CHAPTER 8
EFFECTIVE DELIVERY
Chapter Objective: Delivery is usually the first thing—and sometimes the only thing—that
audiences notice about a presentation. Audience members who have not studied
communication are especially attuned to delivery, probably because it is so clearly observable.
Emphasize to students that while delivery is essential to successful presentations, smooth
delivery alone is not enough. Visual and vocal impressions must interact with the verbal
component of the message for a speech to be substantive. Most importantly, impressive
appearance or voice does not compensate for lack of substance. Successful presentations are a
marriage between credible content and effective execution. This chapter has a strong emphasis
on enthusiasm and believability. The chapter also reminds speakers that they must choose their
words carefully. A variety of effective language tools are described to help speakers engage the
audience.
To use this chapter most effectively, help students identify the different delivery methods used
in presenting a successful speech, and select which ones would work best for their situations.
Offer students opportunities to polish their speech delivery by listing and using verbal, visual,
and vocal delivery tips. Encourage students to list and practice the suggestions offered to
improve their speech delivery. You will also want to explain why language choices are so
important in a successful speech and discuss the characteristics of an effective language style.
You will want to assist students in identifying the important stylistic devices used by
professional speakers, and have them select two that they will work to implement in their own
speeches. You will also want to point out how speaker bias can show up in the language
choices speakers make and help your students find available alternatives.
Chapter Outline
I. There are four basic methods of delivery: extemporaneous, impromptu, manuscript, and
memorized.
A. An extemporaneous speech is not memorized or written out word for word; it is
developed and presented from brief notes.
B. Extemporaneous speeches can also be delivered using visual aids rather than
written notes.
C. Impromptu speeches are given without prior knowledge of the specific topic
and without detailed notes or manuscript.
D. Manuscript speeches are usually given by politicians and top-level business and
professional people; while most think it would be easier to read a speech from a
manuscript, it is much harder than speaking from notes.
E. Speaking from memory has even more drawbacks than reading from a
manuscript.
1. It takes a great deal of time and effort to memorize a speech.
2. Speaking from memory makes it difficult to react to listener feedback
II. Verbal delivery includes the words you choose and the way you construct sentences.
III. A. Language choices are important for several reasons.
1. Language can clarify your ideas and arguments by creating
vivid mental images for your audience.
2. Language can influence your audience’s attitudes and
behaviors.
3. Language can make your ideas and arguments personally
resonate with audience members.
4. Language can add to audience interest and enjoyment.
IV. Style is the way you use words to express your ideas.
A. Good speakers use simple language.
1. Using confusing jargon or unfamiliar technical terminology can have
serious consequences in both writing and speaking.
B. Specific words are concrete rather than abstract.
1. Abstract words describe intangible concepts that are difficult to picture.
2. Concrete words describe tangible things that listeners can picture.
3. Using specific language is important when the intent of your message is
to persuade.
C. Avoid ambiguous words.
D. Avoid euphemisms.
E. Effective speakers use vivid words.
1. Vivid words are easier to remember.
2. Adding vivid adjectives will enhance the imagery even further.
3. Vivid speakers also use words to paint a mental picture in the minds of
listeners.
F. Forceful words are important in persuasion. They add to the audience’s
confidence in the speaker.
1. Even in an informative speech, forceful words can give listener’s
confidence in you and your evidence.
2. Speaking forcefully tends to be harder for women than for men.
V. Word choices can indicate speaker bias and create listener bias.
A. To prevent gender bias, avoid using “he” as a generic term to refer to both males and
females.
B. To prevent culture bias, you must choose your language carefully.
1. The more diverse your audience, the more likely it is that their frame of
reference will differ from yours.
2. The most effective speakers are sensitive to the diverse backgrounds of
their listeners and make their language as free of culture bias as possible.
VI. You can add power to your delivery with stylistic devices. A stylistic device rearranges
sentences in unusual ways or changes the main or ordinary meaning of a word.
A. Alliteration is the repetition of consonants.
B. Assonance is the repetition of vowel sounds.
C. Antithesis occurs when a sentence contains two contrasting ideas in parallel
phrases.
D. Hyperbole is extreme exaggeration used for emphasis.
E. Onomatopoeia is a device using words that sound like their meanings.
F. Personification is giving human characteristics or feelings to an animal, object,
or concept.
G. Repetition is repeating a word or series of words in successive clauses or
sentences.
H. Parallelism is the group of similarly phrased ideas.
I. Similes make direct comparisons using “like” or “as.”
J. Metaphors are implied comparisons and do not use “like” or “as.”
VII. Verbal delivery involves your overall speaking style, including the words you choose
and the way you construct sentences.
A. Listeners expect speakers to use a fairly informal language style and to reserve
formal language for written reports.
VIII. Visual delivery includes your overall appearance, facial expressions, eye contact,
posture, gestures, and even your visual aids.
A. Audience members use your appearance as their first clue to your status and
credibility.
B. Facial expressions and eye contact affect the audience’s judgment of your
credibility as a speaker.
C. Posture, movement, and gestures affect the reception of a speech.
1. Emblems are body movements and gestures that are so specific that they
easily replace a word or idea.
2. Illustrators are specific movements or gestures intended to expand or
clarify a word or idea.
3. Regulators are movements or gestures that control the flow of a
conversation in small groups.
4. Adaptors are gestures and movements that signal nervousness and
should be avoided when speaking.
D. The best gestures are natural ones.
E. Videotape yourself while practicing your speech or have a friend observe you
and make suggestions.
IX. Vocal delivery includes how you use your tone, volume, pitch, emphasis, and rate to
interest, motivate, and persuade an audience.
A. Volume and pitch have a large effect on audiences.
1. Volume is the loudness or softness of your voice.
2. Pitch is the highness or lowness of vocal tones.
3. Audiences will perceive overused upspeak as a sign of insecurity or a
desire to gain approval.
B. Emphasis, rate, and pauses make your voice expressive.
1. Emphasis is stressing a word to give it significance.
2. Rate is how fast or slowly you speak and is important in maintaining
listeners’ attention.
3. Pauses, or “live silence”, and phrases, groups of words preceded and
followed by pauses, also add to listener interest and understanding.
C. Articulation and pronunciation are important for making sure your audience
understands your message.
1. Articulation is the clear and distinct production of speech sounds.
2. Pronunciation is speaking words with all the standardized sounds.
X. Immediacy behaviors promote a sense of closeness between speaker and audience.
A. Verbal immediacy behaviors include sensitive humor, personal examples,
inclusive pronouns, praise, etc.
B. Vocal immediacy behaviors include enthusiasm in voice, effective use of
volume, emphasis, and speaking rate, conversational tone, etc.
C. Visual immediacy behaviors include eye contact, smiling, a relaxed posture,
natural gestures, and moving rather than staying behind the lectern.
XI. Rehearsing your speech is essential.
Classroom Exercises
Online Activity
Write a short paragraph about an event that has taken place sometime during your school years
(either college or years before) that you are willing to share. Use at least one of the stylistic
devices in the chapter when writing the paragraph. Post your story to the class discussion board.
Students should respond to at least one post by a fellow classmate and attempt to identify the
stylistic device that was used. In order to receive full credit for this activity, the students should
make one original post and at least one comment to a classmate.
Online Activity
The students should visit the Hamilton Essentials of Public Speaking website and view one of
the student speeches found there. Ask them to write a brief paper discussing how the student
made effective use of: appearance, facial expressions (including eye contact), posture and
gestures, and use of visual aids. For the paper to receive full credit, it must include all of the
above areas.
Active Critical Thinking Activity
To think further about the importance of language choices, ask students to complete the
following:
1. Take a moment to recall your previous speeches. On the basis of evaluation forms
and audience comments, in what ways do you use language that is especially
effective?
2. Which main area do you feel could use some work? Why?
To think further about language style, ask students to complete the following:
1. Do you think that using Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) to label the
psychological distress that military personnel experience in war zones causes us
to view it differently than if it were labeled battle fatigue or shell shock? Explain
your reasons.
2. Think of an euphemism used in society. Is it used to facilitate communication or
to obscure it? Why?
To think further about stylistic devices, ask students to complete the following:
1. Which stylistic devices do you think will be the most effective with your
classroom audience? Why?
2. Using an outline for a speech you have given or one you plan to give, select two
or three stylistic devices and write them out in complete sentences.
To think further about bias and language, ask students to complete the following:
1. Give an example of gender or culture bias that was applied to you (or someone
you know). How did it affect you (or the person in your example), and how did it
affect the communication in general?
2. Conversations often involve marking, which means that a person’s gender,
cultural background, or other characteristics are mentioned even when the
descriptor is irrelevant (e.g., “woman doctor”). Do you consider marking to be a
sign of bias or just a tool in effective communication? Why?
Active Critical Thinking Activity
To think further about methods of delivery, ask students to complete the following:
1.Which method of delivery do you use most often? What strengths and weaknesses does it have
for you? Give an example of each.
2,Which methods do you think work best for a classroom speech, and which should be avoided?
Why?
To think further about delivery, ask students to complete the following:
1. Which type of delivery (verbal, visual, or vocal) works best for you? Give an
example.
2. For the other two types of delivery, select a tip from the text that you plan to
implement in your next speech, and explain why you chose them.
To think further about speech delivery, ask students to complete the following:
1. When you think about delivering a speech, what stands out as your main strength?
Give an example from one of your previous speeches.
2. What main delivery weakness seems to occur when you speak? Explain how you
plan to practice for your next speech to minimize this weakness.
8.1 Focus on Language Style
Obtain a copy of famous speeches, preferably on DVD with an accompanying text if possible.
(Some good examples are Martin Luther King’s 1963 I Have a Dream address, Malcolm X’s
1965 The Ballot or the Bullet, Richard Nixon’s 1952 Checkers-My Side of the Story speech,
Barbara Jordan’s impromptu 1974 Watergate Hearings address, President Reagan’s 1986
eulogy for the Challenger astronauts, Ann Richards 1988 Democratic National Convention
keynote speech, etc. Depending on what your library has in stock, the possibilities are endless.)
Many of these speeches (with audio only) can be found on www.americanrhetoric.com.
What is noteworthy about the language choices? Do the language choices work well
considering the context and exigencies? How do they reflect the speaker’s life experience and
personal style? Is the wording style a departure from the individual’s usual style? Why? What
stylistic devices are used? How and with what effect?
8.2 Identifying jargon and unclear language
Have students locate, in the library or elsewhere, a paragraph from any source that
demonstrates jargon or unclear language. Memos from the Computer Sciences department, any
8.3 Practicing Stylistic Devices
For each of the following topics, students should use the listed stylistic devices to complete the
thought. The more answers that can be generated, the better. This exercise can even be run as a
8.4 Euphemism and Dysphemism
This exercise demonstrates how we use euphemism to avoid dealing with unpleasant matters.
A problem with euphemism is that often we should be discussing issues at hand in a frank and
candid manner. Have students brainstorm situations or issues that cause discomfort or
Typical “taboo” subject Sample Euphemism/Dysphemism
8.5 Campaign Slogans
Show Barack Obama’s 2008 Democratic National Convention speech, asking students to pay
attention to Obama’s language choices. After viewing his speech, discuss the slogans/catch
words he used, such as “the audacity of hope,” to grab the audience. What effect did his
language choices have? How did his metaphors and instances capture the audience’s
imagination?
8.6 Self-evaluation of Vocal Delivery
Undoubtedly, one of the best tools for monitoring and improving vocal delivery is the audio
recorder. As part of their speech preparation, ask students to audiotape themselves rehearsing
their next graded speech in its entirety. A complete run-through is necessary to get an adequate
sampling of vocal qualities. For this assignment, each student should turn in the audiotape
along with a completed self-evaluation of vocal delivery. A sample vocal self-evaluation is
included for your convenience.
Follow-up: Students should complete the same exercise after several weeks. This time, they
should compare their original audiotape with a new practice session. Which areas have
improved? Which areas need further improvement?
8.7 Peer Evaluation
Hand out the evaluation form that you will be using to grade the students’ speeches. Ask each
student to find someone that they know and feel comfortable with and ask this person to watch
8.8 Stop, Think, Pause
If you find that you have a class that feels comfortable with each other, this is a fun activity
that can help with eliminating vocal fillers from speech patterns. This activity is helpful to the
8.9 Movie Delivery*
Pick a dynamic movie speech, such as Al Pacino’s halftime speech in “Any Given Sunday”, or
speeches found in “Miracle,” “Rudy”, or “Hoosiers.” Find the script of these speeches online,
divide the speech into six parts, and number the parts in order. On each part of the script, note a
character students will use to deliver a portion of this speech, such as a newscaster breaking
8.10 Delivery Analysis