Outcomes and Skills
Year 9 Power of Speech • Impromptu • Outcomes
Impromptu speaking rewards quick thinking, clear structure and a willingness to begin before you feel ready. It does not reward memorisation or a perfect script. The skills are learnable, and they improve with frequent, low-stakes practice.
Unit outcomes
- Explain what impromptu speaking demands and what it does not.
- Analyse a prompt quickly and choose a workable angle.
- Use at least three quick structures to organise a response.
- Open and close a short impromptu speech with purpose.
- Find and use evidence, examples and analogies under time pressure.
- Recover from a blank, a stumble or an unexpected interruption.
- Use humour and warmth appropriately.
- Deliver a one- to two-minute impromptu response with control.
What impromptu is and is not
| Impromptu is | Impromptu is not |
|---|
| Thinking on your feet with practised structures. | Making everything up from nothing. |
| A short, focused response. | A complete speech with three fully sourced arguments. |
| A skill built through drills. | A test of natural talent. |
| A conversation with the audience. | A memorised performance. |
| An opportunity to be specific and honest. | An excuse to waffle or bluff. |
How the skills connect
| Skill | What it looks like | How to practise it |
|---|
| Prompt analysis | Finding the angle in ten seconds. | Three angles for one prompt. |
| Structure | A map the audience can follow. | Same prompt, three structures. |
| Opening | A first sentence that starts the speech. | Five openings for one prompt. |
| Evidence | A specific example or analogy. | One example per response. |
| Recovery | Moving on after a blank. | Interruption drills. |
| Humour | Warmth without cruelty. | Test one gentle line. |
| Timing | Landing the close at the limit. | Countdown drills. |
| Presence | Eye contact and calm under pressure. | Record and review. |
I can statements
- I can find an angle in a prompt within ten seconds.
- I can use PREP to structure a response.
- I can use past–present–future to structure a response.
- I can use problem–solution to structure a response.
- I can open without filler.
- I can close with a clear final sentence.
- I can use a specific example under pressure.
- I can recover from a blank.
- I can use gentle humour without targeting anyone.
- I can speak for sixty seconds without running out of things to say.
- I can land a response within the time limit.
- I can reflect on one change in my delivery.
Success criteria for an impromptu response
| Element | A strong response | A weaker response |
|---|
| Angle | A clear, specific take on the prompt. | A rambling tour of the topic. |
| Structure | A recognisable shape the audience can follow. | Ideas arrive in no particular order. |
| Opening | Starts with a claim, image or question. | Starts with apology or filler. |
| Evidence | One concrete example or analogy. | Generalities and vague gestures. |
| Voice | Audible, varied and supported. | Rushed, monotone or trailing off. |
| Recovery | Moves on after a stumble. | Apologises repeatedly or freezes. |
| Humour | Warm and inclusive. | Targets a person or group. |
| Close | Lands the point within time. | Stops abruptly or runs over. |
Key terms
| Term | Working definition |
|---|
| Impromptu | Speaking with little or no preparation time. |
| Prompt | The word, question, object, image or scenario that starts the speech. |
| Angle | The specific perspective or claim the speaker chooses. |
| PREP | Point, Reason, Example, Point. |
| Past–present–future | A structure that moves through time. |
| Problem–solution | A structure that names a problem and proposes a response. |
| Filler | Words such as “um”, “like” or “you know” used to fill silence. |
| Recovery move | A deliberate action used to regain the thread. |
| Callback | Returning to an earlier image or phrase to close a loop. |
| Countdown | A visible timer that shows remaining time. |
| Punching down | Humour that targets people with less power. |
| Presence | The quality of being grounded and attentive while speaking. |
Knowledge and skills
Knowledge
- Prompt types and angles.
- Quick structures.
- Opening and closing moves.
- Recovery strategies.
- Timing conventions.
- Ethical humour.
Skills
- Thinking quickly.
- Structuring aloud.
- Using examples.
- Recovering from stumbles.
- Keeping time.
- Speaking with presence.
Next, read what impromptu asks for the conceptual foundation. The prompt types page begins the practical work.