needs no extra effort or practice. Do not be ´someone else´; wear your own shoes! The best way to impress is to be ´Just yourself!
Unwind The Content
Unwind the content in exactly the opposite way the thought process was developed. Since it is important to instantly connect with the audience, start the talk with the real-life example or incident, whenever possible. This makes the talk lively and realistic. Real-life examples should ideally be well-known to everyone in the audience, in order for them to comprehend what you are saying.
Be natural with relevant gestures. Make sure you restrict the talk to the allotted time. It is important to follow the rules of the game. Even when the topic is something which has enough content to speak for hours, sum up what ever you want to say within the allotted time frame.
Do look at the entire audience and not restrict your sight to any one person or group, whom you are comfortable with. Make it a point to look at the jury, at least once every 20 seconds in the course of your talk.
When you hear the bell, give your talk a logical conclusion either with your opinion or a close-ended question to the audience.
It is important to remember that although you are entitled to freedom of speech and expression, you do not get personal or offending. Also, do not over-do things.
The next time you hear of an extempore competition at EmPower, just ´give it a shot´, even if you have never done it before. It´s important to make a beginning, things will follow!
Print
Email
