Why is delivery important in a speech

For example, these are not good ideas:. Volume refers to the relative softness or loudness of your voice. The volume you use should fit the size of the audience and the room. Fortunately, for the purposes of this class, your normal speaking voice will probably work just fine since you are in a relatively small space with around twenty people.

However, if you know that you are naturally a soft-spoken person or naturally a very loud talker, you may want to make adjustments when giving your speech.

Obviously this will all change if you are asked to speak in a larger venue or given a microphone to use. Pitch is the relative highness or lowness of your voice, and like everything, you can have too much or too little with regard to variation of it. While uncommon, this is sometimes attributed to nerves. More common is too little variation in pitch, which is known as being monotone. They forget to speak normally to show their interest in the topic, as we would in everyday conversation.

Generally, if we are interested in and passionate about communicating our thoughts, we are not likely to be monotone. We are rarely monotone when talking to friends and family about matters of importance to us, so pick topics you care about.

How quickly or slowly you say the words of your speech is the rate. Too little rate i. It may also result in the audience being bored and lose focus on what you are saying. Rate is one reason you should try to record yourself, even if just audio on your phone, beforehand and be mindful of time when you practice.

By contrast, too much rate i. It sometimes helps to imagine that your speech is a jog or run that you and your friends the audience are taking together. You as the speaker are setting the pace based on how quickly you speak. If you start sprinting, it may be too difficult for your audience to keep up and they may give up halfway through. Most people who speak very quickly know they speak quickly, and if that applies to you just be sure to practice slowing down and writing yourself delivery cues in your notes see Chapter 6 to maintain a more comfortable rate.

You especially will want to maintain a good, deliberate rate at the beginning of your speech because your audience will be getting used to your voice. We have all called a business where the person answering the phone mumbles the name of the business in a rushed way. Regulating rate is another reason why video-recording yourself can be so helpful because we often do not realize how fast we speak.

This is especially true if you are making a particularly important point or want for a statement to have a more powerful impact: you will want to give the audience a moment to digest what you have said. Of course, there is such a thing as pausing too much, both in terms of frequency and length.

Someone who pauses too long more than a few seconds , runs the risk of the audience feeling uncomfortable or, even worse becoming distracted or letting their attention wander. We are capable of processing words input more quickly than anyone can speak clearly, which is one of the reasons listening is difficult. Pauses should be controlled to maintain attention of the audience.

At various points during your speech, you may find yourself in need of a brief moment to collect your thoughts or prepare for the next section of your speech. This obviously becomes an issue when the vocalized pauses become distracting due to their overuse. Can you think of any? The bad news here is that there is no quick fix for getting rid of your vocalized pauses.

They are so ingrained into all of our speech patterns that getting rid of them is a challenge. However, there is a two-step process you can employ to begin eliminating them. First, you need to identify what your particular vocalized pause is.

After figuring out what your vocalized pause is, the second step is to carefully and meticulously try to catch yourself when you say it. Catching yourself and being aware of how often you use vocalized pauses will help you begin the process of reducing your dependence on them and hopefully get rid of them completely.

One of the authors uses a game in her class that she adopted from a couple of disc jockeys she used to hear. It is a good way to practice focusing on the content and not saying a vocalized pause. The ten items listed above represent the major delivery issues you will want to be aware of when giving a speech, but it is by no means an exhaustive list. There is however, one final piece of delivery advice we would like to offer.

We know that no matter how hard you practice and how diligent you are in preparing for your speech, you are most likely going to mess up some aspect of your speech when you give it in class, at least a little.

Everyone does it. The key is to not make a big deal about it or let the audience know you messed up. In fact, you have most likely never heard a perfect speech delivered in your life.

Since you know you are likely going to make some sort of mistake in class, use your practice time at home to work on how you will deal with those mistakes. If you practice dealing with your mistakes at home, you will be better prepared for the inevitable errors that will find their way into your speech in class.

A final thought on practice. Practice makes permanent; the actions become habitual. If you practice incorrectly, your performance will be incorrect. Be sure your practice is correct. Good delivery is meant to augment your speech and help convey your information to the audience. Anything that potentially distracts your audience means that fewer people will be informed, persuaded, or entertained by what you have said. Practicing your speech in an environment that closely resembles the actual situation that you will be speaking in will better prepare you for what to do and how to deliver your speech when it really counts.

Each of us struggles with a certain aspect of delivery: voice, posture, eye contact, distracting movement, vocalized pauses, etc. What is yours? Based on this chapter and what you have already experienced in class, what is your biggest takeaway about improving delivery? Skip to content After reading this chapter, the student will be able to: Identify the different methods of speech delivery.

Identify key elements in preparing to deliver a speech. Understand the benefits of delivery-related behaviors. Utilize specific techniques to enhance speech delivery. The Importance of Delivery As we stated in earlier, some surveys indicate that more people fear public speaking than they do death, but that is somewhat misleading. Methods of Speech Delivery What follows are four methods of delivery that can help you balance between too much and too little formality when giving a speech.

Impromptu Speaking Impromptu speaking is the presentation of a short message without advance preparation. Impromptu Speaking the presentation of a short message without advance preparation. Manuscript Speaking Manuscript speaking is the word-for-word iteration of a written message. Manuscript speaking the word-for-word iteration of a written message.

Extemporaneous Speaking Extemporaneous speaking is the presentation of a carefully planned and rehearsed speech, spoken in a conversational manner using brief notes. Extemporaneous speaking the presentation of a carefully planned and rehearsed speech, spoken in a conversational manner using brief notes.

Memorized Speaking Memorized speaking is the rote recitation of a written message that the speaker has committed to memory. Memorized speaking the rote recitation of a written message that the speaker has committed to memory. Vocal cues the subtle but meaningful variations in speech delivery, which can include the use of pitch, tone, volume, and pace.

Preparing For Your Delivery In the s, before he was an author, playwright, and film actor, Steve Martin was an up-and-coming stand-up comedian whose popularity soared as a result of his early appearances on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson and Saturday Night Live. As Martin notes in his autobiography, Born Standing Up , as the audiences for his act got bigger and bigger, he needed to adapt his delivery to accommodate: Some promoters got on board and booked me into a theater in Dallas.

Using Lecterns A lectern is a small raised surface, usually with a slanted top, where a speaker can place notes during a speech. Lectern a small raised surface, usually with a slanted top, where a speaker can place notes during a speech. Speaking in a Small or Large Physical Space If you are accustomed to being in a classroom of a certain size, you will need to make adjustments when speaking in a smaller or larger space than what you are used to. Speaking Outdoors Outdoor settings can be charming, but they are prone to distractions.

Using a Microphone Most people today are familiar with microphones that are built into video recorders, phones, and other electronic devices, but they may be new at using a microphone to deliver a speech. Audience Size A small audience is an opportunity for a more intimate, minimally formal tone. Practicing Your Delivery. What follows are some general tips you should keep in mind, but they all essentially derive from one very straight-forward premise: Practice your speech beforehand, at home or elsewhere, the way you will give it in class.

Practice Your Speech Out Loud We sometimes think that the purpose of practicing a speech is to learn the words and be prepared for what we will need to say. Practice Your Speech Standing Up In all the time that the authors of this book have been teaching speech, not once have either of us come into a classroom and seen a bed behind the lectern for students to speak from.

The vocal cords are muscles, which should not be jump-started. Physical exercises will likely help relaxing for better posture and hand and body gestures. You have taken all of the right steps before stepping up to the podium or lectern.

You have selected a good topic. You have researched the topic. You have organized the best information in a compelling way. You have rehearsed your speech.

You have received feedback on your rehearsal from an objective listener. You have carefully constructed your notes and practiced with them. You have planned and practiced your speech introduction and conclusion verbatim.

You have checked out the room and the equipment. You did something to reduce your stress before your speech. You did vocal warm-ups.

You chose the perfect outfit to wear. You made sure your gum was discarded and your hair pulled back. You arrived at least 15 minutes before your speech. You leapt to the podium with great enthusiasm when introduced. Now you must deliver. Speeches are delivered. Practice good posture, but avoid being stiff. Even at a formal business event, you do not want to appear wooden in your physical appearance.

Avoid fidgeting and keep your head high. Little signs of nervousness can damage your presentation, so try to keep these kinds of nervous tics at bay. If you're struggling, try holding a tiny object such as a paper-clip.

Some people find that unobtrusively playing with such an item helps them appear otherwise calm and relaxed! Once you feel that you are projecting a calm, relaxed and confident aura, then it's time to think about how to deliver your words as effectively as possible.

You have to project your voice. Some people get nervous and mumble while giving public speeches. Improving your speech delivery is all about getting your message across, so make sure that everyone can hear you. If you have a microphone available, by all means use it. Never wear anything with which you feel less than comfortable, and wear something that suggests care and attention. Do not wear anything that will divert the audience's attention or set you apart further from the audience.

Second, always stand up straight. One should not be stiff, but slouching suggests a laziness that could possibly affect the audience's recpetion of your argument. The podium is not a posture prop; the podium's purpose is symbolic. Third, smile before you say your first word. Even if your subject matter is deadly serious and horrific, a smile will establish a rapport with your audience that can be built upon. Actually, one should think of something amusing as one walks to the podium so that the smile is genuine and not forced.

Fourth, disguise your nervousness. Every speaker is nervous. But if your nervousness is apt to manifest itself in shaking hands, then grab hold to the sides of the podium. If you voice quavers, then speak a little more loudly and deeply.

The signs of nervousness will go away after the first minute or two as the presentation of your argument takes control of your mind and body. The human body is capable of about , different gestures that can be used to communicate meaning.

Some researchers have identified "twenty-three separate and distinct eyebrow positions that communicate different meanings" McCroskey, , p. Gestures are the single greatest asset of a speaker, but they must be used sparingly and judiciously or else they overwhelm the content of the speech. One ought to take notice of the gestures of people in normal conversation, and correlate those gestures with the words spoken.

The hands and arms are perhaps the most obvious signalers of meaning. One should avoid making the same hand gestures over and over again; monotony breeds distraction. The gestures should be unanticipated and unrehearsed, but in synchrony with the meaning of the words spoken.

The essential point to remember is that delivery must accentuate naturalness. One must be comfortable in delivering a speech.