Week 15 — Speak on the Spot: Your Impromptu Answer and Q&A

Assignment 14 of the term — draw a prompt, plan for one minute in keywords, record a 60- to 90-second impromptu answer twice, plan an honest reply to a question a listener could ask, and explain to a friend why "I don't know, but I can find out" is a complete answer.

This adaptive assignment uses a coaching dialogue to help you turn a first attempt into clear, careful work on your own impromptu answer. You remain the speaker and the author. The coach asks questions, checks the reasoning you show, and waits for you to revise before it produces the required report. This week's lecture tutorial, quiz, discussion, and Speech Workshop practice the same ideas from other angles; this assignment is where you put them together on an answer you really give. It builds on Week 5's work on organizing a speech: the PREP frame and its two backup frames are organizational patterns shrunk to a minute.

The task

This week's shared example is the three prompts and the running speech's Q&A, which are illustrative and attributed to no one. Chapter 15 builds them. Prompt A asks, "What is the most underrated study skill?", and its model answer uses the four parts of the PREP frame: point, reason, example, point. Before answering, the speaker buys time with four moves: a pause, a reframe of the prompt, a brief connector, and then the point first. That reply gets one minute of keyword planning and runs 60 to 90 seconds, and the delivery self-assessment table's illustrative take-1 rate is 130 words per minute. After the running speech, the audience asks a routine, a hostile, an unknown, and an off-topic question, and the speaker answers each with the Q&A toolkit. Chapter 15 also walks through an illustrative chatbot coaching reply that praises without naming a moment, invents a "best practice," and says "be more confident" instead of naming a move.

Draw your own prompt for this week's graded impromptu speech. Pick one from this list without looking, for example by numbering them and rolling a die or asking a friend to choose a number: (1) What is one skill you learned outside a classroom? (2) What makes a place feel welcoming? (3) Should every student learn to cook one simple meal? (4) What is one small change that would improve your neighborhood? (5) What is the best piece of advice you once ignored? Do not use prompts A, B, or C; those are the course's examples. Your answer needs no statistic or source. If you choose to use a figure anyway, it must come from a real source you can name aloud.

Work these four problems, and show how you reached each one:

1. The model reply to prompt A runs 90 seconds, and the delivery table's illustrative take-1 rate is 130 words per minute. At that rate, about how many words fit in 90 seconds?
2. The speaker records 2 takes of the reply to prompt A, and each take delivers the 4 parts of the PREP frame. How many PREP parts does the speaker deliver across both takes?
3. Before each of 3 drawn prompts, the speaker uses the 4 time-buying moves: pause, reframe, a brief connector, then the point first. How many time-buying moves is that?
4. An illustrative chatbot's coaching reply has 3 problems, and the speaker checks each problem against both of 2 recorded takes. How many checks is that?

Beside each answer, add one brief explanation, and use your own impromptu answer for the parts that ask for it:

• Problem 1: name the prompt you drew and choose one frame for it, the PREP frame, past–present–future, or problem–solution, with one sentence on why it fits. Then write your one-minute keyword plan, one keyword group per part, and a word budget for your own time between 60 and 90 seconds at a rate you choose.
• Problem 2: deliver your answer out loud twice, from your keyword plan, for 60 to 90 seconds each time. Self-assess each take against the parts of your frame, say where your point landed in each take, and name one moment that changed between the two takes. Then name one delivery choice, such as a pause before your first word, eye contact through your first sentence, or a slower rate, and say how it helped you buy time or keep one clear point.
• Problem 3: write the reframe and the brief connector you used to buy time before your answer. Then write one question a listener could ask about your answer, label it hostile, unknown, or off-topic, and plan your reply with the Q&A toolkit. If the question asks for something you do not know, your reply says so honestly and offers to find out; it never invents a figure.
• Problem 4: in the illustrative chatbot coaching reply, name its three problems and give a fix for each that names a moment from your own takes and a move you will rehearse. Then look back across the course: name the one canon of rhetoric (invention, arrangement, style, memory, or delivery) you have grown in most, with one piece of evidence from your takes.

For Problem 2's two takes, you choose how to capture them: a video on your own phone, an audio-only recording, or no recording at all, with a trusted listener who tells you one moment that changed. You never submit or upload the recording itself, and you may delete it as soon as you have written down the moment you named. Feeling nervous before an answer on the spot is normal; a slow breath and a frame you trust both help.

Explain it to a non-expert

Your friend has a job interview coming up, plans to memorize a long answer to every question they can imagine, and is afraid of being asked something they cannot answer. Write a message of three to five sentences that explains, in everyday words, why saying your point first and keeping to one clear point works better than a memorized speech; why a short pause beats filler words; why "I don't know, but I can find out" is an honest, complete answer; and one limit, such as never guessing a fact or a number. Explain any course term in everyday words. More than one good answer is possible; this message is scored with Problem 4.

For a different, ungraded example, imagine a coworker who will take questions after a short team update and plans to open every answer with "Great question!" and a long story. Model answer: "Skip the compliment and take a breath instead; it shows you heard the question. Say the question back in a few words so everyone knows what you are answering. Then give your answer in the first sentence and one reason or example, and stop. If someone asks something you do not know, say so and promise to follow up."

Use that pattern for your friend, with your own wording and examples.

Part 1 — Student instructions

1. Draft all four answers, the four brief explanations, your drawn prompt with your frame and keyword plan, the moment you named from your two takes with your delivery choice, your reframe and your planned reply to a listener's question, your critique of the coaching reply with your canon, and your message to the friend before opening a chatbot.
2. Open any course-approved chatbot. Copy the entire Coach Prompt box, including its first and last marker lines, and paste it as one message. The coach will ask for your draft and then work one question at a time.
3. Answer in your own words. Show your arithmetic when asked. Use the coach's feedback to revise at least one answer or explanation, even if your first attempt was strong.
4. Never let the coach draft your impromptu answer, your keyword plan, or your reply to a listener's question, and never accept a statistic, a source, or a "best practice" from it. If it offers one, decline.
5. Never upload a recording to the chatbot. Describe your takes in words; the coach cannot see or hear you and must not pretend to.
6. Continue until the prompt's exit condition is met, then save the chat's share link and copy the final report exactly as the coach gives it.

The chatbot is a coach, not a ghostwriter. It must draw out your reasoning rather than write your answer, your plan, or the message for you.

Coach Prompt

COPY EVERYTHING BELOW THIS LINE
ROLE: You are a careful public speaking coach for an introductory Public Speaking course. Draw out and challenge MY thinking about impromptu speaking and audience questions: impromptu versus extemporaneous delivery, the PREP frame (point, reason, example, point), the two backup frames (past-present-future and problem-solution), buying time, the one-clear-point rule, and the Q&A toolkit for routine, hostile, unknown, and off-topic questions. Do not write my assignment, my impromptu answer, my keyword plan, my reply to a listener, or my message for me, and do not invent work I did not show. Never supply a statistic, a source, a quotation, or a "best practice"; if I mention a figure, ask me which real source I could name aloud. You cannot see or hear me: never ask for a recording, never accept an upload, and never claim to judge a delivery you have not seen. Treat nervousness as normal and give no medical advice.

ASSIGNMENT: Work through these four problems in order, one at a time. Do not invent, replace, or reorder a problem. The data: the three prompts and the running speech's Q&A are illustrative and attributed to no one. Prompt A asks, "What is the most underrated study skill?", and its model reply uses the four PREP parts. Before answering, the speaker uses four time-buying moves: a pause, a reframe, a brief connector, and the point first. That reply gets one minute of keyword planning and runs 60 to 90 seconds, and the delivery table's illustrative take-1 rate is 130 words per minute. In the illustrative chatbot coaching reply, the chatbot praises without naming a moment, invents a "best practice," and says "be more confident" instead of naming a move.
PROBLEM P1: The model reply to prompt A runs 90 seconds, and the delivery table's illustrative take-1 rate is 130 words per minute. At that rate, about how many words fit in 90 seconds?
PROBLEM P2: The speaker records 2 takes of the reply to prompt A, and each take delivers the 4 parts of the PREP frame. How many PREP parts does the speaker deliver across both takes?
PROBLEM P3: Before each of 3 drawn prompts, the speaker uses the 4 time-buying moves: pause, reframe, a brief connector, then the point first. How many time-buying moves is that?
PROBLEM P4: An illustrative chatbot's coaching reply has 3 problems, and the speaker checks each problem against both of 2 recorded takes. How many checks is that?
After the four answers, I must add a brief explanation to each one. For P1: the prompt I drew from the list and one frame I chose for it with a reason it fits, plus my one-minute keyword plan and a word budget for my own time between 60 and 90 seconds; for P2, two takes of my own reply, each self-assessed against the parts of my frame, with one moment I name that changed and where my point landed, plus one delivery choice tied to buying time or to one clear point; for P3, the reframe and brief connector I used to buy time, plus one question a listener could ask about my reply, labeled hostile, unknown, or off-topic, with a planned reply that follows the Q&A toolkit and invents no figure; for P4, a critique naming the coaching reply's three problems with a fix for each tied to a moment in my takes, plus the canon of rhetoric I have grown in most with one piece of evidence. I must then write a message of three to five sentences to a friend who plans to memorize long interview speeches and fears an unknown question, explaining in everyday words the point first, one clear point, a pause instead of filler, why "I don't know, but I can find out" is complete, and one limit. I must explain course terms in everyday words.

SCORING CRITERIA: Score only evidence I supply: accurate counts from the week's impromptu and Q&A examples (40 points), impromptu and Q&A reasoning (32 points), clarity for a non-expert listener (16 points), and showing the work and the evidence (12 points). For each of P1-P4, give 2, 1, or 0 evidence units per criterion; one unit is worth 5 count points, 4 reasoning points, 2 clarity points, or 1.5 showing-the-work points. Sum all four problems within each criterion. Count my final message only with P4, not again with P1-P3.
COUNT UNITS: A correct number of words, PREP parts delivered, time-buying moves, or checks = 2; the right values with only an arithmetic slip = 1; a missing answer or the wrong values = 0. Do not penalize an alternative valid method or equivalent wording.
REASONING UNITS: For P1-P3 separately, an explanation that meets both parts named for that problem = 2; exactly one part = 1; neither = 0. For P4, BOTH my critique naming the coaching reply's three problems with a fix for each plus my canon with evidence AND a message to the friend that explains the point first, one clear point, a pause instead of filler, why "I don't know, but I can find out" is complete, and one limit = 2. If full P4 evidence is absent but at least one accurate substantive part appears, give 1. No accurate reasoning = 0; naming a term alone does not earn a unit. An arithmetic slip alone is not a reasoning error.
CLARITY UNITS: For each problem, labeled evidence understandable to someone who has never taken a speaking course, with course terms explained = 2; intelligible evidence that needs rereading because of ambiguity or unexplained terms = 1; absent or unintelligible evidence = 0. Include the final message with P4 if submitted. Missing reasoning alone does not lower clarity for otherwise clear submitted work.
SHOWING-THE-WORK UNITS: For each problem, the values, labels, or steps behind the answer shown so they can be checked = 2; a relevant but incomplete value, label, or step = 1; an answer alone or no evidence = 0. Visible evidence stays checkable despite an arithmetic slip.

Do NOT invent grading rules.

DIALOGUE RULES: Ask exactly one question per message and wait for my answer. Start by asking for my complete first attempt. Build each next question from my exact words. Probe an unsupported claim and ask me to examine its evidence. When I describe a take, ask me where my point landed and which moment I would change and why; when I plan a reply to a listener, ask me whether it answers what was asked.

ENGAGEMENT GUARDS: A greeting, copied prompt, yes/no reply, or one-word answer is not a substantive exchange. Do not flatter or accept agreement as evidence. Praise only a concrete move I made, and name the words you are praising. If evidence is missing, say what is missing and ask for it. Require a real revision plus a short reflection on why the revision is better. Do not issue the report early.

EXIT CONDITION: Continue until at least five substantive exchanges have occurred AND I have supplied all four answers and their brief explanations AND written my message to the friend AND revised at least one answer or explanation AND reflected on the revision. Stop only after whichever requirement happens last.

REPORT: After the exit condition is satisfied, output exactly these labelled lines in this order. Replace X with the exact earned score; it may end in .5 and must not be rounded to a whole number. Base every line only on evidence in this chat; write "Not supplied" for missing evidence and never raise the score for polished chatbot prose.
STUDENT'S SCORE: X/100
EVIDENCE FOR THE SCORE: [specific evidence from my answers and explanations]
REVISION MADE: [what I changed and why]
STRENGTH: [one earned strength]
NEXT STEP: [one concrete improvement]
Then tell me to submit this report, my revised work, and the share link.
COPY EVERYTHING ABOVE THIS LINE

Deliverables

Submit these three items in the assignment entry:

• your revised work with all four answers, their brief explanations, your drawn prompt with your frame and keyword plan, the moment you named from your two takes with your delivery choice, your reframe and your planned reply to a listener's question, your critique of the coaching reply with your canon, and your message to the friend — written, or spoken and recorded as audio or video with a transcript, or sketched as a labelled outline with a written description; every form is graded by the same scoring criteria;
• the coach's five-line report; and
• the conversation share link.

You do not submit the recording of your takes; the moment you name is the evidence.

Submit in any accessible file type or as a link; a recorded response may be submitted as audio or video with a transcript, or as text.

Equivalent route (no AI required)

This route assesses the same Week 15 skills — telling impromptu from extemporaneous delivery, building an answer on the spot in one frame with the point first, buying time without filler, planning an honest reply to a listener's question, catching coaching that names no moment, and explaining all of it to someone who has never taken a speaking course — for comparable time and effort, about 60 to 90 minutes, the same as the coached route. Complete the same four problems, the four brief explanations, the two takes, and the message to the friend. Then audit your own first draft against the attached scoring criteria, criterion by criterion, and write a second draft. Add a 150–200 word revision memo that names one answer or explanation you changed, the evidence that prompted the change, and one question you still have. Submit the revised work, your completed criteria checklist, and the revision memo in the assignment entry; together they replace the share link and the coach's report. This route uses the same scoring criteria and the same points, with no penalty for choosing it.

How you'll be graded

The full analytic rubric is attached to this assignment in Canvas.

Academic integrity and AI use

The counts, the explanations, your keyword plan, your takes, your reframe and reply, your critique, the revision, and the message to the friend must be your own. Do not ask the chatbot to draft your impromptu answer or your reply, or to supply a statistic, a source, or a "best practice." Never upload a recording to it. Submit an honest share link from your own dialogue. The equivalent route keeps the same workload and evidence and requires no AI account.

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