Delivering an Impromptu

Year 9 Power of Speech • Impromptu • Delivery

This page brings the unit together in a complete impromptu process. It is not a script; it is a sequence you can run in your head before and during a response.

The full sequence

Stage	Time	What to do
Read	3 seconds	Read the prompt twice; find the key word.
Angle	5 seconds	Choose one specific response you can support.
Structure	5 seconds	Choose PREP, past–present–future or problem–solution.
Opening	2 seconds	Choose a first sentence that is not filler.
Speak	45–75 seconds	One point, one example, one connection.
Close	10 seconds	Return to the opening or restate the point.
Stop	1 second	Hold still; do not add a trailing sentence.

A worked example

Prompt: “A map is not the territory.”

Step	Response
Angle	Maps simplify the world, and that simplification is both useful and dangerous.
Structure	PREP.
Opening	“The map in my phone knows the quickest route to school. It does not know which gate is locked.”
Reason	“A map selects what matters for a purpose and leaves everything else out.”
Example	“A weather map shows rain, not the puddle on the oval.”
Close	“The map is useful because it is not the territory. It is dangerous when we forget that.”

This is an original teaching example, not a transcript of a real speech.

Delivery checklist

I started within ten seconds.
I stated an angle early.
I used a recognisable structure.
I gave one specific example.
I looked at the audience.
I slowed down at the opening and close.
I paused instead of filling silence.
I landed the close before the time limit.

Voice and body

Element	What to aim for	Common problem
Volume	Audible at the back of the room.	Trailing off at the end of sentences.
Pace	Slow opening; varied middle.	Rushing the first sentence.
Pitch	Natural variation.	Monotone under pressure.
Pause	Deliberate silence.	Filling with “um”.
Stance	Balanced; feet planted.	Rocking or pacing.
Gesture	Purposeful; supports meaning.	Fidgeting with hands.
Eye contact	Three zones.	Looking at the ceiling or floor.
Face	Matches the content.	Frozen smile or blank stare.

If the prompt is difficult

Define the key word.
Narrow the angle.
Use a personal example.
Compare it to something familiar.
Say what you would need to know to answer fully.
Close with the point you can make.

Reflection

After a response, write 100–200 words:

What angle did you choose?
Which structure did you use?
Where did you feel most confident?
Where did you lose the thread, and how did you recover?
What is one change you would make next time?

Planning card

Element	Your notes
Prompt key word
Angle
Structure
First sentence
Example
Final sentence
Recovery move

Common errors

Trying to cover the whole prompt. Choose one angle.
Starting with an apology. Begin with the speech.
No example. The response stays abstract.
Running over time. Cut the middle, not the close.
Adding a new point at the end. It weakens the close.
Not reflecting. The next response repeats the same habits.

Next, read the teacher notes for planning and differentiation. The sources and provenance page records what is original and what is excluded.