How to give a great impromptu speech, anytime, anywhere
So, you want to get better at improvised or “impromptu” speaking. Maybe you got put on the spot at a dinner party or froze up during a company icebreaker; either way you’ve vowed never to be caught unprepared for a toast again.
Impromptu speeches might seem intimidating (heck, prepared speeches are scary enough!). But, you can prepare to be unprepared with a few simple tried and true tricks that professional performers and speakers alike use to give memorable off-the-cuff talks.
1. Tell the truth.
You don’t have to make anything up, or rely on puns to make an impromptu speech entertaining or interesting — especially if you’re not the kind of person who spouts witty one-liners in normal life (most of us aren’t). If you’re asked to speak unexpectedly, it’s because the audience wants to hear from you. Not a more “confident” or “funny” version of you. Just you. Trust that your true feelings, perspective, and experience are enough (We promise, they are).
2. Have a beginning, middle, and end.
Fairytales are memorable for a reason. They have a simple, easy-to-follow structure and a satisfying arc. At its root, almost every movie or book we love follows the basic “story spine.”
Story Spine:
Once upon a time there was a…
And every day…
But then one day…
Because of that…
Because of that…
Because of that…
Until finally…
Moral of the story…
Now, you probably won’t start your impromptu speech with “once upon a time” — but you might start it with another sentence to set the scene and the subject. Ex: “Let me tell you a little bit about Greg…” or, “when I first started at Globe Corp…” Then, introduce a specific moment that changes the course of that subject, resulting cause and effect, and an ultimate result. Bonus points if you wrap it up with a moral or theme!
Get comfortable with organizing your prepared speeches this way, and the next time you give an impromptu speech, the structure will feel second nature, no matter what the content.
3. Focus on 1–3 central “characters.”
Whether it’s you, the groom, a stranger on the train, or your team at work, centering your speech on a person or people helps draw the audience in and relate to your story. It also helps keep the structure easier to follow. Once you get super comfortable incorporating one or two characters/subjects, you can start weaving more subjects in without distracting from your larger story (think: the Wes Anderson approach).
Pro tip: Giving an impromptu speech about a ‘thing’ or even an abstract concept? (Like a product, or company?) Try to ground it in something human or familiar — whether it’s focusing on the user journey, or just using a metaphor to compare a fiscal quarter to your favorite celebrity or fictional character’s journey.
4. A pause is worth a thousand “ums.”
If you find yourself tripping over your words, take a breath and slow down. What feels like an eternity to you as the speaker is a blink for the audience. And don’t sweat the filler words too much — when you quiet that self-critical voice, you’ll likely find that they go away on their own.
5. When in doubt, tie it back to something you know and love.
It could be a personal experience, a favorite movie, or athlete. Even if you’re not particularly knowledgeable about your impromptu speech topic, if you can connect it to something you are an expert on, you’ll have an anchor to feel more comfortable and genuinely emotive while speaking.
Putting it all together:
Here is a very simple, 30 second wedding toast with 3 main chacters (the speaker, and the married couple) and a beginning, middle, and end:
I want to tell you a little bit about the worst roommate I ever had.
The groom: Mike. See, he wasn’t the cleanest roommate…In fact, it got so bad that every day, I would leave passive aggressive sticky notes over the sink to remind him to do the dishes. And every day he would leave a sticky note in response:
“Soap prices, through the roof, trying to conserve.”
“Cat ate hands. Will wash when stumps heal.”
Or, my personal favorite:
“Rage, rage, against the drying of the dish.” — Dylan Thomas & Mike”Then one day his excuse was a little different… “Sorry, I met a guy.”
After that, Iman started coming over.
Because of that, there was suddenly not a dirty dish in the whole house.
And because of that, I never had to leave a sticky note over the sink again.
And ever since, I’ve been Mike and Iman’s biggest fan.
Moral of the story: Get your roommate a boyfriend. They work way better than Post-its. Cheers to Mike and Iman.
Choose-your-own impromptu speech topic:
Just use our handy-dandy Prompt Generator (TM) below. First, pick an occasion from the left-hand column for your speech. Then, pick a word from the ‘location’ or ‘audience’ columns to generate your impromptu speech topic:
Example: Give a 60 second [Occasion] for [Audience].
Ex: A wedding toast for figure skaters.Give a 60 second [Occasion] at the [Location].
Ex: A retirement speech at the Chuck-E-Cheese.
Wanna make it extra hard?
Choose a word from all three columns.
Example: Give a 60 second [Occasion] for [Audience] at the [Location].
We’re pretty sure if you can tackle a business pitch for mice at the Olive Garden, you can tackle any impromptu speech.
Moral of the story:
The most memorable impromptu speeches are the ones that are authentic, passionate, and human. Luckily, you’re all of those things already.
