PREP Technique in Communication


As students you often have to face the audience and communicate. But remember, you do not have so much of time as you may wish. Completing a communication task in just a flash is what makes you relevant, efficient and effective. This does not mean that you don’t have to talk at length. There are times when you have to elaborate depending upon the nature of assignment and availability of time. Be prepared for both types of talks - at length and in short.  There are many such instances where you need be crypt, concise and direct. What are these occasions when you have to just come, make a big impact and be gone!


  1. As a master of ceremony 
  2. While introducing a guest
  3. while asking a question in the middle of a talk
  4. while participating in a competitive game with time prescription
  5. while proposing vote of thanks
  6. when a speaker asks you to ‘say something’
  7. while making an announcement  and so on.

Having to talk in brief is never easy as many people seem to think so. One of the briefest speeches ever made is credited to Winston Churchill who upon entering a school got to know that it was examination times for the students. When asked to address the students who seemed to be under pressure, ‘Great Churchill spoke ‘Never, never, never, never …. give up’. Friends, tell me now as to whether the speech is complete.  Most certainly ‘YES’.  Whether it was effective and timely? You bet it, it was.  Please remember, being short is a conscious strategy to be so, it is not an excuse for being otherwise! Towards being brief, follow the following technique.



PREP Technique

Point: Start with just one concrete point and dwell on it with clarity and conciseness.

Reason:  State the reason behind making that point. The audience will connect with it.

Example:  Proceed to give an example in support of the point that you made.

Proposal:  Finally, state what action you would suggest someone should take or you yourself would go about depending upon authority and responsibility.

Once you have covered PREP, the talk however brief it is gets  whole and complete. That is the beauty of it.

Dr. N  Jayarama Shetty,  Ph.D, M.Com, MBA, MA( Psy), LL B, CAIIB, D. TD, PG. DHRM, PG. DMM, Pragya,  Visiting Professor, Nitte School of Management, Bengaluru

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