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Oral Communication · Oral Communication: Critical Listening, Academic Discussion and Persuasive Speaking

Clear and Coherent: Extended Academic Presentations and Impromptu Speaking

2.3About 70 minutes
Learning goals
  • I can build an extended presentation around a clearly stated thesis.
  • I can develop each section with say, show, so what, and connect sections with internal summaries and signposts.
  • I can explain complex ideas clearly using given-before-new and simple-before-complex.
  • I can organize impromptu answers using PREP and other quick structures.

Words to know

coherence
The quality of a talk in which every part clearly connects to the main idea and to each other.
spine
The thesis that every section of a talk connects back to.
say, show, so what
A pattern for a section: state the point, give evidence, explain how it proves the thesis.
internal summary
A brief recap of a section before moving to the next.
given before new
Starting from what listeners already know before adding a new idea.
impromptu
Spoken with little or no preparation.
PREP
Point, Reason, Example, Point: a structure for short impromptu answers.

Remember from Grade 11

In Grade 10 you learned that listeners need previews, signposts and internal summaries, and planned talks with Monroe's motivated sequence. In Grade 11 you selected research (relevant, significant, credible, current), ordered arguments (climactic, primacy, sandwich), placed a refutation, rehearsed handoffs and handled the question period. Grade 12 asks for clarity and coherence in longer, more complex talks (such as a 10 to 15 minute independent study presentation) and in impromptu speaking, where you have seconds to organize your thoughts.

Let's start with a presentation that wandered

Jasmine's independent study compares two dystopian novels. Her twelve-minute presentation covers the plot of the first novel (four minutes), the author's biography (two minutes), the plot of the second novel (four minutes), and then her thesis, at minute eleven: "Both novels show that control works best when people don't notice it."

Everything she said was accurate. But for eleven minutes her audience didn't know why they were hearing it. In a long talk, coherence means the thesis comes early and every section visibly connects back to it.

The spine: thesis first, then connect every section

Think of your thesis as the spine of the talk. Each section is attached to it:

  • State the thesis in the first minute, after a short hook. In academic talks, the audience should never have to guess your point.
  • Preview the sections ("I'll look at each novel, then compare how they show control").
  • Build each section with say, show, so what: say the point in one sentence, show a quotation or example, explain so what (how it proves the thesis).
  • Between sections, give an internal summary and a signpost that names the thesis again: "So in the first novel, control works through comfort. Now let's see whether the same is true of the second."
  • Conclude by restating the thesis in new words and saying why it matters.

Plot summary is not analysis. Give only as much plot as the audience needs to understand your evidence. Jasmine's four minutes of plot could become forty seconds.

The spine of a 12-minute independent study presentationTHESIS: the spine every section connects toSection 1: first textSAYthe point in one sentenceSHOWa quotation or exampleSO WHAThow it proves the thesisSection 2: second textSAYthe point in one sentenceSHOWa quotation or exampleSO WHAThow it proves the thesisSection 3: the two comparedSAYthe point in one sentenceSHOWa quotation or exampleSO WHAThow it proves the thesisBetween sections: an internal summary + a signpost back to the thesis.
Every section hangs from the thesis. Within each, say the point, show the evidence, and explain so what. Long talks lose listeners when the so what is missing.

Explaining complex ideas clearly

  • Given before new. Start each point from something the audience already knows, then add the new idea. "You know how social media feeds show you more of what you've liked? The government in this novel does something similar..."
  • Simple before complex. Explain the basic idea before its exceptions and nuances.
  • Define terms the first time. "Panopticon (a prison design in which inmates can always be watched but never know when)..."
  • One idea per sentence when the idea is hard. Listeners can't reread a long, layered sentence.

Impromptu speaking: structure in seconds

In seminars, interviews and question periods you'll often speak with little or no preparation. A ready-made structure keeps you coherent:

  • PREP: Point, Reason, Example, Point (restated).
  • Past, present, future: how it was, how it is, where it's going.
  • Problem, cause, solution.
  • Two sides, then mine: one view, the other view, your judgment and why.

Take two seconds to choose the structure before you speak. A short pause sounds thoughtful; rambling sounds unprepared.

PREP for impromptu answers (about 60 seconds)PointYour answer in onesentence.ReasonWhy: the mainreason.ExampleOne concreteexample or pieceof evidence.PointRestate theanswer, a littlestronger.Choose the structure in the pause before you speak.
PREP works for seminar contributions, interview questions and debate points of information. Ending with the point again tells listeners you're finished.
Worked example

Let's restructure a presentation around its spine

Jasmine's thesis: "Both novels show that control works best when people don't notice it." Her current order: plot of novel 1 (4 min), author biography (2 min), plot of novel 2 (4 min), thesis and comparison (2 min). Restructure the 12 minutes for coherence.

  1. Minute 0 to 1: hook, thesis, preview. A short hook ("When was the last time you noticed the rules you follow every day?"), then the thesis and a preview of three sections.
  2. Minutes 1 to 4.5: Section 1, novel 1. 40 seconds of essential plot. Then say (control works through comfort), show (one key quotation), so what (people accept control because it feels pleasant).
  3. Internal summary and signpost: "So in the first novel, control hides inside comfort. Does it also hide in the second?"
  4. Minutes 4.5 to 8: Section 2, novel 2, same pattern: brief plot, say, show, so what.
  5. Minutes 8 to 11: Section 3, comparison. Similarities and one important difference, each tied to the thesis. Keep the biography only where it explains a choice in the novels (30 seconds at most).
  6. Minutes 11 to 12: conclusion. Restate the thesis in new words, say why it matters now, and invite questions.

New structure: hook, thesis and preview (1 min); novel 1 with say-show-so what (3.5 min); summary and signpost; novel 2 (3.5 min); comparison tied to the thesis (3 min); conclusion (1 min). Plot drops from eight minutes to under two, and the thesis appears in minute one instead of minute eleven.

Worked example

Let's give an impromptu answer with PREP

In a class discussion, the teacher suddenly asks you: "Should Shakespeare still be required in high school English?" Model a 60-second PREP answer.

  1. Pause (2 seconds): choose PREP.
  2. Point: "Yes, I think Shakespeare should stay required, but taught as performance, not just as text."
  3. Reason: "His plays are about problems that haven't gone away: pride, power, family conflict. And because his language is difficult, learning to read it builds skills we use on every hard text."
  4. Example: "When we performed Lear's storm speech out loud, it suddenly made sense in a way it didn't on the page. Everyone could feel the anger and the helplessness."
  5. Point, restated: "So, required, yes, but heard and performed, because that's how the plays were meant to be experienced."

A coherent 60-second answer: a clear position with a qualification, one main reason (lasting themes and transferable reading skills), one concrete example (performing the storm speech), and a restated point that signals the end.

The "so what" test

After every section of a long talk, ask: Could a listener say how this connects to my thesis? If not, add a so what sentence, or cut the section.

Hands-on activity

Two-minute impromptu challenge

You need: a family member, a phone timer, and these topics written on slips of paper: Is winter the best season? Should every student have a part-time job? Is it better to read the book or watch the film first? Should cellphones be banned in classrooms? Is it ever right to break a promise?

  1. Your family member draws a slip and reads it aloud.
  2. You get 10 seconds to choose a structure (PREP, past-present-future, problem-cause-solution, or two sides then mine).
  3. Speak for 60 to 90 seconds.
  4. Your listener names the structure you used and your main point. If they can't, your structure wasn't clear enough.
  5. Do three rounds, using a different structure each time.
Just for fun

For impromptu speaking, PREP stands for Point, Reason, Example, Point.

It does not stand for Panic, Ramble, Eventually Pause, though that version is unfortunately also popular.

Your turn

1

When should the thesis appear in an academic presentation?

2

What are the three parts of each section in the say, show, so what pattern?

3

What is the given-before-new principle?

4

What does PREP stand for?

5

Name two other impromptu structures besides PREP.

6

Write an internal summary and signpost between two sections of a talk about two poems on winter.

7

Why is plot summary not analysis?

More practice: warm-up

1

What is the spine of a presentation?

2

Why should you define a technical term the first time you use it?

3

Which impromptu structure suits "How has your town changed?"

4

What should you do in the two seconds before an impromptu answer?

5

Why should hard ideas get one idea per sentence in a talk?

More practice: on your own

1

Rewrite this conclusion to restate the thesis in new words and say why it matters: "So yeah, that's my presentation. Any questions?"

2

Explain given before new with an example from a talk on a difficult concept.

3

Give a 60-second PREP answer (written out) to "Should students get a say in school rules?"

4

A student's ISU presentation has excellent quotations but no so what sentences. Predict the audience's experience and suggest a fix.

5

Explain why stating the thesis early is especially important in oral presentations compared with some written forms.

Challenge

1

Plan the spine of a 10-minute presentation for the thesis "In King Lear, sight and blindness show who really understands the truth." Give the preview and the say-show-so what plan for each of three sections.

2

Compare PREP with two sides, then mine. When is each the better choice?

3

A listener says your 15-minute talk was "interesting but hard to follow." Diagnose three likely structural causes and fixes.

Check your understanding

Quiz

1.

In a 12-minute academic presentation, the thesis should appear:

2.

In say, show, so what, the so what explains:

3.

PREP stands for:

4.

Starting from something the audience already knows before adding a new idea is called:

5.

Which impromptu structure best suits "How has your neighbourhood changed?"

6.

A long talk with excellent quotations but no so what sentences will most likely:

For parents and teachers

Big idea: ENG4U expectation 2.3 asks students to communicate in a clear, coherent manner, using a structure and style effective for the purpose, subject matter and audience. Grade 12 focuses on extended academic presentations (such as an independent study presentation) and impromptu speaking.

How to help at home:

  • Be the audience for a rehearsal and ask after each section: "How did that connect to your main point?"
  • Play the impromptu game at dinner with the topic slips.
  • Time the plot summary in a literature presentation; it is often much longer than students realize.

Common difficulties:

  • Thesis at the end. Encourage stating it in the first minute.
  • Retelling instead of analysing. Ask, "So what does that show?"
  • Rambling impromptu answers. Practise choosing a structure in a two-second pause.