When you deliver a speech without any prior rehearsal, it’s known as an impromptu speech. The word impromptu means without preparation or organization.

While attending office meetings, it might happen that your manager might suddenly throw a question at you. These questions can revolve around:

To get some updates from your end.
To get your perspective on some latest issues.
To see how well-prepared you are for the meeting.
To get your ideas on the table.

Then, how will you frame your thoughts?

Don’t worry! Here are some techniques you can use during office meetings.

1) PREP (Point, Reason, Example, Point)

An easy-to-learn and easy-to-use method is called PREP:

P- Point

State your point of view.

R- Reason

Give a reason for your point of view.

E- Example

Explain how you arrived at this point of view.

P- Point

Conclude your speech by restating your point of view.

Example:

Point- This new deal will be profitable for our company.
Reason- According to the projected statistics, the revenue will increase by 10%.
Example- Earlier, when our company collaborated with a similar company, sales did increase.
Point- This is a potential reason why the deal is profitable for our company.

2) CER Method (Cause, Effect, and Remedy)

Another technique you can use is: CER

C – Cause

State the cause of the problem.

E – Effect

State the effect of the problem.

R – Remedy (Solution)

Give a solution for the problem.

Example:

Cause- The company’s reputation is suffering because of lacking high-skilled employees.
Effect- Customers are getting upset with the company.
Remedy- We need to hire new employees for the company.

3) PPF Method (Past, Present, and Future)

You can also use the PPF method for impromptu speech:

P- Past

Give an example from the past.

P-Present

Explain the situation for the present.

F-Future

Close your speech by stating future predictions.

Example:

Past- In the past, our company had 100 customers from this region.
Present- As of now, there are 200 customers from the same region.
Future- In the coming years, our operations will spread to neighbouring regions, thus adding more customers.

4) 5 Ws Method

You can also frame your speech according to the 5 Ws technique:

Who – Who is involved in the action or who is hearing?

What – What are the objectives of holding it that people can relate to?

Where – Where is the action being held? How did it originate?

When – When is the action taking place? Is it a regular meeting or a special one?

Why – Why is everyone there? Why are you there?

For instance, if the meeting is about an upcoming project, you could talk about the clients, the team members who will be working on the project, the scale of the project, and etc.

5) Storytelling

We all have grown up listening to stories! Storytelling is an emphatic technique of speaking. Through this, you can instantly connect with the audience.

During meetings, you can frame your speech like a story exploring one layer after another. You can start the story by asking a rhetorical question or setting the story as part of your personal experience as well.

Impromptu speaking is not as intimidating as it seems.

Like any other speech, practice well for this as well.
You will surely leave your boss and co-workers amazed!

If you have any questions, shoot them in the comments section!

Stay Awesome. Stay Productive.

– Divas Gupta

Techniques to use during Office Meetings