Practicing Impromptu: Drills and Advice
At my first tournament, I was shocked at how smoothly my opponents spoke. I later learned that the best way to excel in speech and debate is to practice impromptu. Every. Single. Day.
There are 365 days in a year. Even if you only practice impromptu for 300 of those days for 5 minutes, you'll have spoken for 1500 minutes. That's a lot of practice, and a lot of improvement.
If you want to excel in speech and debate, practice impromptu every day.
Setup: If you have a dedicated impromptu space, you're more likely to actually practice. Set up one in your home and make sure to include supplies like printed out prompts (I have them from previous tournaments or Monument Members), small papers for prep, your impromptu journal (containing impactful stories, quotes, sample outlines, and other impromptu material), a timer, and a pen. I keep my supplies in a basket on my kitchen counter so that I can speak for my mom while she makes meals.
Accountability: Practicing impromptu can be uncomfortable, and most people will avoid it if possible. Set up an accountability system: decide on a set impromptu time (mine is right before my first morning class), and agree to text a friend or debate partner everyday to report that you finished a speech.
Feedback: Make sure you make the most of your practice time! Ask a parent or sibling to watch your speeches at your scheduled times and give you verbal feedback.
Drills:
Practicing standard impromptu (2 min prep, 5 min speech) is great, but if you find that you need to fine-tune some weaknesses, here are some drills to practice:
The Intro Drill
Practice delivering 90 second introductions. Begin by giving one introduction (ending with a thesis statement), then give that same introduction again in a smoother, more focused way.
Tip: Have a solid thesis.
A thesis statement is the point of your speech, and keeps a person from rambling. A good fallback thesis structure is, “Because _____, we should ______, so that _____.”
Skills mastered: Clarity.
This drill keeps you on task and reinforces the importance of clear thesis statements.
Storytelling Drill
Decide on 4-5 impactful stories that you can weave into your impromptu speeches for the season. Pick one of these and weave it into at least 5-7 practices, no matter what topic you draw. Repeat with a different story.
Tip: Select uncommon stories.
Great stories are uncommon and have themes that can be woven into any speech. For example, I once listened to a Ted Talk by a North Korean refugee who escaped to the U.S. via South Korea. Not only was the story fascinating and unique, but it told of her courage, perseverance, sacrifice, sadness and advocacy. These themes easily wove into impromptu speeches with practice.
Skills mastered: Storytelling.
This drill helps you deliver engaging stories with proper levels of detail.
Prompt Category Drill
If you have trouble with one type of prompt (idiom, quote, word, etc.) spend weeks with speeches only on those prompts.
Tip: Have a repeatable structure.
Decide on a repeatable structure with 3 points that you can use over and over again. For example: for all word prompts, you could decide that your points will be: 1) definition, 2) how we see it in the world, and 3) ideal application for the judge/world.
Skills mastered: Topic analysis.
This drill helps you connect complicated topics with simpler ideas and demystify tough categories.
2 Second Drill
Take 2 seconds of preparation and then give a 5 minute speech. This drill is helpful to practice (outside of competition) to improve your speaking fluency.
Tip: Trust your instincts.
2 seconds is not a lot of time. Don't spend it waffling between your topics. Decide on one quickly and use whatever content pops into your head.
Skills mastered: Decisiveness and fluency.
This drill requires decisiveness in deciding on a topic and content, and practices speaking fluently.
Time Management Drill
Have a parent (or practice partner) time each section of your speech (1 min for an intro, 1 min for every point, 1 min for a conclusion). Wrap the section up when the timer beeps.
Tip: Watch your timer.
Glance at your timer often to keep track of your remaining time for each point. Don't get caught off guard when it beeps!
Skills mastered: Concise speaking.
This drill reinforces the importance of being concise and prevents rambling.
Diligence in impromptu pays off. It’s never too late for a motivated competitor to improve. I have seen novice thirteen year olds advance to regionals, and 14 year olds qualify to nationals largely because of diligent impromptu practice.
You can do this.
Best of luck this year in competition!