Chapter Ten

1
Chapter Ten

• Delivery

2
Delivery and Nonverbal Communication

• The nonverbal component of the message clearly
  demonstrates how important delivery impacts the
  message you are delivering to your audience.
• The text of your speech is valuable however, the
  nonverbal message of how you deliver the content
  carries more weight with the audience.

3
Well-Prepared Delivery

• Unfortunately many beginning public speakers wait
  until the last minute to prepare their outlines
  and usually head to the podium cold, without
  rehearsing their speech, and that lack of
  preparation usually leaves the audience with a
  flat presentation.
• A well-prepared and practiced delivery
  communicates the speakers ideas more clearly and
  interestingly than an unprepared delivered
  speech.

4
Delivery and Confidence

• When you head up to the podium and you know that
  you have not practiced your delivery as much as
  you believe you should have, that doubt is
  communicated nonverbally, and your audience will
  pick up on that lack of confidence.
• The lack of confidence is usually communicated by
  staring down at the podium instead of scanning
  the room, stuttering and stammering with lots of
  uhms and uhs, staring in the sky for divine
  intervention, or delivering your speech with a
  monotone voice because you are reading your
  speech.

5
Delivery and a Focused Message

• Remember this is public speaking and not public
  reading.
• The easiest way to ensure the most appropriate
  style of delivery is to focus on the message that
  you are trying to communicate to your audience.
• If your focal point is on delivering this message
  to this audience, your nonverbal messages will
  come naturally.

6
Methods of Delivery

• Speaking from a Manuscript
• Delivering your Speech from Memory
• Impromptu Speaking
• Extemporaneous Speaking

7
Speaking from a Manuscript

• Speeches that are of great importance are usually
  reserved for the manuscript delivery method.
• Manuscript speeches are delivered word for word,
  and are written and re-written numerous times for
  absolute accuracy in content and correct word
  choice.
• However, delivering a speech from a manuscript is
  challenging, because it is so easy to just read
  to the audience as oppose to speaking to the
  audience.
• The audience needs to get the sense that you are
  talking to them, and not a blank wall.

8
Delivering your Speech from Memory

• Except for the shortest of speeches, it is not
  expected that you memorize your speech.
• When a speech is memorized there is more effort
  on the speakers behalf to remember their words
  as opposed to communicating with the audience.

9
Impromptu Speaking

• Impromptu speaking is a speech delivered with
  little or no advance preparation.
• When faced with this situation take a deep
  breath, compose yourself, and think of a few
  words to say, say them and then sit down.
• Make sure your speech is relatively brief,
  because the longer you babble, the probability of
  saying something ridiculous gets higher, and your
  credibility in the eyes of the other people in
  the room will evaporate into thin air.

10
Extemporaneous Speaking

• An extemporaneous speech is a carefully prepared
  speech that is practiced ahead of time.
• When using an extemporaneous delivery style, you
  will be referring to a brief set of notes
  (speakers outline) as a memory aid while
  delivering your speech.  
• Conversational quality means that no matter how
  many times you have practiced your speech, it
  still sounds natural to the audience.

11
The Speakers Voice

• Volume
• Pitch
• Rate of Speech
• Pauses
• Vocal Variety
• Pronunciation
• Articulation
• Dialect

12
Volume

• If your audience cannot physically hear you, then
  even the most powerful messages will not be
  received by your audience.
• Volume is the loudness or quietness of the
  speakers voice.
• On one end of the spectrum, if you speak too
  loudly your audience will perceive you to be
  unrefined or rough around the edges.
• Conversely if you speak so softly that no one can
  hear you, your audience may perceive you as not
  confident and not a credible person to speak on
  your topic.
• Your own voice will always sound louder to you
  than to your audience

13
Pitch

• The highness or lowness of the speakers voice is
  also known as the pitch of the speakers voice.
  Changes in the speakers pitch are referred to as
  inflections.
• Adjusting the pitch of your message allows you to
  match the mood of your speech with your voice.
• Monotone can be defined as a constant, unchanging
  pitch or tone of voice. Such a flat line range in
  your pitch is a sure way to disengage and tire
  the audience.
• Another pitch variation that will turn off an
  audience is a repetitious inflection pattern that
  does not change, regardless of the content.

14
Rate of Speech

• It has been documented that speakers in the
  United States speak between 125 to 150 words per
  minute, but that rate allows for some flexibility
  based on the speakers own communication style.
  The term rate of speech refers to how fast a
  person speaks.
• When a speaker delivers a speech that is
  considerably slow the audience will be left with
  a lot of spare time, and their minds will begin
  to wander, as opposed to listening to your
  speech.

15
Pauses

• A pause may be defined as a momentary break in
  the vocal delivery of a speech. A pause can close
  a thought, while your audience reflects on what
  you have just said, or it can let a dramatic
  statement just sit there while the audience
  ponders its significance.
• Vocalized pauses are pauses that occur when a
  speaker fills the silence between words with
  vocalizations such as uh, er, and um.
• These voiced pauses are distracting and create a
  perception from the audience that the speaker is
  not confident or competent.

16
Vocal Variety

• Vocal variety is the changes and variety in the
  speakers rate of speech, volume, pitch, and how
  the speaker expresses his or her thoughts through
  the voice.
• Vocal variety enlivens a speech and makes it more
  relatable to an audience.

17
Pronunciation

• Pronunciation refers to the way a word or a
  language is usually spoken, or the manner in
  which someone utters a word.
• When in doubt about the proper pronunciation of a
  word, just look it up in a reputable dictionary.

18
Articulation

• Articulation is the physical production of
  particular speech sounds.
• So, poor articulation is the failure to form
  exact speech sounds crisply and clearly.

19
Dialect

• A speech dialect is a variety of language that is
  distinguished by variations of accent, grammar,
  or vocabulary.
• The United States contains four major regional
  dialects, Eastern, New England, Southern, and
  General American.
• Dialects are primarily based on regional or
  ethnic speech patterns.

20
The Speakers Physical Characteristics

• Kinesics is the study of body motions as a
  systematic mode of communication.
• How you use your body at the podiumsuch as the
  position of your head, eyes, and torsoimpact the
  speakers message.

21
Personal Appearance

• Your personal appearance should reflect the time
  and place of the situation and occasion.
• The clothing you wear should not detract from you
  the public speaker.
• However, regardless of the speaking situation,
  you should do your best to keep the best
  impression you can with your audience.

22
Movement Behind the Podium

• A common distracting mannerism behind the podium
  is nervous movement.
• Some speakers sway from left to right like a
  clock.
• Other distracting movements that need to be
  avoided are playing with the change in your
  pocket, fidgeting with your outline, shifting
  your weight from one leg to another, and leaning
  on the podium.
• As you concentrate on delivering your message to
  your audience, a natural movement will evolve
  with practice and public speaking experience
  behind the podium.

23
Gestures

• In your everyday conversation you use your hands
  to reinforce particular points you are trying to
  make.
• When using your hands to gesture to the audience
  the movements need to come across as genuine and
  sincere, and not forced and unnatural.

24
Eye Contact

• One of the strongest ways to develop a connection
  with your audience is through eye contact.
• On the flip side, the best way to lose your
  audience is to not look at them at all.
• This usually happens when you read your speech,
  stare at the ground, or stare at the ceiling.

25
Practicing Delivery

• First spend some time going over your speakers
  outline. Do your main points lead you to your
  specific purpose?
• Do your introduction, body, conclusion, and
  transitions fit together like a puzzle? Are your
  points supported well and are they accurate?
• Spend time going over your speech aloud. Does it
  sound right to the ear? Writing for the eye is
  different than writing for the ear, so does your
  speech sound as good as it looks?

26
Delivery and the Speakers Outline

• Next take a look at your speakers outline. Will
  the speakers outline help you while you are at
  the podium?
• For example, is the font large enough for you to
  refer to while delivering your presentation?
• Should you incorporate different-colored fonts to
  highlight your delivery cues?

27
Grasping Your Main Ideas While Practicing Your
Delivery

• Practice your speech aloud. Do not worry the
  first few times you practice that you will not
  sound like you are ready to deliver the State of
  the Union addressjust keep at it.
• You must focus on gaining command of the ideas of
  your presentation, and not try to learn the
  speech word for word.
• If you try to memorize your speech, your message
  will come across as stiff and not engaging to the
  audience.
• After a few runs through your speech you will
  capture the main ideas, examples, and statistics
  of your presentation.

28
Recording Your Delivery During the Practice Phase

• The best thing to do here is to record your
  speech either on video or by audio for you to
  capture how an audience will see and hear your
  message.
• You want to evaluate your eye contact, rate of
  speech, volume, articulation, pronunciation,
  vocal variety, and pauses.
• Next, ask a few of your friends, family,
  co-workers, or classmates to listen to your
  speech.
• Remember public speaking is an audience-focused
  activity so it is best to practice in front of
  people.