the margins · Structure · 5 min read

PREP Method for Impromptu Speaking

Use the PREP method to answer impromptu speaking topics with a point, reason, example and clean conclusion.

Why impromptu answers ramble

Most rambling answers do not fail because the speaker has no ideas. They fail because every idea arrives with equal importance. PREP gives the answer a simple order.

Point, Reason, Example, Point

Start with your answer, explain why, prove it with one example and then repeat the main point as a conclusion. This works for opinions, interviews, meetings and classroom answers.

Practise it under time

Use a 60-second timer. Spend ten seconds on the point, twenty seconds on the reason, twenty seconds on the example and ten seconds on the close.

Practise this now

Keep practising.