Making the most of every opportunity: mastering impromptu presentations

Picture the situation: you’re in a meeting. You’ve not been asked to prepare anything. And then, someone turns to you and says, “Can you give us a very quick overview of your research?”

You have 20 seconds to capture attention before people mentally switch off.

This is an opportunity for an impromptu presentation. But that’s just one example.

Opportunities for short, impromptu presentations abound: in meetings, networking conversations, and more. How you respond can shape how others perceive you, and, rightly or wrongly, the impressions you leave in these everyday situations can matter more than formal presentations.

Overview

In this fast-paced, interactive session, we’ll focus on how to handle impromptu speaking situations with structure and confidence instead of hesitation.

We’ll explore why impromptu presentations matter, and you’ll learn simple, practical frameworks to help you organise your thoughts quickly and deliver clear messages on the spot. You’ll have an opportunity to apply your learning in the session, creating impromptu “presentations” of 30 seconds, 1 minute and 3 minutes, receiving feedback from peers (and giving feedback, too).

You’ll also be introduced to a helpful tool for responding clearly to questions – another form of “impromptu presenting”.

Our goal in this session is not perfection. It’s about learning and applying tools to help you be more adaptable and clear “on the spot” so that you can make the most of every speaking opportunity.

By the end of this session, you will have:

a better understanding of the importance of impromptu “presentations” in research (and in life!)
learned and applied several frameworks to quickly structure and deliver a message in unplanned speaking situations
2-3 outlines using each framework, that you can use as a basis for future impromptu speaking opportunities

The Expert

Suzanne Whitby is a communication specialist and science communicator with over 20 years of international experience in communication, training, and facilitation. Since 2012, she has helped scientists and researchers across academia and industry develop the skills and confidence to communicate their work effectively with both expert and non-expert audiences. Suzanne is the founder of SciComm Success, and delivers workshops in person across Europe, and online internationally. She is proudly South African and currently lives in Innsbruck, Austria.

Language

English