A SPEAKER’S GUIDEBOOK 4TH EDITION CHAPTER 17 Methods of Delivery

Conversing with Your Audience “I wish you to see that public speaking is a perfectly normal act, which calls for no strange, artificial methods, but only for an extension and development of that most familiar act, conversation.” – James Albert Winans Discussion: If public speaking is no more than a conversation, why are most people nervous about giving a speech when they are not nervous when conversing with a friend?

Qualities of Effective Delivery Effective delivery is the skillful application of natural conversational behavior in a way that is relaxed, enthusiastic, and direct. Appearing natural means that you appear relaxed and unrehearsed, even though you practiced extensively to be able to be confident and clear. Extemporaneous speaking is conversational, because you can adapt your words, and how you deliver them, during your speech delivery.

Question: Methods of Delivery Which method of delivery are we learning in this course? A. Manuscript B. Memory C. Impromptu D. Extemporaneous

The Manuscript Method Requires that the speaker write out their speech in essay, not outline form. The speaker reads the speech verbatim, word for word without deviation from the printed text. Professional speakers sometimes speak from manuscripts using a Teleprompter. Politicians often use manuscripts, because professional speechwriters write their speeches.

The Memorized Speech In oratorical style, the speaker memorizes the speech and delivers it from memory. This works for short speeches such as toasts or other special occasion speeches, but not for research speeches. Debaters, however, often are required to memorize their speeches.

Discussion If you attempted to deliver your informative or persuasive speech from memory, what might go wrong?

Impromptu Speaking Impromptu means spontaneous and improvised; the speaker delivers a speech with no time for planning. Many speakers procrastinate instead of spending adequate time planning for the speech. Professionally, you are more likely to be asked to speak impromptu during a business meeting than to give a planned presentation.

Speaking Impromptu: Give It a Try! Pick an item from your book bag, off your person, or in the classroom, and quickly develop a one minute, three point impromptu speech: What is it? What is it commonly used for? What is an unexpected use for it?

Extemporaneous Speaking You must prepare well and practice extensively. You speak from a keyword outline, not from a manuscript or from memory. Speakers make changes to the speaking plan to meet the immediate needs of the audience. Organization of thought must be evident; be careful to not get off on a tangent while speaking.

Effective Speech Preparation Step 1: Keep your topic appropriate for the audience and occasion. Step 2: Prepare a thesis statement that serves as your central idea for your speech. Step 3: Research your topic to add credibility to your ideas. Step 4: Outline your speech. Step 5: Practice your speech 6 or more times.

Chapter 17 Key Terms for Review effective delivery elocutionary movement speaking from manuscript TelePrompTer speaking from memory oratory speaking impromptu speaking extemporaneously