Methods for speech delivery

There are four different styles of delivery for speeches. They include:

Extemporaneous
Memorized
Manuscript
Impromptu

YOUR SPEECHES FOR THIS COURSE ARE REQUIRED TO BE EXTEMPORANEOUS.

Extemporaneous Delivery

Extemporaneous delivery is the one that works best for most speakers and is the preferred method for delivery in most situations in the United States for business or other meetings and events. Extemporaneous delivery allows the speaker to be flexible and respond to feedback from the audience, unexpected aspects of the environment, comments that have been made prior to the speech, or anything that the speaker may wish to respond to during the speech.

Extemporaneous speaking is the form of delivery that is expected from students in this course.

Extemporaneous delivery means that the speaker will know the main points of the speech and will be able to speak without reading or having memorized word for word what she intends to say.

It is achieved by preparing a detailed outline of what you plan to say and practicing aloud from notes. (Do not practice from a prepared script as this will lead you to memorize word for word).

The more you rehearse, the better your speech will be.

When you speak extemporaneously, you incorporate techniques from the other kinds of deliveries. You end up committing certain parts to memory; you occasionally read a note from your note cards; and you may even throw in an off-the-cuff, impromptu remark. Because your delivery style is flexible, the speech can evolve, and you will still be comfortable and in control because you know where you're going and how you're going to get there.

Even when speaking extemporaneously, you should memorize certain key elements of your talk: the opening; the transition from the opening that takes you to your first point; every important transition that follows; and the conclusion.

Memorizing these parts ensures that you will know how to get from point to point and will help you maintain eye contact at all important moments.

Good extemporaneous delivery will allow the speaker to interact well with the audience and make good eye contact. The speaker will sound confident and professional and help build ethos, pathos, and logos.

Memorized Delivery

Memorizing a speech usually requires that speakers write out their speeches word for word and recite them until they know exactly what words follow one after the other.

Although this sounds like a good idea it is much more difficult than it at first appears and actually requires much more work than extemporaneous delivery.

Memorizing the speech puts a lot of pressure on the speaker and works best for speakers who are already experts in public speaking. Usually speakers who use the same speech to multiple audiences will end up knowing the speech word for word. An experienced speaker can make a speech seem fresh over and over but a novice will usually end up sounding stilted and formal and will sound less authentic.

One advantage of memorized delivery, when it is done well, is that it allows the speaker to make excellent eye contact and engage the audience in the performance.

The following video identifies the advantages of memorized delivery.

For this class you are not permitted to do a memorized speech.

Manuscript Delivery

Reading your speech from a manuscript is the worst form of delivery. With few exceptions, reading word for word means that you will sound like you are reading. Think what this will do to your credibility!I have seen speakers actually read off a paper "Hello my name is... and today I am going to talk to you about..." If they don't know their own name and have to read what their topic is going to be then they have lost all credibility before they even begin their speech.

When I am listening to a speech that I find boring it is usually because the speaker is reading from a manuscript and not making good eye contact or engaging the audience.

How can a speaker interact with the audience if he is looking down at a paper and reading? How can she make good eye contact if she only glances up briefly between sentences.

The reason most speakers fall into the trap of reading from a paper is that they write out the speech word for word and it sounds great. They like the words they have put down and the order etc. so they don't want to risk using any other words because they believe it will not sound as good. This is not true.

Think about this. If you want to do a great job with an job interview you would practice beforehand. You might even write down the answers to some questions you would expect to be asked in the interview, "Can you tell me what you consider to be your greatest strength?" Imagine if you pulled out your paper and read the answer during the interview. What reaction would you expect? It is similar in public speaking. The audience expects you to be familiar with what you plan to say and to be able to say it in your own words when you deliver the speech -- not read it from a previously prepared statement!

There are a few expectations of people who regularly use manuscript delivery. The President of the United States is one. He has excellent speech writers who prepare his speeches and he practices them a lot but he uses teleprompters when delivering his speech to help him avoid unwittingly making mistakes in what he says. Few of us have the use of teleprompters so it is best for us to avoid manuscript delivery.

FOR THIS CLASS YOU ARE NOT PERMITTED TO DO A SPEECH FROM A MANUSCRIPT.

Impromptu Delivery

Sometimes we are called on to "say a few words" when we are not expecting it and have to speak "off the cuff." This is called impromptu speaking.

Usually this happens when you are an expert on a particular topic or are in an unusual situation.

Impromptu speakers usually will have a few minutes to collect their thoughts and prepare for the speech.

There are a few points to keep in mind when delivering an impromptu speech:

Know your purpose for speaking
Decide on your main point and make that clear
Add some good examples or description
Don't ramble on
Make a strong concluding statement that relates back to your introduction.

Google Sites

Report abuse