Extempore Speaking: What is it?

Extempore speaking is the term used for a non-formally prepared speech. Explaining to your parents why you arrived home later than your curfew is a form of extempore speaking. When you watch a beauty pageant on television and the contestants have to draw a question and answer it for the judges, they are extempore speaking. Every time you speak you are preparing for extempore speaking. You probably prepare without even knowing it. You have to read to learn new things for this type of speaking. When doing extempore speaking, you need to use the knowledge that you have and use a strong delivery.

There comes a time in every one’s life when he or she will have to give an impromptu speech. It may be for anything – a radio interview, a teacher trying to get you to speak up in class, or even in a casual debate. It happens more often than most people would think. The words we speak are chosen at the point of delivery and they flow back and forth, with communication being two-way, three-way or four-way. It is all done without any preparation.

The key to extempore speaking is that the words spoken are chosen as we speak them, and what is delivered is a stream of consciousness that is fluent, erudite and articulate, while being unscripted. Effective extempore speaking always has the purpose of the presentation and the impact on the audience at its heart. In an extempore/impromptu speaking, it is important to speak to the purpose and to consider carefully what effect you want to have on your audience, then the notion that it is possible to simply choose the right words at the point of delivery, without any kind of preparation, is at best naive and at worst disastrous. Even the few who are capable of it will admit to significant preparation when the stakes are high. 

Not only that, you have to consider how long to speak for. Effective speakers, in their preparation, also consider the audience at all times. They ensure that they speak to the audience they have in front of them, rather than the audience they would like to have in front of them.