Public Speaking

Delivering Your Speech

Keith Green
Speech 220

The Goal of Immediacy

• A feeling of audience/speaker
“connectedness”
• A demonstration of caring by the speaker
• Audience reciprocates with grace
• What the speaker is saying becomes
combined with who the speaker is--a
unified, whole experience

Four Modes of Presentation

• Impromptu
– spur of the moment
– only when not aware of need to speak
– be organized
• PREP
– state a Point
– give a Reason or Example
– restate the Point

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 Four Modes of Presentation
• Memorized
– committing a manuscript to memory
– should be avoided
– focuses on remembering, not on
communicating
– minimizes expanded conversational tone

Four Modes of Presentation

• Manuscript
– Reading from a verbatim script
– Use only when necessary
– Minimal eye contact
– Flat, monotone delivery
– Written versus oral style

Four Modes of Presentation

• Extemporaneous
– speaking from limited notes but well prepared
and practiced
– best method
– allows immense flexibility
– focuses on communicating a flow of ideas, not
simply saying words

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 Extemporaneous Method
1. Develop final outline draft on paper.
2. Practice and modify speech.
3. Practice from final outline.
4. Develop notecard
5. Practice from notecard, evaluate
usefulness; modify if needed.
6. Practice from final notecard

Delivery Tools
Verbal Communication
• the words, the language
• ~7% of the package

Nonverbal Communication
• all other factors with
communication value
• ~93% of the package

Nonverbal Communication
Paralanguage
• Pitch
– optimum and habitual
• Rate
– pausing
– vocal distractions/disfluencies
• Volume

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 Nonverbal Communication
• Quality
• Variety
• Sound Production
– articulation
– enunciation
– pronunciation

Nonverbal Communication
Facial Expression
– ~55% of our package
– expressive of all emotion
– establishes the overall tone of the speech
– primary “field” of audience’s view
Eye Contact
– psychologically diminishes distance
– demonstrates confidence

Nonverbal Communication

Hand Gestures

– we naturally use hand gestures

– avoid distancing gestures
– avoid fidgety gestures
– keep gestures up in visual field
– do what comes “naturally”

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 Nonverbal Communication
Body Movement
– stand comfortably
– stand confidently
– avoid fidgeting/anxiety displays
– use movement to enhance transitions
– use movement to provide variety
– use movement to control audience focus

Nonverbal Communication
Control Body Artifacts
– hair
• out of face
• controlled
• fit formality
– clothing
• dress “appropriately”
• dress comfortably, especially shirts/jackets and
shoes
• anticipate temperature issues

Nonverbal Communication
• Control Body Artifacts
– jewelry
• not distracting
– scent
• mild
– makeup
• minor

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 Nonverbal Communication
General “rule of thumb”

Once the audience notices a delivery factor,

your speech has been hurt.

The best delivery fades into the background

and is not overtly noticeable.

Nonverbal Communication
Engage in Self Monitoring
– be aware of what you are presenting
– be aware of your vocal factors
– be aware of your gestures
– be aware of your body communication