Delivery

Verbal concerns

Speak up and slow down

A speech that is not heard cannot be effective. Check with audience members to make sure they can hear you.

The normal rate of speaking is around 140 words per minute, but under pressure we tend to speak faster. Because of the adrenaline, when you seem to yourself to be speaking slowly, you're probably speaking at a normal rate.

Also remember that the larger the audience is, the slower you have to speak. You have to account for floor noise, poor lighting, and other distractions. Plus, since your audience can't see you nearly as well, they will miss a lot of the nonverbal cues we take for granted in conversation. Just don't confuse speaking more slowly with speaking more flatly. Slow your rate, but keep your energy high.

Natural pitch

Speak at your natural pitch. You may have to experiment to find out what your natural pitch is. Here's a "trick" to keep it natural. Pretend you are holding a glass of water up to your lips, about to take a drink. Just before taking the first swallow, stop and note how relaxed and open your throat feels. Pay attention to the physical feeling. If you can reproduce that feeling as you begin talking, you are likely to be speaking at your natural pitch, as well as giving yourself the best opportunity for speaking up.

Vocal intonation

Intonation, which includes vocal shifts and inflections, helps give emphasis to ideas. Rising intonation at the end of a sentence suggests a question, while a downward inflection is associated with a completed thought and helps emphasize an idea.

You can communicate subtle connotations by varying your voice in this fashion. Remember our demonstration in class. Saying "I did not say he beat his wife" indicates you didn't say it explicitly, although you may have implied it. Saying "I did not say he beat his wife" indicates that someone else may have beaten his wife.

Be yourself

You are okay the way you are. Be your best self, but be yourself; don't try to imitate someone else. Don't compare yourself to anyone else; just compare yourself to yourself. Just let your concern for the subject matter and for the audience show.

Keep the microphone out of your mouth

The proper distance for a microphone can be found by spreading your fingers open as far as they will go. The distance from the tip of your thumb to the tip of your little finger is about the right distance. In addition, don't speak directly into the microphone; position it just above chest level, and then aim it at your mouth (it will be at about a 45 degree angle). Keep in mind most microphones accept sound within a cone-shaped area, and just keep your head within that cone.

Nonverbal elements

Impression formation

From the time that you first appear before your audience until you leave, you are forming impressions in the minds of your listeners. The confidence with which you approach the situation, the fact that you look directly at members of your audience, the determined but interested look on your face, and the ease with which you move all contribute to impression formation.

Most audiences will remember relatively little of the actual details you present to them, but they will carry away with them their impression of you.

Audience members need to feel that they are involved in an interaction with you. The way you behave is crucial to the way your audience responds. Remember, actions speak louder than words.

Facial and vocal cues

Pleasant and unpleasant emotions are signaled by the mouth and eyebrows. The eyes and mouth together are the most reliable indicators of a speaker's emotional state

Several studies, as reported by Michael Hanna and James Gibson, show that listeners can accurately detect anger from the tone of your voice two-thirds of the time. A great deal can be communicated just by the sound of your voice.

Body movements

  1. Stand quietly or move for a reason. Plan your general movements. If you want to make a point by moving, do so. However, have a reason for the movement or stand still.
  2. Use gestures naturally. Animation helps you communicate more effectively. Gestures involve the movement of hands, arms, or head to reinforce what you are saying. Gestures should be natural, emphatic enough to be noticed, and consistent with your words. Don't overpractice; let gestures flow naturally from what you are saying.
  3. Stand beside your visual aids, not in front of them. Undoubtedly, you have seen a speaker turn his or her back to an audience to write on a chalkboard, then position himself between the audience and what he just wrote. Stand beside the visuals as you refer to them, then put them away and move once again toward your audience (more about visual aids in another handout).
  4. Don't fidget. Avoid distracting your audience by displaying random gestures and awkward posture. Avoid scratching, plucking at loose threads, adjusting your clothes, or brushing dandruff from your shoulders. Do not comb your hair (don't laugh, it has happened in my classes!)