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CHAPTER 9 DELIVERY
CHAPTER 9 SUMMARY
Chapter 9 teaches reliable methods for improving delivery, moderating fear, and preparing to speak.
This chapter also covers strategies for dealing with anxiety, how to prepare for the different types of
delivery, how to effectively use voice and body, and how to communicate with credibility. The chapter
concludes by discussing the most effective ways to practice a speech and how to handle audience
questions.
CHAPTER 9 OUTLINE
I. Introduction: Stand and deliver
A. Delivery depends on basic choices and practices
B. Delivery of speech is just as important as what you say
C. Makes a difference in way audience receives it
II. Speaking or talking?
1. Lack of training and practice
1. Spend most of day in everyday talking
2. Years of practice in mastering skills
a. What trying to do
2. Good and effective (if not great) = within everyone’s reach
1. All in same anxiety boat
3. Nerves make a better speaker
a. Turn nerves into energy
5. See bigger picture
a. Giving a speech = learning process
7. Practice
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8. Speak for yourself
a. Use notes and concepts as supports
10. Audience is on your side
11. Act “as if” you belong in front of room
1. Written out, memorized, delivered
3. Lot of work
5. Can sound mechanical rather than appear spontaneous
C. Speaking from manuscript
2. Requires skillful reading to sound natural
1. Delivered from limited written notes or outline
3. Prep = highly individual
1. Little or no prep, delivered on the spot
2. Plan in your head, on your feet
F. Staying on time
2. Respectful
3. Understanding of speaking occasion or context
4. Monitor timing as give speech
a. Too fast
b. Too slow
2. Note cards
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D. Content
1. Outline
3. Quantitative information so numbers are accurate
5. Figure of speech (e.g., antithesis)
E. Customize cards or notes to improve delivery
2. Highlight colors
F. Manuscript speech
2. Double spaced
G. PowerPoint slides
2. Help audience follow speech
3. Can be reminder if know material well
1. Loud enough for room but not overpowering
2. Vary by size of room
a. 5 to 10 people in small room
i. Conversational, but a bit louder
3. Relax
2. Words per minute (Remix)
a. 110 to 150 wpm = normal conversational
3. If amplification, adjust pace as needed
D. Articulation
1. Clarity of word pronunciation
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3. Overarticulate (hypercorrectness) = irritating and pretentious
1. Emphasis on certain words to reinforce meaning
a. Shape meaning for listener
2. Focus
a. Verbal emphasis on word = key to sentence meaning
4. Not for every word and sentence, but for significant ones
a. Mark choices on notes/cards
1. Stand straight
3. Settle weight on both feet
1. Relax muscles
2. Avoid pacing
4. Face the front and the audience
6. Move from the front to back to front
1. Highly individual
2. Hands
a. At your sides or in front, between shoulders and waist
4. Natural gestures
5. Don’t try too hard
2. Begin with pause and eye contact
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3. Make actual eye contact
a. Audience can tell if looking over heads
1. Appropriate clothes
a. Fit the occasion
2. Inappropriate clothes
3. Other factors
a. No heavy shoes or very high tripping heels
1. Focus on audience if more confident
1. At least four times
1. Speech is for audience
3. Choose practice audience
1. Mistakes in practice = respond as would when giving the speech
2. Don’t comment on error
3. Little stumbles = just move on
E. Breathe
1. Where struggled with information
3. Specific strategic decisions
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4. Questions from practice sessions
C. Interpret questions
1. Slow down and take time
3. Identify question or concern behind the question
D. Give answers
2. Respond to all questions as friendly questions
4. Answer questions, not speeches
5. Focus on relevant questions, defer others
6. Vocal fry (Remix)
2. Not just bunch of people
3. Not just string of speeches
1. Cooperation
a. Planning
i. Sketch out parts in advance so fit together
2. Coordination
a. Organize presence of people on stage
b. Relay presentations
2. Need continuity
4. Similar style
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1. At least three full run-throughs
3. Use selected technology
READING TARGET FOR CHAPTER 9
This is the instructor-assigned goal for students to consider in their writing, discussion, and individual
reflections:
Read the chapter to make and justify your delivery choices regarding preparation, practice, vocal
delivery, and physical delivery.
LEARNING ACTIVITIES FOR CHAPTER 9
General strategies and techniques
Use the Questions for Review and Questions for Discussion at the end of Chapter 9 as prompts
for writing or discussion (in class, online, before and after class).
Use the Try It activities in the chapter as the basis for points of discussion, in-class activities, or
assigned work outside of class.
Refer to http://www.filmsite.org/bestspeeches.html, which has a large selection of clips
showing monologues and speeches from movies dating back to early films. Although they are
scripted, movie clips can highlight elements of good delivery.
Chapter learning objective: Differentiate talking and speaking
Movie clips. Show a movie clip or two to highlight the painful embarrassment of speaker and
listeners when a speaker delivers a speech poorly. Brainstorm how better delivery would have
changed the way that the audience received the speech. Some possible media clips include early
attempts at speaking in The King’s Speech (2010) and Mia’s attempt to give a speech in school in
The Princess Diaries (2001).
Public speaking skills. Ask students to share with a partner a time when that student carefully
framed a comment or discussion because of the audience, goal, or occasion. Note that students
use the same skills in public speaking, but with more care.
Chapter learning objective: Explain the techniques for creating focus and energy
from anxiety
Creating focus and energy. Review the list of techniques for managing anxiety, and ask students
to identify two or three techniques that they have used successfully in the past. If they have not
tried any of these methods before, which ones will they try in this course? Why did they choose
those specific techniques?
Chapter learning objective: Compare the different types of delivery and connect
them to appropriate situations
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Brainstorm appropriate contexts. Divide the class into four groups (one for each delivery type).
First, assign a delivery type to each group, and ask each to generate a list of contexts that they
might experience for which that type of delivery would be a good choice. Second, ask students
to generate ideas for avoiding the pitfalls associated with that delivery type.
Impromptu decision making. Students can learn to make the necessary organization decisions
quickly. Only three decisions must be made before starting an impromptu speech—main point,
first words to be said, and last words. Ask students to practice this process in writing by
assigning a few simple topics, such as favorite free-time activities.
Impromptu speaking practice. After students become more familiar with making quick
organizational decisions, assign a simple topic such as favorite foods, and ask them to spread
out around the room, facing outward (i.e., facing the wall). Let the students practice giving the
impromptu speech with everyone talking at once. They will feel awkward at first, but they soon
will realize that no one is listening to them (because they are trying to give their own impromptu
speech). Announce the passing time, and stop them at the predetermined time, such as a
minute.
Group presentation coordination. The book discussed two common ways for coordinating group
presentations: using a master of ceremonies to transition between each speaker or employing a
relay, with each speaker introducing the next. Ask students to think about past group
presentations that they have seen in other classes. Have they seen both styles? Which style
seemed better? How could a group make that decision?
Group presentation successes. Reflecting on the last group presentation in which they
participated, ask students to list the principles from the text that their groups adhered to (even
inadvertently) and the ones that they did not follow. What was the effect? How could the
principles improve the next group presentation?
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they will try to improve.
Chapter learning objective: Demonstrate the principles of good physical delivery
Standing effectively. Review the three tips for effective standing during a speech (stand straight,
chin up and shoulders down, settle your weight on both feet). Have the students stand and
practice these tips. They may notice that it is not comfortable for them to stay with their weight
evenly settled for any length of time, so point out that is the least distracting stance for the
audience.
Gesturing effectively. While standing effectively, ask students to rest their hands naturally by
their sides. Using your hands, draw a box in front of you from your waist to your shoulders that
represents the “gesture zone.” Have the students create that same zone.
Making eye contact. Form small clusters of students, standing effectively, and ask each student
to hold a pen or pencil. Tell each student to take a turn talking about anything—what they did
last weekend, what they think of this class—it doesn’t matter, they just need to talk. While
talking, each person in the group should hold up the pen or pencil. The speaker looks at each
person in the group for 2 to 3 seconds, and when a listener decides that the speaker has looked
for 2 to 3 seconds, the listener lowers the pencil. Each person must talk until all pencils are
lowered. Some people will have difficulty looking at someone for 2 to 3 seconds without
glancing away. However, if someone glances away, the clock starts again.
Chapter learning objective: Choose the best ways to practice your speech
Practice all the way through at least four times. Challenge your students to try this exercise with
the very first speech for the class. After the speeches are delivered, ask for feedback about how
four times made a difference. Some students might discover that they need to practice more
than four times to be truly comfortable with their speech content.
Practice in front of an audience. Ask students to practice a speech that they will deliver in class
and to make a video recording of the final practice session. Have them share recordings with a
few other students before the in-class speeches. Students should watch the recording and
provide some comments to their classmates (via email or in a class management system) on
strengths and weaknesses. The whole process should be completed before the in-class delivery
so that students can benefit from their classmates’ feedback and modify their speeches
accordingly.
Chapter learning objective: Employ methods for engaging audience questions
Anticipating questions. Show a short media clip in class (e.g., a news report or a segment of a
sample speech). Ask student to write down questions that they would ask or that they think
someone else would ask. Share possible questions as a group.
Answering questions. Divide the class into groups, with 4r to 5 students in each group. Have
each student stand and share with the group a short summary of something that the student
learned recently in a college classes. Each group member asks one question so that the speaker
can practice fielding and answering questions.
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MINDTAP AND CENGAGE RESOURCES FOR CHAPTER 9
Chapter 9 support materials in MindTap include the following:
Quiz questions that reinforce student learning and understanding
Observe—Watch a speech to gain insights into public speaking concepts.
Prepare—Engage in an activity to develop deeper understanding of how to prepare a public speech.
Practice—Practice your speaking ability by responding to a prompt focusing on the ethics of public
speaking or by practicing your formal presentations.
Present—Deliver impromptu or formal speeches to polish your public speaking abilities.
General resources cited at the beginning of Part II
GLOSSARY OF TERMS FOR CHAPTER 9
Articulation: clarity of pronunciation of words, making them distinct and intelligible
Appropriate clothes: appearance that fits the occasion and adds to your credibility
Contrast: verbal emphasis on a word, signaling an opposition
Extemporaneous speech: the speaker relies on limited notes and chooses specific words during the
speech
Eye contact: meeting the gaze of people in your audience
Focus: verbal emphasis on a word, signaling that it is the key to a sentence’s meaning
Group presentation: a coordinated report by two to six people about their group’s research or
creative work
Impromptu speech: speaking off the top of your head
Inflection: emphasis on words that helps shape meaning for the listener
Manuscript speech: the speaker writes the text of the speech and then reads it to the audience
Master of Ceremonies (MC): the person who provides the introductions and transitions in a group
presentation
Relay presentation: a group presentation structured as one speech, in which the speakers take one or
more of the elements and transition to the next speaker
Speaking aids: tools such as notes that help the speaker keep track of the order of points in the speech
Speech from memory: the speaker writes the text of the speech and then memorizes it word for word