10.5: Delivery Formats: Impromptu, Prepared and Manuscript

Your approach to delivery of the spoken message may be affected by several factors, including the time you have to prepare and the nature of the message. Three common delivery formats are listed below.

Impromptu speaking is when we respond during a meeting or "take the floor" at a conference. It’s what we do when we speak publicly without warning or on a few moments’ notice. To do it well requires a great amount of self-confidence, mastery of the subject and the ability to "think on your feet." A superb impromptu speaker has achieved the highest level in verbal communications.

Both students and instructors have had trouble differentiating impromptu and extemporaneous speaking in the PME classroom. Why? Because dictionaries vary in how they define these terms. Some, including The Cambridge Dictionary of American English, define extemporaneous as "done or said without preparation" (synonymous with impromptu). The Merriam-Webster Dictionary, on the other hand, states that extemporaneous speech "is prepared in advance but delivered without notes." To confuse matters further, extemporaneous briefers in the Air Force frequently use notes or an outline (but not a script) when speaking. So, for ease of discussion in this edition of The Tongue and Quill, the term "prepared speaking" will replace extemporaneous speaking.

Prepared (formerly extemporaneous speaking or briefing) refers to those times when we have ample opportunity to prepare. Most military briefings are done in this format. This doesn’t mean we write a script and memorize it, but it does require a thorough outline with careful planning and practicing. The specific words and phrases used at the time of delivery, however, are basically spontaneous and sound very natural.

A manuscript briefing is used in situations that require every word to be absolutely perfect. To do this, you prepare a manuscript, a word-for-word script of what you are going to say. Such a script ensures you get it right every time. Manuscripts are often used at higher management levels for complex or controversial issues (policy briefings, press conferences, source selection briefings to unsuccessful bidders, etc.). They’re also used for routine briefings that must be repeated several times a year (base orientation, etc.), or at formal ceremonies (retirements, medal presentations, etc.) that must adhere to established customs and courtesies. Manuscript-style briefings provide several advantages:

• Ensures key information won’t be omitted.
• Avoids repercussions caused by a briefer’s inadvertent ad-libbing.
• Imparts exact definitions and precise phrasing, if these are important.
• Allows anyone to present a "canned briefing" without extensive preparation and rehearsal time-including less knowledgeable personnel.

CAUTION! Manuscripts do not make a briefing easier. Reading aloud often sounds dull, especially when the reader is more focused on saying the right words rather than saying the words right. Manuscript briefings tend to lack spontaneity, eye contact, and speaker engagement with the audience. This results in a loss of credibility, both professional and intellectual. Why should they attend a reading if they can read it themselves? When you can deliver a manuscript briefing without error that engages the audience, you have mastered "speak-reading."

Here are some key points in preparing and presenting a manuscript briefing.

• Prepare the briefing:
  • Use a large, easy-to-read font (at least size 12) in all capital letters
  • Write as if you were speaking o Fill only the top two-thirds of page so that your eyes won’t drop and you won’t lose eye contact with your audience
  • Double-space or triple-space the manuscript; never break words at the end of a line or sentences at the end of a page
  • Number pages with bold figures
  • Underscore or highlight words you wish to emphasize; insert double slashes \((/ /)\) where you plan a major pause
  • Use a loose-leaf binder or stack pages loosely to turn pages
  • Mark script with red dots to show visual aid changes
• Practice, practice, practice:
  • Read and reread until you’ve practically memorized it
  • Add the ingredients of volume, inflection and eye contact
  • Avoid combinations of words that are difficult to say
  • Look at your audience when uttering emphatic words and during the closing words of a sentence
  • Practice using gestures-strive for enthusiasm
  • Dry run your visual aids
• Close with confidence:
  • Never explain why you choose to read (it won’t be apparent if you’ve prepared!)
  • Be flexible; if necessary (and appropriate), know where you can shorten the speech
  • Avoid being lengthy after saying "In conclusion."
  • Don’t add new information at the end

Individuals who can strongly present briefings in all three types of delivery formats are the envy of everyone. They appear knowledgeable and comfortable in their roles as speakers because they have done their homework. They may be experts on their subject and know how to present their views with clarity on a moment’s notice (impromptu speaking). They have researched and rehearsed their presentations (prepared and manuscript briefings). They think carefully before they speak, outline their main ideas, say what has to be said, and then conclude. Remember, there is no substitution for preparation. If you have the time to prepare-do it!

Enough with the bells and whistles-just get to the point.
-General Hugh Shelton

As always, check with your organization for local policies on formats.
These are only general guidelines.

We’ve spent the majority of the chapter on how to speak and how to get over your nervousness. But there’s more you can do to make an oral presentation more professional and useful for your audience. Visual aids can enhance your oral presentation by helping the audience remember and understand the content of your message. Comprehension rises dramatically when we see something rather than when we just hear about it. The average person retains 5 percent of what is heard and 65 percent of what is seen. More dramatically, the human brain processes visuals 400,000 times faster than text! In other words, "show and tell" is better than just "tell" alone.

Slides are the most common visual aid used for briefings in today’s Air Force. They help the briefer to remember key points and help to keep the presentation brief. The presenter makes the slide simple and fills in the "white space" with concise spoken words.

Before we launch into Slides 101, let’s take a second to stress one point-you are also a visual aid. If you are well groomed, professional and well prepared, you’ll be the most effective visual aid in your presentation. If you look like a slob and appear insecure and awkward, the audience most likely won’t take you or your message seriously. Take the time to put on a freshly pressed uniform and look sharp!