Christopher Brown
Fixed Term Professor
Department of Communication Studies
Impromptu Presentation
(Public Speaking)
The Course
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Emphasis on the speaker-audience relationship (audience engagement)
Persuade, inform, and articulate through standards of public speaking
Develop, structure, and organize a public speech
Develop skills analyzing a public speech
Focus on public speaking in a very context
Critique Western norms of public speaking (including organization,
standards of research, and delivery)
The Impromptu Delivery
The hallmark of impromptu speaking is to deliver a speech with little or no
preparation. Lack of preparation beforehand makes mastery of impromptu
presentational speaking is, at times, difficult for students. This is why some
professors and teachers use this opportunity to break the monotony and tedious
nature of a public speaking course, where students may endure a total of 100
speeches per term. Public speaking is just as much about the ability to demonstrate
appropriate public speaking skills as it is a mental exercise and endurance of
listening to, at times, substandard speeches.
Possible Example for Paper:
Learner Outcomes: By the end of this class period students will be able to
demonstrate effective delivery through practicing various nonverbal elements and
articulating, clearly, on the spot, organization of a speech.
What evidence will show they have learned this?
During formal extemporaneous or manuscript delivery, students will demonstrate
that they have developed, not necessarily mastered, the ability to present their
material through effective delivery skills learned in the process of impromptu
presentational speaking.
In addition, students are videotaped and have the opportunity to see whether they
are demonstrating these skills.
Previous Method of Instruction
What I did as the instructor
New Method of Instruction
What I am now doing as the instructor
Like some public speaking teacher and
professors, I created impromptu
exercises for students to break the
monotony of listening to speech-afterspeech.
After doing thinking about how I have
used impromptu presentations, I
decided to alter my approach. This year,
I decided to formalize the impromptu
presentation and make it an integral part
of the various required public speaking
assignments.
But also, to help students build their
confidence speaking in front of the
classroom.
Instead of using impromptu speaking to
shatter the monotony of listening to
speech-after-speech, I incorporated it
into the classroom structure and applied
rigorous standards of grading to this
assignment.
In fact, usually, I conduct impromptu
speeches in the middle of class, but I
decided to make this the very first
speech.
What the students did.
What the students are now doing.
I placed a small paper with a written
quote, metaphor or social and political
topic in a small box in front of the class. I
asked students to come up to the front of
class, pick out two slips of paper, choose
one and do an on-the-spot impromptu
presentation without any preparation.
In your face public speaking
I created a series of impromptu
assignments including performance
oriented, group oriented and individual
oriented presentation.
Students usually presented for 3 minute
presentation with an introduction, body,
and conclusion
Instead of merely focusing on confidence
building and speech organization, I, now,
use impromptu presentation to
emphasize and focus on aspects of
delivery including eye contact, hand
gestures, and averting fillers.
Impromptu speaker:
One student throws pennies in a cup
every time a presenter uses a fillers
Other students shake keys if the
presenters place their hands below their
waists or (stops moving their hands)
A small group of students in the right
and left side, and middle of the class
raise their hands. While the presenter
makes eye contact with those students to
implore them to put their hands down.
Once the presenter makes eye contact
and moves his or her eyes to another
group of students, that preceding group
raises their hands back up forcing the
presenter to make eye contact with that
group once again.
Thereafter, I do an open evaluation of
the speaker and encourage them to be
vigilant of aspects of their delivery.
How I assessed their understanding.
How I am assessing their understanding.
I assessed students’ ability to think
quickly, and to organize a speech with a
clear delineation of an introduction,
body, and conclusion (with a focus on
creating clear transitional sentences and
phrases).
I created a grading rubric for important
speaker where I give student an
excellent (+), Satisfactory (√), Needs
improvement (x), and failed to complete
(0).
In my assessments, I focus on elements
such as enthusiasm, gestures, fillers, eye
contact, vocal variety, transitional
sentences and phrases, creativity, and
speech organization.