Learning Objectives
- describe the four methods of speech delivery.
- use the extemporaneous or conversational style of speaking.
- make effective verbal communication choices.
- make appropriate nonverbal communication choices.
No matter how well a speech is constructed, how qualified the sources of evidence, and how good the visual aids, a speech is still a performance. If a speech is not delivered well, the speech is weaker. A well-delivered speech with weaker content will be seen as better than a speech that is strong in content but is poorly delivered. For example, a very intelligent teacher may have excellent information, but if they cannot communicate in a clear, pleasant manner, students will struggle to be engaged. How we present information is as important as the quality of the content, and we need to be responsible to do the very best job we can with both.
In our highly mediated culture, we are well accustomed to information being packaged for us in enjoyable ways. We expect good television shows, movies, music, and web sites. If we do not like the way they are packaged, we turn the channel, flip the switch, or surf away. Since we are speaking to audiences that expect the speaker to make the speech interesting, we have to take on that responsibility to make good choices for an effective presentation. In order to understand what kinds of choices can be made, we need to consider the various methods of giving speeches, the characteristics of good verbal and nonverbal delivery, and the impact our speech anxiety can have on effective speaking.
Delivery Methods
Speakers use four main delivery methods: impromptu, manuscript, memorized, and extemporaneous. Each approach has its own advantages and challenges, and learning them will help you choose the best style for different speaking situations.
Impromptu
Impromptu speaking is speaking with little or no preparation when the speaker was unaware that he/she would be speaking. It is only impromptu speaking if the speaker truly did not know they would be asked to speak. Simply failing to prepare for a known speech is not impromptu; that is irresponsibility. Impromptu speaking is the most common form of speaking. Whether in a classroom or a business meeting, we are often called upon to state our ideas in a thoughtful organized way. Perhaps we are not standing in front of a room when we do it, but even if sitting, our credibility and believability are still being judged. Realistically, anytime a person is called upon to say something intelligent, they are being placed in an impromptu speaking situation.
There are three keys to speaking impromptu: organization, fluidity, and delivery. First, the speaker needs to have the information well organized so the listeners can follow the development of ideas. Second, the speaker needs to be fluid, carefully monitoring the use of verbal pauses, hesitancies, and restatements. Third, the speaker needs to have a strong, outwardly focused delivery with especially good eye contact. Since the audience realizes this is impromptu, meeting the three standards demonstrates a powerful degree of confidence and ability.
Extemporaneous
Extemporaneous speaking is speaking from limited notes, but well prepared. Extemporaneous delivery is somewhat like having a conversation with the audience. This is the speaking style that most speakers do use and should use. The method focuses the speaker properly, on the flow of ideas instead of the flow of words. Extemporaneous speaking combines two very important traits of good speaking: the speaker is well practiced and prepared, and the speaker retains flexibility in wording to adapt to the present audience.
To speak effectively extemporaneously:
- Carefully prepare an outline of the speech, getting the flow of ideas developed to a comfortable point.
- Practice the speech from the outline. There are three major benefits to this step. First, the speaker is getting comfortable with communicating the information. They start to get a sense of what the actual situation will be like. Second, what looks good on paper may not necessarily sound good when delivered. The speaker may realize a need to reorder or redo sections of the speech to have a comfortable "flow" to the presentation. Third, the speaker gets a realistic sense of the length of the speech. The only way to really know how long a speech will last is to stand up and give it, so the process is vital. The speaker may find the speech runs long, so they have to edit something out, or if the speech runs short, they may be looking to add ideas and material.
- Develop notecards. It is important to balance having enough notes to adequately do the job with keeping them minimal so as to reduce the amount of time spent focusing on them. Always remember, the more notes a speaker has, the more they look at their notes and not the audience. Try to work with minimal notes. Use words and phrases on the card to allow for glancing at the notes as a reminder of what to say next.
- Practice with and refine the notecards. Practice the speech from the notecards, making any necessary alterations. Once the final cards are developed, focus the remainder of the practice on developing a strong delivery. Be sure to practice being able to glance at the notecards, don't read from them.
- When practicing, it is important to not start over every time a mistake occurs. First, by starting over repeatedly, the opening of the speech gets practiced a lot, but the same attention does not get paid to the remainder of the speech. This can lead to a noticeable decline in comfort and confidence when the speech is delivered. Second, by working through the entire speech, the speaker can practice adjusting to mistakes so as to be more prepared for when those slips occur in the actual presentation.
Manuscript
Manuscript speaking is speaking from a verbatim (word by word) script. The speech is written out and then is literally read to the audience. For most speakers in most situations, manuscript speaking is not the appropriate delivery method:
- When writing a speech out, it is too easy to slip from an oral style of language to a written style; thus, the speech sounds very unnatural and awkward.
- Manuscript speaking focuses the speaker on the flow of words, not the flow of ideas.
- Manuscript speaking can be very boring and monotone, with little eye contact.
- The speaker is so locked onto the manuscript, he/she has little freedom for movement or variety in general.
- Manuscript speaking virtually removes any ability to adapt the speech to the moment or at the last minute.
Figure \(\PageIndex{2}\): Figure 2
However, in a few situations, manuscript speaking may be appropriate. If the exact wording must be so precise, manuscript is appropriate. When the President speaks, he speaks from a manuscript as a simple misstatement can have dramatic consequences. The CEO of a company speaking to stockholders will speak from a manuscript to present the issues carefully. A commencement speaker will typically speak from a manuscript. However, for the vast majority of speaking situations and speakers, manuscript speaking is rarely justified.
Memorized
Memorized speaking is committing a manuscript to memory which is a very weak and dangerous method of delivering a speech. It has all the hazards of manuscript speaking with the added problems of forgetting and poor delivery. Memorized speaking usually leads to the highest levels of anxiety. Overall, unless there is some sort of specific, extenuating circumstance, it is difficult to imagine a situation in which memorized delivery is appropriate.
Verbal Delivery
Remember verbal and vocal are not the same thing. The verbal component of the speech refers to language choices. Vocal factors are part of nonverbal communication, addressed next. Using language effectively in a speech is quite important. Specific considerations when wording a speech include:
- Comfortable Language: Use language comfortable for the speaker and appropriate for the audience. Do not try to show off and certainly do not obfuscate. If using jargon, be sure to define the terms for the audience; do not assume they already know what various acronyms and technical terms mean.
- Precise Language: Use precise and concrete language. Vague and abstract language leads to misunderstanding.
- Oral Language Style: Use an oral style of language versus a written style. In developing speeches, it is important we do not write out a speech as we invariably slip into a written style versus the more spontaneous, casual, oral style. Avoid things like "as seen above" or "as written."
- Descriptive Language: Use colorful and vivid language. Good speakers paint verbal pictures for the audience. Use adjectives, examples, and description.
- Avoid Offending: Be cautious of offensive language. Some language is obviously offensive and easy to avoid. Some wording may not be as noticeable, however. For example, addressing a gender-mixed audience of salespeople as “salesmen” will most likely offend women. Think about the wording to avoid offending the audience.
- Be Adaptable: Remain flexible. The very reason for using an extemporaneous style is the flexibility and adaptability it allows. During practice, explore various ways to word the speech in order to have more choices from which to select during the presentation.
Nonverbal Delivery
Strong delivery and solid content must work hand in hand to give the audience a complete and effective package. From vocal factors to posture, delivery determines how engaged the audience becomes with the message. Consider all the lectures students experience. Some instructors pulled them into the material, getting their interest and holding it for a while. Unfortunately, some instructors, even those well versed in their field, had a delivery style that was not very stimulating for students.
Figure \(\PageIndex{3}\): Figure 3
In general, think of good delivery as expanded conversation. Speak conversationally to the audience, but in an organized way. The audience should feel the speaker is simply talking with them, not lecturing at them or presenting some sort of artificial persona. Audiences tend to engage more when they feel they are getting some insight into the person by listening to them speak of something important. Like good storytelling, good public speaking is energetic, enthusiastic, and dynamic. For the vast majority of speakers, their natural conversational style will serve as the foundation for their public speaking style, engaging their audiences in an effective manner.
In addition to expanded conversation, some specific nonverbal items to consider include:
- Eye Contact: Good speakers make eye contact with the audience which develops a connection between the audience and speaker, and demonstrates confidence. Work to make eye contact with all parts of the audience at some point, working left-to-right and front-to-back.
- Facial Expression: Good speakers use their natural expressiveness when in front of audiences to reflect the overall tone of the speech. The rule of thumb is the speaker should display what they want their audience to feel. Audiences are amazingly fast at sensing and responding to the emotional tone the speaker expresses.
- Paralanguage: Good speakers speak clearly, enunciate well, maintain a good volume and rate, and use vocal variety to emphasize points. The voice is the primary tool of a speaker, so using it well is important.
- Verbal pauses: Verbal pauses are sounds such as "uh," "um," and "ah," or words such as "like," "you know," "I mean," or "okay" used to fill pauses and interrupt the smooth flow of the words. A speaker’s goal should be to minimize these, but in using an extemporaneous style of speaking, a few are to be expected. As verbal pauses rise, the audience's perception of credibility drops, but a few are not a significant problem.
- Gestures: Good speakers realize we normally use our hands when we talk, so using hand gestures is important. Comfortable gestures demonstrate confidence, open the speaker's posture, and help push the speaker's message out to the audience. They should, however, be used in the upper area of the body, and they should not be used in distracting ways. For example, avoid fidgeting with a note card, wringing hands, or playing with jewelry. Ideally, do what comes naturally, but avoid putting hands in the pockets, crossing arms, or clasping hands behind the back.
- Body Movement: Good speakers, unless forced to stay at a microphone, will move around to some degree. The movement should not appear to be a sign of anxiety. Instead, movement can add visual variety, aid in the transitions between points, and help the speaker work out some anxiety. The overall rule for effective delivery is "Once a delivery factor is noticed, it has hurt the speaker." A good speaker's delivery blends into the content as one, unified experience. If the audience is focusing on something such as gesturing, body movement, or eye contact, they are not focusing on the message of the speech.
