Impromtu Me

Your position as a leader, manager, or citizen may require you to take a position on an important issue without time to prepare and practice. This can happen in a staff, council, or executive meeting, in job interviews, talent competitions, classroom discussions, political debates or a variety of other settings. Getting caught totally unprepared and rambling through a statement without any plan can be disastrous, but knowing how to respond intelligently can be thrilling and place you ahead of the pack.

Live forever? I’d rather die now.

In the 1994 Miss America Pageant, Miss Alabama was asked: “If you could live forever, would you, and why?”

This was her response: “I would not live forever, because we should not live forever; because if we were supposed to live forever, then we would live forever; but we cannot live forever, which is why I would not live forever.”

Okay! Thank you, Miss Alabama.

If you’d like to see how one of these painful impromptu statements looks in video, watch Miss South Carolina (Miss Teen USA, 2007).

We shouldn’t be critical of Miss Alabama or Miss South Carolina for failing to make sense. Many of us have been in similar situations and have done no better. But, we can escape most of these painful moments if we learn to follow a simple pattern to prepare ourselves on the spot for such opportunities. This pattern is widely known as the PREP formula (Osborn & Osborn, Public Speaking, Houghton-Mifflin, 2006).

The PREP formula can save your bacon.

This simple recipe or pattern works this way:

P – jot down your position on the issue being discussed. Make it a clear and simple statement.

R – make a quick note of the reasons that you hold the position you do.

E – list any examples you can think of to support your reasons.

P – restate you position or main point in conclusion.

If you don’t have time to make quick notes, at least formulate the position statement in your mind and think of the best reasons for it.

As you speak, follow the PREP pattern in verbalizing the material you have thought of. You may not always feel like your comments are adequate to the topic, but you will be miles ahead of where you’ll be if you start talking with no plan in mind.

Here's a rough example.

Learning Activity

Look over the list of impromptu speaking topics listed below. Give yourself two minutes for each topic. Without further study, try to make a statement or take a position on each. Then either jot down or make mental note of any reasons for the position you take and try to think of examples to support your reasons. When you get the hang of it, try to stand up and do the same thing vocally. The more you practice, the easier this task will become.

Immigration reform

Border control

War on terrorism

Cosmetic surgery

Global warming

Smoke-free public places

Athletes as role models

Aid to foreign nations

Consequences of litigation

Parental discipline/permissiveness

Ethnic separation/mixing

Executive pay amounts

Welfare/aid to the working poor

Penalties to sleep-impaired drivers

Cell phone courtesy

Stem cell research

Health supplement industry

Increasing the minimum wage

Gun control

Music and rap lyrics as an art form

Animal combat

Space exploration

Television and video game violence

Reality television

School sports emphasis

Performance enhancing drugs

Privacy violations by paparazzi and tabloids

Drug testing

Government price regulation

Bailing out failing industries

Educational vouchers

A Week to Speak

"Practice makes perfect."

"Perfect practice makes perfect."

"The amateur practices until he gets it right; the professional practices until he can't get it wrong."

"The early bird gets the worm."

Wait! What? What do worms have to do with practice?

Actually, the worm bit does belong with this litany of aphorisms about practice. Get this. The key ingredient in practice is time. I can't prove it scientifically, but I've experienced it so many times and watched so many students and professionals preparing to present that I'll stake my flawless reputation on this rule of thumb: It takes a week to speak!

What does that mean? Simply this: If you want to sparkle, start early. Last minute preparation spells disaster.

This is what I know. If you practice until you've got your speech smoothed down in one session, you'll find that you can hardly remember anything the next day. It's gone. Vanished. Like you never even practiced the day before. And it comes back hard.

The third day, things start to fall back into place. By day five or six, things begin to feel natural.

What's happening as we learn? Obviously, I'm no neurophysicist, but I understand that much of learning and memory is a process of establishing connecting synaptic patterns within the brain (see this MNT article for a fairly simple explanation). Refining these neurotransmission patterns accounts, at least in part, for our ability to remember more quickly with additional repetition.

All of this is to say that it takes time for our brains to form the networks of association that enable us to quickly connect complex elements of information (like words and concepts) into a pattern that we can consistently send to the speech center for verbalization.

How long does it take? How many repetitions? Good questions. The process probably varies from person to person and with age and practice. But, having watched 600 students giving as many as 3,600 speeches over the past five years, I'm estimating that the average student will need five or six days of consistent practice to make things flow in a speech. Hence: a week to speak.

Those students who start early preparing and practicing their speeches will achieve the best performance, i.e., smooth and meaningful verbalization of their ideas.

So what?

So, if you want to become good at preparing and delivering knockout presentations, get in the habit from the beginning. Start early and practice over time. A week to speak. I'm betting your own experiences will prove the value of this simple rule. Try it.

Me in 30 Seconds

Ever walk away from an unexpected encounter with somebody you'd like to work for, or somebody you'd like to win as a customer or client, wishing you could go back and have the conversation over again? Wishing you had known what to say, instead of trying to make it up while you were saying it?

That's what a"Me in 30 Seconds" statement does for you. This little jewel is prepared in advance and can be used at a moment's notice when you just happen to bump into somebody important on an elevator, in the restroom, at the water cooler, or standing in line at the book store. It's also a great way to begin a job interview.

It's a very brief introduction to who you are, what you're doing, and where you're going (in a professional sense). The statement is brief because 30 seconds is about all the time a listener will give you before he/she starts thinking about something else.

Your Assignment

Create, practice, and present your Me in 30 Seconds statement to the class. We'll hear these in class on Tuesday, August 30. Here are some suggestions.

1. Watch the sample video below. I'll show you how your statement can sound. We played around with this on the first day of class, so it won't be new to you, but could serve as a reminder.

2. Write out your statement. Three or four short sentences. Sentence one: what have you done to be proud of so far? Sentence two: what are you doing now that is important? Sentence three: how can your experience and abilities benefit your listener?

Important tip: Be sure that there is a clear connection between sentence one and sentence three. That will help your listener see how your past experiences have prepared you to benefit him/her. For example, if you plan to become a nurse, emphasize past experiences that will aid you in excelling as a nurse. Then finish with a clear statement explaining how your background and present pursuits can benefit the listener.

3. Time it. If it goes over 30 seconds in three or four recitations, cut it down. Remember, listeners will only stay with you that long. Anything else you say is wasted breath (unless you've got a story to tell that is truly gripping, gory, or bizarre, which might earn you another five seconds—but don't count on it).

4. Memorize it. Practice, practice, practice until it flows smoothly and conversationally. If it doesn't come out word-perfect, that's okay. It'll be close.

5. Try it out on everybody who cares about you (mom, dad, roomie, pet turtle). If you don't have a friend in the world (like me), record it on your phone and play it back (same with video). Then do it again. And again. And again.

6. Have fun with it. Nobody's going to be executed for stumbling on this assignment. go for it!

Watch the sample video below or on YouTube. It's what I would say if I were looking for work.

Changes in the Course for Fall 2011

We're going to try a few new things this semester that should strengthen the course and really pump up its practical value for students. The changes are based on student feedback from past semesters.

1. Less reliance on the standard text book. More reliance on pinpoint concepts in the course packet. The exams will feature questions taken from the course packet and classroom discussions. Students will not need to buy the text, though it is great supplemental reading.

2. More short speaking assignments to give students more opportunities in front of the class. We'll add a "Me in 30 Seconds" assignment to sharpen job interviewing skills and an Impromptu assignment to provide tools for "on the spot" speaking. These will help you in other classes and in the tight job market.

3. More in-class feedback for immediate learning from your own strengths and mistakes and from classmate presentations.

Again, don't buy the text until we talk in class. Be sure to pick up a course packet for Comm 1020, Richardson at the bookstore.

Visit me at frankrichardsonauthor.com.

Welcome Students of Fall 2011

Yo! Hope you've had a great summer. School's not far off and you're about to embark on one of the most important learning experiences you'll ever have. Comm 1020! Principles of Public Speaking.

Really, I'm not putting your on. We're going to learn, practice, and master a few basic skills that will set you apart from the competition throughout your working life ahead. They include these:

Skill 1- State your idea as an unforgettable thesis (big idea, thesis, claim).

Skill 2 - Gather knockout support for your idea (NETS, transitions, citations, outlines).

Skill 3 - Visualize the idea and support for your listeners (word pictures, gestures, aids).

Skill 4 - Draw conclusions based on the idea (bring ideas home, answer unspoken questions, call listeners to action).

Skill 5 - Present your idea with style (voice, posture, contact, and flow).

You're gonna love this stuff. I do. If you want to see somebody who does most of it well, watch President Obama as he addresses the nation. Don't like him? Then watch Tom Hanks. Too much Hollywood? Watch Dieter Uchtdorf. Not into religion? Check out Diane Sawyer.

You can do the same thing . . . and will. Let's have a blast.

Visit me at: frankrichardsonauthor.com.

Idea: A Topic and a Claim

Posted on January 19, 2011 by Frank

Ideas are the stuff of life. We live by them. We look for them in all our entertainment and discussion. They’re the conclusions we draw that help us make sense of this crazy, mixed-up world.

You can move to the head of your class (company, firm, social group, foursome) by learning to recognize, create, and manage ideas.

Here’s a hot tip that will help. Every great idea relates two universal human values.

Example 1: All men are created equal. The two values are mankind and equality.

Example 2: We learn to succeed by overcoming failure. The two values are success and overcoming.

Practice until you can identify the two values related (equated, compared, or contrasted) in every idea you can find.

Now, notice that every idea has two parts, just as every sentence has two parts (subject and predicate). The two parts of an idea are the TOPIC and the CLAIM.

If my topic is education and the claim I am making about education is that it is key to career success, then my idea statement might read: Education is key to career success. Of course, there are many other claims we could make about the topic education. As examples: Education is expensive. Education opens windows to the world. Education satisfies the hunger to learn. Each statement makes a claim about the topic education.

Learning Activity

Find the two values related by the idea statements below. Mark the value that is the TOPIC of the idea, then the value that presents the CLAIM.

For example: Love (topic) makes the world go ’round (claim).

Children mimic parental behavior.

Pets help to educate our children.

Career ambitions can enslave us.

When we’re miserable, we know we are alive.

Fitness is like icing on the cake.

Failure leads to success.

Extreme fashions may draw unwanted attention.

Visit me at: frankrichardsonauthor.com

Bringing Home A Story

Posted on December 22, 2010 by Frank

We all love a great story. In public speaking, it’s not uncommon for listeners to remember a well-told story, even when they can’t remember why the speaker told it.

Here are some keys you will want to remember:

1. Anchor your presentation or speech with a great thesis statement. The thesis sentence ties all the parts of your presentation together in a memorable way.

2. Be sure that any stories you use are directly related to the thesis.

3. Bring the story to life by, (a) acquainting us with the characters in your story, (b) letting us see the characters, and (c) letting us hear the characters own words.

Take a few minutes and watch this young speaker tell the familiar biblical story of Jonah. Notice especially how her quiet energy brings the characters and the moral to life. Note how she distinguishes one character from another by changing the tone and pitch of her voice. She’s young, but she’s already very good at this art. We can all learn a few things from her.

Here’s the link: http://vimeo.com/16404771.