Delivery Techniques Chapter 10

Guidelines for Effective Delivery 1. Be Natural :  Show your unique personality  Don’t try to imitate other speakers  Your interests and attitude shapes your content  Use verbal/nonverbal delivery  Be well-prepared; Preparation gives you confidence

2. Be Lively:  Hold your audience’s attention  Must express interest and enthusiasm for topic  Should possess dynamism – having an energetic, lively, active, and assertive style in speaking  Establishes credibility – willingness to trust the speaker’s honesty

3. Be Appropriate  Relates to S.P.A.M.: mostly situation, purpose, and audience  Match verbal/nonverbal techniques to your delivery type  Giving a Eulogy – solemn, respectful mood through vocal techniques, posture, and facial expressions

4. Pair Delivery and Message:  Gives meaning to speaker’s message  Using verbal/nonverbal techniques can emphasize ideas or provide pauses that allow audience to reflect  Speeches are more effective than written messages – they include human elements

Formats of Delivery  Impromptu  Extemporaneous  Manuscript  Memorized

Impromptu Delivery  Delivery with little preparation  Not rehearsed; No notes/planning  Where else might we use impromptu delivery?  Answering a question in class  Job interview  ADVANTAGES:  No prior work involved  Speakers sound natural and sincere  Speeches are usually brief  DISADVANTAGES:  Requires speaking experience  Must have a purpose and be organized

Extemporaneous Delivery Delivery using notes or outline Key to effective delivery is practice; become familiar with your notes Where have we used this type of delivery? ◦ All speeches ◦ Graduation speech ADVANTAGES: Allows speaker to adapt to different audiences and situations Changes can be made up to and during the speech Delivery sounds natural Takes less time than manuscript Enables a speaker to organize key words and phrases DISADVANTAGES: Eye contact may suffer May interfere with gestures and movement

Manuscript Delivery Requires a speaker to write out every word ADVANTAGES: Assures exact wording Holds to specific time Allows for careful language with preparation time DISADVANTAGES: Speech may sound awkward Affected/stilted delivery Requires a great deal of experience Cannot be adapted to the situation and the audience during the delivery Requires a great deal of time to prepare

Memorized Delivery Preparing a manuscript and commited to memory Purpose is to entertain: perfect comedic timing Biggest disadvantage is that it’s inflexible – may find it difficult to return smoothly to the prepared material ADVANTAGES: Allows for a very polished delivery allows for effective gestures and eye contact DISADVANTAGES: Can be over rehearsed Sound unnatural Can forget portions of the speech Suffers from all the disadvantages of manuscript delivery

Preparing Notes for Speech Delivery Good public speakers are made, not born First step in becoming a fluent speaker is to know your material Research, planning, and practice will help you master your subject Second step is having notes or manuscript that is easy to use Try to develop a system that works best for you

Preparing an Outline Can write on note cards or paper ◦ Note cards: 4x6 or 5x8 – you can write more Plan for blank spaces so you can see key words and add notes Skip 3-4 lines and have wide margins along the top and bottom Write out everything large enough so it’s easy to see when you put the cards on the stand

Preparing an Outline Can write in words, phrases, or complete sentences Only write out the introduction and conclusion Add transitions – words or phrases that connect ideas ◦ Emphasize with a colored highlighter, bold font, or another system

Manuscript Preparation Cont’d Once finished, create a clean copy that is easy to read ◦ Type it out – easier to read Mark your manuscript using vocal variety symbols: ◦ Pause - / ◦ Framing - // ◦ Pitch – (circle words) H/L ◦ Emphasis – Underline words ◦ Rate of Speech – [Bracket words & add  ] F/S

Will deal with two major problems: ◦ Reduced eye contact ◦ Unnecessary pauses to turn pages To avoid pauses – have two pages side by side ◦ Begin with one page on the left and all others on the right; when finished all pages will be in reverse on the left ◦ Another way – end each page with a complete sentence

Memorizing a Speech Prepare a manuscript Practice several times (even with someone else) ◦ Before you go to bed, when you wake up ◦ On the way to school ◦ Whenever you have down time Work on one paragraph at a time ◦ As you recite a paragraph, go back and practice with the previous paragraph As you memorize, see the words on the page

Answering Questions Speeches are often followed by a question-and- answer period Five guidelines to assist you in answering questions: ◦ Anticipate Questions ◦ Restate the Question ◦ Be Polite ◦ Relate to the Audience ◦ Admit What You Don’t Know

Anticipate Questions Try to determine what questions the audience might have ◦ Which parts of your speech are likely to cause controversy? ◦ What parts might need more explanation? ◦ What other topics might the speech raise in the listener’s mind? By asking yourself these questions, you will feel more prepared to answer Follows the Feedback loop: ◦ Pre-speech (questions you ask yourself) ◦ Presentation (your delivery) ◦ Post-speech (questions from audience)

Restate the Question Always restate the question for the following reasons: 1. Everyone in the audience needs to hear it 2. Ensuring that you heard the question correctly 3. Gives you time to phrase a response

Be Polite Questions may arise when people don’t agree with what is being said Don’t argue or debate Thank the questioner, use the opportunity to compare your position with other points of view

Relate to the Audience May seem important only to the questioner Find a way to relate your answer to your original comments Don’t make answers a dialogue with only the questioner ◦ Can lose the rest of the audience

Admit What You Don’t Know Occasionally stumped by a question If you can not answer the question, admit it You can look into it if it seems that important or meet with the questioner after your speech You can arrange to research and get back to the questioner