Chapter 13 Delivering Your Speech Delivering Your Speech

Chapter 13 Delivering Your Speech

Delivering Your Speech: An Overview • How you say something is as important as what you say. • Good speakers choose the right mode of delivery. • Good speakers use their vocal and nonverbal skills effectively.

Selecting the Right Mode of Delivery • Reading from a manuscript • Memorizing from a manuscript • Speaking from an outline

Selecting the Right Mode of Delivery: Reading from a Manuscript Reading directly from a script or typed speech • Pro: Good on formal occasions where exact word choice is important (for example, an inaugural address) • Con: Can sound monotone and decreases eye contact with audience

Selecting the Right Mode of Delivery: Reading from a Manuscript

Selecting the Right Mode of Delivery: Memorizing from a Manuscript Memorizing a script, word-for-word, also called performance • Pros • Cons – Possible to maintain eye contact – Works well if you are skilled at delivery – Good for a precise message – Can sound fake – Memorizing an entire speech is very challenging.

Selecting the Right Mode of Delivery: Speaking from an Outline • This most advantageous method involves speaking from a simple outline to jog the memory. • Extemporaneous delivery is more conversational. It allows the speaker to: – Choose words flexibly – Adapt to the situation

Selecting the Right Mode of Delivery: Impromptu Speaking • Impromptu delivery: Generating your speech content in that moment, without time to prepare in advance • Draft a brief mental outline to organize your thoughts, considering: – What is the question or topic? – What is your answer or view? – How do you support your position?

Impromptu Speaking

Tips for Mode of Delivery • Tip: Do you have public speaking anxiety? Join the club: Even famous people like Madonna get nervous. In fact, 85% of people say they have speaking anxiety. The good news is that practice and planning can decrease it. • Tip: Performances can sound packaged if not done properly. Audiences respond to speakers who are genuine.

Using Vocal Delivery Skills • Vocal delivery skills make effective use of your voice when delivering a speech. They include: – – – – Volume Tone Rate of Delivery Projection Articulation Pronunciation Pausing

Using Vocal Delivery Skills: Volume • How loud or soft your voice is during delivery • Things to consider – Room size – Audience size – Equipment

Tips for Volume • Tip: Be loud enough for the back but do not overwhelm the front. • Tip: Practice with a friend who can tell you how you need to adjust.

Using Vocal Delivery Skills: Tone • Involves pitch – Highs and lows of your voice • Vary your pitch to add warmth and color – Contrast monotone, which sounds bland • Inflection – Raising and lowering pitch to emphasize words

Tips for Tone • Tip: Varying pitch and inflection will help keep an audience’s attention. • Tip: Practice to sound natural.

Using Vocal Delivery Skills: Tone

Using Vocal Delivery Skills: Rate of Delivery • Do: – Speak quickly enough to make your speech lively and interesting • Don’t: – Speak so quickly that you become inarticulate – Speed up a long speech to fit a short timeline

Tips for Rate of Delivery Tip: Speaking too slowly is a little worse than speaking too fast, so if you are going to err, err on the side of the hare. Tip: The better you know the speech, the better your rate of delivery will be—so practice.

Using Vocal Delivery Skills: Projection • “Booming” your voice to reach all listeners • Maintain good posture. • Exhale from the diaphragm.

Tips for Projection • Tip: Looking up and out at the audience will not only help with projection, but will establish a connection with your audience. (Good posture can help. ) • Tip: Practicing in front of a mirror where you can monitor yourself may help.

Using Vocal Delivery Skills: Articulation • The crispness of your spoken words • Express the syllables in your words clearly and distinctly. • Don't round off the ends of words or sentences. • Don’t lower your voice at the ends of sentences.

Tips for Articulation • Tip: Be sure your words do not slur into one another. • Tip: Practice the speech in front of a friend for feedback.

Using Vocal Delivery Skills: Pronunciation • How correctly you say words • Be careful with names of people or places. • Check the pronunciation of troublesome words before your presentation.

Using Vocal Delivery Skills: Pronunciation

Tips for Pronunciation • Tip: Want to destroy your credibility? Try mispronouncing a word or name from your speech. • Tip: Practice new or difficult words and phrases before your speech.

Using Vocal Delivery Skills: Pausing • • • Leaving gaps between words or sentences Use pauses to reinforce your words and create a sense of importance. Avoid filling pauses with verbal fillers or verbal tics. — Examples: you know, like, um, ah

Tips for Pausing • Tip: Ask a friend to listen to your speech and make a noise each time you say um or ah. • Tip: Ums and ahs tend to decrease the more you practice.

Using Nonverbal Delivery Skills: An Overview • • • Eye contact Gestures Physical movement Proxemics Personal appearance

Using Nonverbal Delivery Skills: Eye Contact • Looking directly into your listeners’ eyes as they look directly into yours • Helps: – Keep audience interest – Gauge reactions – Establish trust

Tips for Eye Contact • Tip: Use panning to make individual eye contact with as many audience members as possible. • Tip: Practice in front of a mirror. While you are checking posture, practice looking at yourself.

Using Nonverbal Delivery Skills: Gestures • Using hand movements to emphasize points in your speech • Use deliberately to add emphasis • Be aware of audience connotations. • Be sure verbal and nonverbal match • Try not to use nervous and awkward gestures.

Tips for Gestures • Tip: Most audiences respond favorably to a speaker’s natural gestures. • Tip: Practicing your speech will help eliminate distracting or contradicting gestures.

Using Nonverbal Delivery Skills: Physical Movement • How much or how little you move around while speaking • Use a variety of physical movement. • Avoid both standing stock-still and pacing too much.

Tips for Physical Movement • Tip: Try leaving the podium during your speech and see how the audience responds. • Tip: Do not overplan your movements. Keep them extemporaneous so you appear natural, not like you are performing.

Using Nonverbal Delivery Skills: Proxemics • Using space and distance with the audience • Move close enough to interact with your audience. • But avoid encroaching on personal space.

Tips for Proxemics • Tip: If you are speaking to a large audience, it’s okay to walk down aisles—this keeps a connection to those in the back and sends the message that you know your material well. • Tip: Closeness can indicate interest and involvement.

Using Nonverbal Delivery Skills: Physical Appearance • The impression you make on your audience through your clothing, jewelry, hairstyle, grooming, etc. • Initial impressions occur before speaking. • Wear appropriate clothing. • Look presentable to show respect for audience, occasion, self.

Tips for Personal Appearance • Tip: Be mindful of how you approach the podium. First impressions may be formed then, so do it with confidence. • Tip: A good rule of thumb is to dress one step above your audience.

General Tips for Delivery • Tip: You may have noticed a theme in these tips—practice. – Practice and preparation are essential to effective speaking. • Tip: Teachers can tell if someone has prepared and practiced. – The longest speeches are usually the ones that are not prepared.