DELIVERY METHODS

THIS IS HOW YOU DO IT

You may be thinking there's only one way to give a speech: you place yourself in front of an audience and talk. Right?

Technically yes, but there's a bit more to it than that.

When we're discussing delivery methods for speeches, there are a few different avenues down which you can walk. You can deliver a speech in any of the following ways:

• Manuscript

• Memorized

• Impromptu

• Extemporaneous

Right now you may be thinking that these are just a lot of pretty words (and you're correct—they're lovely), but each one is also a specific form of speech delivery.

Let's go ahead and read the article, "Four Methods of Delivery." (We're guessing you can figure out what we're going to learn here.)

After a thorough intro, the article breaks down each of the four delivery methods by defining them, offering examples, and examining both the advantages and disadvantages of each.

While you're reading, keep the following questions in mind:

• Which methods of delivery are you currently familiar with or have experience in?

• Are there any methods you've never heard of before?

• Which methods would you be most comfortable employing on your own? Which ones make your skin crawl a bit?

Consider all four methods of delivery, think about our questions, and start putting together some ideas (in your mind or on paper—viewer's choice) about which sort of delivery method would be most applicable to what kind of speech. For instance, if you're aiming to give a persuasive speech, you might consider the extemporaneous method, since you're only using notes and can assess how convinced you audience is by reading their facial expressions while persuading them to see your side of the argument.

Speaking of facial expressions—it's time now to dive into the various verbal and nonverbal aspects of delivering a fantastic speech.

VERBAL ASPECTS OF SPEECHES

The very word "speech" immediately connotes words that you can hear. But don't limit yourself by thinking speeches only have to do with what you can vocalize—because they're so much more than that.

Clearly, there are many different aspects of giving a speech. Let's start with the ones you can actually hear.

Here's the short list:

• Enunciation and pronunciation (yes, there's a difference)

• Rate of speaking and pauses

• Accent and dialect

• Pitch and inflection

• Projection

You may be able to think of even more, but we're going to start with these five main areas. Time to break it down.

Enunciation and Pronunciation

Enunciation (also known as articulation) is the act of clearly pronouncing words. Pronunciation is the act of correctly speaking words in the way they're intended. Both of these are important when giving a speech: you have to say all the words of your speech correctly and clearly in order to be effective.

For instance, perhaps you have the following written in your speech:

"There was never a man like my grandpappy—he was both steadfast and quixotic as ever a man there was."

Sounds like your grandfather was one fascinating guy; no wonder you're giving a speech about him.

To enunciate this line correctly, you'd make sure you know how to pronounce every word and deliver them all so that the audience has no confusion about what you're saying. Every single word rolls off your tongue with grace and ease of understanding.

For correct pronunciation of this line, you'd sound out every word (probably before getting in front of an audience) so you don't accidentally pronounce "quixotic" and "qweex-oh-tic." (It's "quick-sot-ick" FTW.)

Enunciation and pronunciation are at the top of the verbal aspects of speech delivery list because, without them, you can forget about delivering a speech that people will remember for years to come. In fact, if they can't understand what you're saying or struggle to comprehend why you mispronounced certain words, the only reason your speech will be discussed is as a "how not to deliver a speech" example.

You don't want that. That's why you're here.

Rate of Speech and the Importance of Pauses

You've got to be super mindful of your rate of speech while delivering a prepared discourse to an audience. It's natural for most folks to feel anxious about getting up in front of a crowd and talking; this nervousness can result in speaking much too fast. If this happens, the audience might struggle to understand you or ponder points you're making as you make them.

If you overcompensate for speaking too quickly by slowing down your rate of speech too much, though, you can bore your audience and come across as monotone and, well, boring. (Think of the "Bueller? Bueller?" teacher in Ferris Bueller's Day Off.)

The last thing you want when giving a speech is your audience zoning out, focusing on their phones, or taking a power nap while you're speaking. And if your rate of speech is either too fast or too slow, this can happen to you. Determining your ideal rate of speed is something that can result from practicing your speech before having to actually give it.

Recite your speech aloud and time yourself; you can even do an audio or video recording practicing your speech. Then—naturally—you also need to make sure that you listen to or watch yourself to determine what you think about your rate of speed.

After you've become more comfortable and practiced as a public speaker, the rate in which you speak will start to feel more natural. But practicing never hurt anyone.

While we're here, we've got to mention the importance of the well-placed pause. Think about reading a book—or any written text for that matter. Every time you come upon a comma, an ellipses, or part of a sentence in parentheses or that's been off-set by em-dashes, you've got to pause.

Since written language is rife with pauses, it stands to reason that spoken language would be, as well. Yes, we know that we read to ourselves and speak aloud differently. But pauses are applicable in both scenarios.

One trick for slowing down your rate of speech is to insert pauses at appropriate times. If you're relying on a manuscript to give a speech, you can write in ellipses where you think a pause would be most appropriate. After rehearsing your speech, pay attention to any sections that might feel rushed, then go back and see where you can slow it down with a pause in the flow.

Pauses also serve the purpose of adding emphasis to what we're trying to say. If you time it just so, a pause can allow for suspense to build; you can have the audience on the edge of their seats with anticipation of what you're going to say next. A well-rapt audience is the best kind.

…trust us.

Accent and Dialect

No matter where in the big ole U. S. of A. you were born and raised, you're likely aware that various parts of the country are associated with different accents and dialects.

For instance, the Southern drawl that makes people from Georgia or Alabama sound so iconic (and cute) is an example of an accent—as is the Boston brogue so beloved by Ben Affleck and the Scandinavian-inflected Minnesota accent of Fargo fame.

Dialect, on the other hand, refers to language that you only hear in a certain region. For instance, there's the "y'all, you all, or you guys" debate. Which is it? Well, your preference probably comes from where you were raised and learned to speak—or where you currently live and are around people with a certain dialect.

Side note: if dialects are of interest to you, check out the North American English dialects website that a self-proclaimed "dialect collector" put together. It's pretty impressive…and almost addictively entertaining.

When you're giving a speech, you've got to be mindful about your personal accent and dialect. People who are known for their public speaking—like actors, news anchors, and many politicians—tend to affect a "neutral" accent.

Not only is English that's free of accent or dialect the easiest to understand by the widest audience, it's also the least likely to have bias or negative judgment cast upon it. Let's be honest: the way you talk causes others to make assumptions about you, including your level of education (or lack thereof) and your socioeconomic status. If you speak in a neutral manner, you're more likely to be freed from prejudices.

We don't like it—or agree with it—but that's the state of this nation in the mid-2010s.

Pitch and Inflection

Technically speaking, the pitch of someone's voice is the "rate of vibration of the vocal folds." (Source)

But to laypeople who aren't in the habit of studying anatomy and all its wonders, pitch simply refers to the relative "highness" or "lowness" of someone's voice. We expect men to have lower voices and women to have higher ones—though this isn't always the case.

The reason we consider pitch in terms of public speaking is because we can actually use it as a tool to spice up our speeches. Regardless of what your natural pitch is, you can vary it in small ways to convey different meanings while speaking. Think of your voice as an instrument that can vary in order to make different musical sounds. You might not be the next Adele or Freddie Mercury, but your voice is still a powerful tool when wielded correctly.

Inflection is the change in vocal pitch. The most obvious example of this is observed when asking a question. You know how your pitch goes up at the end of a sentence that's a question? Right?

Right.

You're changing your inflection to let a listener know you're asking them something. Inflection can also be used to convey meaning and alter the overall efficacy of spoken words.

Projection

One of the most important aspects of public speaking is projection. Can your audience hear you? Good. Are you screaming in their faces? Not so good.

You've got to be extra wary about how well your voice is projecting, because it can (truly) make or break a good speech. Especially if you're giving a speech to a large audience—you've got to ensure that the people in the way back can hear and understand you, but that the people upfront aren't deafened by the very volume of your voice.

This is where good sound systems (and sound techs) can be oh-so-handy.

In addition to the size of a venue in which you're speaking, you should consider the physical location. Are you speaking in a theater? If so, you're in luck, because theaters are most often built with acoustics that facilitate the carrying of sound.

But if you're giving a speech outdoors, you've got to pay attention to background and ambient noise that you might have to compete with. Is there a highway nearby? Are you close to a city? There are lots of considerations to be had, based on the venue of your speech (and we'll explore them in more detail in our next lesson).

Make sure you think about these things ahead of time. On the day of your speech, you're likely to have some nerves, and contending with errant noisemakers or lack of sound systems when needed can only serve to elevate your stress level. Check out the site prior to the day of your speech. Chat it up with sound technicians (when applicable) and see if you can even get a run-through on stage.

Can you hear us now? Good.

NONVERBAL ASPECTS OF SPEECHES

We touched on the major aspects of speaking that have to do with the sound and volume of your voice—the most important facet of a speech. But we know you know that that's not all.

There are loads of nonverbal features of speech-giving, including:

• Personal appearance

• Body language: gestures and facial expressions

• Eye contact

Let's check out each one in more detail.

Personal Appearance

Like it or not, the way you outwardly present yourself to the world affects how seriously people will take you and how well they're going to listen to you. Books are, in fact, judged by their covers.

You might be very conservative in appearance, which would naturally lend people to think you're educated and have important things to say—and perhaps you loathe public speaking with the fire of 10,000 suns. Maybe every time you open your mouth in front of a crowd, your vocal chords just seize up; you start trembling and have the sudden urge to find the nearest bathroom in which to hide…and possibly evacuate your guts.

On the flipside, perhaps you don't fancy bathing every day, and you're covered in tattoos and piercings—and you have a PhD in speech communication. You've spoken in front of foreign dignitaries and someone once uploaded a video of you speaking on YouTube that went viral.

The point is, while we shouldn't judge people based on appearances, we still do.

A good rule of thumb to keep in mind when preparing for a speech is to dress in a way that's both comfortable for you, and is appropriate for the situation at hand. Slightly dressier is always preferable to being under-dressed, so when in doubt, go for the more formal option. Consider your audience, as well. Are you speaking to a group of students? Politicians? Environmental activists? Knowing who you're speaking to can help tailor your appearance choices appropriately.

Body Language: Gestures, and Facial Expressions

Have you ever been accused of talking with your hands? The good news: when it comes to public speaking, this can be a good thing (at the proper times and in the right amount). Sometimes, when people get nervous while giving a speech, it's as if they completely forget they even have hands—or arms, or a head. Their entire body is frozen in place, and their lips are the only moving parts of their whole body.

And that's not exactly an entertaining speech to listen to.

Gestures are a huge part of body language which is the way we use our bodies to communicate. In conjunction with spoken words, body language is a terribly effective tool. Using our hands and limbs to accentuate or clarify what we're saying in words aids in the process of clearly delivering a message to our audience.

But don't force it; contrived body language makes a person seem artificial and untrustworthy. It's okay if you're not terribly demonstrative with your body, but try not to freeze up and stand stock still while giving a speech, either. Too much gesturing, on the other hand, can be distracting to viewers and will detract from the verbal points you're attempting to make.

It's a little like Goldilocks: too little body language is off-putting, and too much is a distraction. You need to discover exactly the right amount of gesturing that's both comfortable for you as an individual, and that will best supplement your speech.

Facial expressions are another crucial part of body language. Again, some people simply don't have a lot of expression in their faces—and forcing it when it's not natural might make you look, well, sort of crazy.

But human beings read emotions and sincerity in people's facial expressions. We can tell if a person is listening to us, what their mood is, and whether or not someone is being honest with what they're saying.

Before giving a speech, practice reciting it in front of a mirror, or film yourself and watch the video to see what your facial expressions look like. Are you giving an informative speech? Where might you want to appear more serious than casual? Persuasive speeches often appeal to an audience's emotions; tailor your facial expressions accordingly.

Like gestures, though, don't go overboard with your facial expressions. If you force it, everyone will know—and what you've got to say in your speech will be lost while people try to figure out what in the world your face is doing…and why.

Eye Contact

Ahh, the eyes: they're touted as the windows to our souls. And a body part with such illustrious description must be of utmost importance, right?

Absolutely yes.

Making eye contact with your audience while giving a speech can be the defining factor in whether or not your speech is ultimately effective. Nerves can prevent speechmakers from being able to do anything but stare anxiously downward at their notes or script, but to be a strong public speaker, you've got to lift your head and check out the people to whom you're speaking.

Making eye contact with the audience is the strongest way to express credibility and candor—both of which are exceptionally important when giving a speech. If your audience doesn't feel as if they can trust you, or that you're not informed or qualified to discuss the topic at hand, they'll tune out or ignore what you're attempting to say.

And you don't want that. You've worked too hard on your speech to have it fall to the wayside simply because you couldn't look your audience in the eyes.

Wrapping Up

There you have it: in a single lesson, we've covered the four basic methods of speeches, and several verbal and nonverbal elements of speech-giving we think you should always keep in mind.

Let's do a recap.

The four basic methods for delivering a speech are:

• Manuscript

• Memorized

• Impromptu

• Extemporaneous

The major verbal aspects of speech-giving are:

• Enunciation and pronunciation

• Rate of speaking and pauses

• Accent and dialect

• Pitch and inflection

• Projection

The major nonverbal aspects of speech-giving are:

• Personal appearance

• Body language: gestures and facial expressions

• Eye contact

You've now got a solid foundation for building all of your future speeches. From here, it's all about working out the details—which we'll be doing for the rest of this unit.