Wing it: Guide to Master the Art of Impromptu Speeches – SO Blog Series
By Muftee Mysan
In the vibrant tapestry of effective communication, the ability to speak eloquently and confidently in impromptu situations is a skill that shines brightly. Imagine a virtual space where seasoned speakers, eager learners, and a distinguished guest speaker, Ms. Amaya Dharmasiri, gathered to explore the nuances of impromptu speeches. As the moderator of this enlightening event, ‘Wing It: Mastering Impromptu Speeches Online’, I had the honour of setting the stage for an engaging and insightful session.
The digital curtains lifted with my introduction, paving the way for Ms. Dharmasiri to grace us with her wisdom. With grace and poise, she guided us on a journey through the realm of impromptu speaking. Her words resonated, emphasizing the vital role of spontaneous eloquence in diverse scenarios, from interviews to everyday conversations. Together, we delved into the importance of overcoming the fear often accompanying speaking in new or intimidating situations.
Join me as I unfold the pages of this virtual gathering, capturing the essence of Ms. Dharmasiri’s insights and the valuable lessons shared by participants. Together, let’s explore the transformative power of impromptu speeches and the art of conquering the fear of speaking off-the-cuff. Welcome to ‘Wing It: Guide to Master the Art of Impromptu Speeches – A Moderator’s Perspective.’
Ms. Dharmasiri’s narrative took a personal turn, revealing a profound lesson about self-perception and confidence. She shared a poignant experience: a time when her self-consciousness led her to seek validation through others’ eyes. Expecting compliments at a conference after altering her appearance, she realized that people often focus on their insecurities rather than ours. This revelation emphasized the importance of self-acceptance and inner confidence.
Ms. Dharmasiri shared a game-changing strategy from her Gavel impromptu speaking arsenal: the art of curating a reservoir of personal stories. With her treasury of eight anecdotes, she showcased the undeniable influence of authenticity in impromptu speeches. Her advice was straightforward yet profound: always have a minimum of five captivating stories at your fingertips, waiting to be seamlessly integrated into impromptu sessions. According to her, these narratives were the secret sauce, infusing spontaneity with genuine emotion and making impromptu speeches truly unforgettable.
Next, we delved into a series of topics pre-compiled by our alumni for impromptu speech training. We were tasked with finding something common among the topics. The goal was essentially to be able to categorize the topics based on a common genre. Our beloved Vice President Education, Selani opened the discussion by introducing the genre of “Perseverance”. Topics where a source of motivation takes centre stage, or the setting of non-ideal circumstances usually mean the topic belongs to said genre. We were told that the story we are delivering doesn’t essentially have to be true. It has to be captivating and therefore we can tweak the story to align our speech goals. Afterwards, Damsith introduced the genre of “Help and gratitude”. Topics and stories where you offered help or got help usually fall under this category.
Thirdly, and lastly, we looked at topics that we might not understand immediately. The kind of topics that get us panicking and sweating. For example, “Curiosity killed the cat” and “David and Goliath”. One of our SO semifinalists, Varun, volunteered to do a speech on “David and Goliath”. As it turns out David is his study buddy and Goliath is his homework supplier. So much for the giant being defeated by a brave young man. But the essence and ultimate lesson was learned. If you don’t understand the topic, there’s nothing to worry about. Sew it into a story already at your disposal, just like Varun did. But if worse comes to worst, Ms. Amaya bestowed us with another weapon from her arsenal. She calls it a dirty trick in the trade, but a trick, nevertheless. Here’s the trick. If you have no idea whatsoever about the topic, you can talk about your journey so far. Essentially, you talk about how from not knowing English to coming up on stage to facing giants (pun intended at Goliath), is a massive success in itself. Talk about how you will go home, discover the giant, and then come back tomorrow and go one step further in your public speaking journey. While it may not be a winning speech, it’ll be an inspirational story to save the day.
All in all, the ability to see through a topic to identify its genre helps us in knitting the topic to our treasury of anecdotes. The takeaway is then, to go through a collection of topics, categorize them by genre, and have a story lined up for each genre. With this arsenal, you’ll be able to fire fiery speeches anytime you are summoned.
Next, was another revelation. Despite the common nuance of agreeing with a speech topic, speakers always have the freedom to choose otherwise. While newbies might not know this, you can disagree with a speech topic. For example, if given the topic, “Ignorance is bliss”, we have the freedom to say Ignorance is not bliss. The strategy to think outside the box will come in handy, in one speech or the other.
Finally, it was the turn for us Gaveliers to shine. With the upgrades in our arsenal, it was our turn to deliver speeches. With just 15 seconds of preparation time given, our wonderful speakers at Gavel Mora delivered amazing speeches that left the host, me, in awe. The dramatic start to Damsith’s speech on “Keyboards will be replaced with speech to text in 10 years” was equally matched with Varun’s twist in his speech on “The squeaky wheel gets the grease.” We also heard an informative speech on Sci-Fi from Oshan and a touching speech on “Team sports build strong individuals” by Adeepa.
In wrapping up this impromptu speech training session, we heard the final remarks from Selani who thanked our guest Ms. Amaya for her valuable insights. The journey of good speech-crafting takes perseverance, and so thank you all for joining me in unfolding the pages of this gathering. I wish you all the very best in your public speaking journeys.
