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Chapter 14
DELIVERING YOUR SPEECH
This chapter focuses on what many identify as their greatest public speaking worry—actually
performing the speech. Good delivery requires the management of nonverbal behaviors, the display
of skills such as eye contact, vocal variation, appropriate appearance, and gestures. Hopefully, by
analyzing the elements of good delivery, students will feel a sense of control—a sense that they can do
something to create and manage the impressions their audience has of them.
Chapter Goals
At the end of this chapter your students will be able to:
•
List four methods of delivery and explain when and how to use each
•
Describe ways to maximize your personal appearance, clothing, and accessories
•
Plan ways to gesture effectively
•
Build eye contact skills
•
Vary your voice effectively in presentations
At the end of this chapter you should be able to:
•
Evaluate a videotape of yourself teaching this class. Have a student videotape you in the
classroom, then set some goals for self-improvement. (Personally, I hate to do this, but I know it
helps me teach more effectively.)
Chapter Outline
I.
Competent speakers put together the elements of delivery to communicate in a way that’s
personally effective and socially appropriate.
A.
Begin by selecting the appropriate type of delivery.
1.
Manuscript delivery, reading the speech word for word, can lessen speaker-audience
interactions; however, some occasions (highly formal speeches, mediated speeches) call
for this type of delivery.
a.
Manuscript deliver is appropriate when precise working is important.
b.
It is also useful when exact timing is essential.
c.
Practice till it is conversational.
d.
Many professionals use a TelePrompter; this requires practice.
2.
Memorized delivery is common in oral cultures but uncommon in the United States;
forgetting adds stress and delivery is often not natural sounding.
3.
Impromptu delivery involves little preparation beforehand; speakers draw from their
experiences and knowledge for speech materials.
4.
Extemporaneous delivery
, the most common type, features careful planning in advance,
with specific wording selected during the speech itself.
II.
Speakers should maximize personal appearance to create and manage the impression listeners
have of them. Good grooming, pleasing gestures, and smiles are important in impression
management.
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A.
Physical appearance discloses information.
1.
You can see someone’s approximate age, racial background, height, sex, weight, and
body type.
2.
Audiences don’t see just your physical characteristics, they form an overall impression
based on essentials you can control like cleanliness and grooming.
B.
Clothing can create a positive or negative impression.
1.
Select attire that doesn’t draw attention to itself and is appropriate to the situation.
2.
To avoid embarrassment, check out clothing expectations before the speech.
C.
Accessories matter; keep them simple, appropriate, and of the best quality
affordable.
D.
Impression management has ethical implications.
1.
Sincere speakers believe the nonverbal and verbal messages they are sending.
2.
Cynical speakers choose strategies to create false or misleading impressions that they
themselves don’t believe.
III.
Effective mannerisms enhance delivery. To develop effective mannerisms:
A.
Control your gestures.
B.
You can supplement with gestures by using gestures to emphasize an idea or add to your
words.
C.
Body movement and posture can emphasize your speech structure.
1.
Plan gestures to be purposeful.
2.
Emphasize structure by learning to “walk on your points.”
3.
Step back or drop your hands from the podium to signal a transaction.
4.
During one rehearsal, focus on your gestures.
5.
Video a rehearsal and watch yourself with the sound turned off.
D.
Facial expressions are especially useful in conveying feelings.
1.
Maintain pleasant facial expressions.
2.
Even if you don’t feel confident, you can look and act it.
3.
Put yourself in the right emotional attitude toward your material and the
occasion.
E.
Avoid nervous mannerisms.
1.
Watch a video of yourself rehearsing.
2.
On speech day, eliminate the temptation to fidget.
3.
On your speaking outline, write cues.
4.
Be especially aware of your body language.
F.
Make eye contact.
1.
In the U.S. eye contact communicates honesty and trustworthiness.
2.
Making eye contact can be difficult, but can be developed:
a.
Look in at least three general directions.
b.
Divide the group into a grid—make eye contact with a friendly fact in each.
c.
Hold your gaze for three to five seconds.
d.
Don’t just zero in on those you think are powerful, like your instructor or boss.
e.
If your gaze makes someone uncomfortable, don’t focus on that person’s eyes.
3.
Expectations common in the U.S. are not universal.
a.
In Japan, downcast or closed eyes demonstrates attentiveness and agreement.
G.
Vary your vocal behaviors.
1.
Vocalics
, or
paralinguistics
, deals with all aspects of spoken language but the words.
a.
Work on clear pronunciation.
b.
Articulation is the pronunciation of individual sounds.
c.
Stress is the accent on syllables or words.
2.
Regions differ in pronunciation and articulation.
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a.
How long the sounds are held differs; southern speakers often hold out their sounds
(drawl).
b.
Some add sounds (the Bostonian “r” at the end of words).
3.
Tips for improving pronunciation and articulation include:
a.
Consult a dictionary if you are unsure of a word’s pronunciation.
b.
Work on sounds or words that cause you difficulty.
c.
Slow down during rehearsals to articulate clearly.
d.
During the speech itself, speak slowly to avoid slurring or dropping words.
e.
Consider a professional speech therapist for serious articulation problems.
H.
Vocal variation is important for volume, pitch, and rate.
1.
Vocal variations make listening easier.
2.
Listeners associate vocal characteristics with personality traits such as dynamic
(loud/fast) or composed (soft/fast).
3.
Speakers can use vocal characteristics to work for them during rehearsal.
a.
Babble during one rehearsal, but use vocalics to express emotions.
b.
Record your speech and listen to your voice.
4.
During your actual performance, remember the following suggestions.
a.
Speak loudly enough to be heard throughout the room.
b.
Relax your throat before you speak.
c.
Use the lower ranges of your voice.
d.
Speak naturally and conversationally.
e.
If audience appears to be losing interest, change vocal inflections.
E.
Pause for effect.
1.
Effective pauses are intentional; they give listeners time to think.
2.
Ineffective pauses or hesitations disrupt fluency.
a.
Unfilled pauses
are silent.
b.
Filled or vocalized pauses (“um”) are common but potentially distracting.
i.
Find places in your speech where your audience needs you to pause so they
can absorb what you just said.
ii.
During a rehearsal, ask a friend to count the number of vocalized pauses you
make.
iii.
Use pauses as punctuation marks.
IV.
Communicative competence is the ability to communicate in a personally effective and
socially appropriate manner.
A.
A confident style incorporates vocal variety, fluency, good use of gestures, and eye
contact.
B.
For some situations, you can choose a more conversational style.
V.
Think critically about delivery.
A.
Political candidates often illustrate the link between delivery and effectiveness.
VI.
You may want to videotape your speech using the following preparation tips.
A. Film in a quiet space.
B. Set the camera up about 5-8 feet from where you will speak.
C. Put a dark cover sheet behind your speaking notes.
D. Find someone else to operate the camera.
Suggested Videos
Personalized Student Speeches If you are having students record their own speeches, here is a good
place to have them watch and comment on their own delivery. Have them D-R-E (describe what
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they see and hear, respond emotionally, and evaluate what is and what is not effective) and then
plan strategies to improve their own delivery.
Discussion Topics
Personal Appearance (pp. 186-187) Use the Suggested Videos for the section on maximizing
personal appearance. (comprehension, application, analysis, evaluation)
Ethics in Practice: Managing Impressions (p. 187) Use these questions to discuss ethical implications
of impression management. You could also use the clip from the feature film Elizabeth that’s
described in Suggested Videos, Chapter 2. Instead of focusing on extemporaneous delivery,
focus on her strategies for impression management. Is she putting on a front? Is this cynical?
(comprehension, analysis, synthesis, evaluation)
Gestures (pp. 188-189) Play a speech from the suggested videos with the sound turned off, with at
least a section on fast forward. (The extra speed really accentuates annoying or unnecessary
gestures.) Concentrate on the speaker’s eye contact and movements. Look for emblems,
illustrators, and adaptors. Discuss the overall effectiveness of the delivery. (application, analysis,
evaluation)
Varied Vocal Behaviors (pp. 190-194) There are many interesting ways to reinforce the concepts here:
•
Teaching Idea 14.1: “Vocal Variation and Meaning” (Supplemental Resources) provides an
in-class exercise.
•
Have students bring a children’s picture book to class and read it to a small group of fellow
students—of course, they must use the vocal traits appropriate to each character. (The book
should take no longer than four minutes to read.) If there’s time, invite each group to select a
person to read her or his book to the whole class. (application, synthesis)
Think Critically about Delivery (pp. 194-195) Do we vote based on a politician’s image? Do we
discount the words of unattractive people? Explore the relationship of image and effectiveness by
using up-to-date examples of political candidates. Extend the application to include other
speakers – members of the clergy, professors, and so on. (analysis, synthesis, evaluation)
Types of Delivery (pp. 183-186) Use guidelines in the Suggested Videos to present examples of the
four modes. (comprehension, application, evaluation)
Critical Thinking Exercises
(See p. 196 of the textbook for Critical Thinking Exercises)
Application Exercises
(See p. 197 of the textbook for Application Exercises)
Internet Activities
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You can access instructor’s resources at http://www.cengage.com/us/. You will need your instructor’s
access code. Students and instructors may also go to MindTap to find a broad range of resources that
will help students better understand the material in the chapter, complete assignments, and succeed
on tests. MindTap also features speech videos with critical viewing questions, speech outlines, and
transcripts.
Supplemental Resources
•
Teaching Idea 14.1: Vocal Variation Associated with Specific Characters
•
Teaching Idea 14.2: Vocal Variation and Meaning
•
Research Note 14.1: Ums—Those Pesky Filled Pauses
Teaching Idea 14.1: Vocal Variation Associated with Specific Characters
Purpose: To have students create various vocal personae.
Procedure: Clip enough advice column letters and answers for each student to have one. (The late
Ann Landers’ columns can be found on the Internet.) Form groups of four or five. Give each group
member a letter/answer and have them read through it silently. Then ask one person at a time to
read his or her letter, using a character “voice” that you assign, changing characters on command. It
goes like this:
•
Have Person #1 in every group start with a “four-year-old girl” voice. After about 20–
seconds, say “football announcer,” and they switch to that accent.
•
After about a half minute, say “Person #2,” and all the #2 persons start reading their letter as
a football announcer might… after a few seconds, I provide another character voice . . .
•
Continue around the circle this way.
•
Possible voices include: teenaged airhead, used car salesman, politician, Barney (the TV
character), the Nanny (Fran Drescher), a French or Russian accent, southern accent, mother
comforting a sick child, coach in the locker room, voice for a perfume ad.
Teaching Idea 14.2: Vocal Variation and Meaning
Purpose: To vary a speaker’s vocal cues to match the contents of a message.
Procedure: Make one or more photocopies of the material on the following page (or make your own
scripts) and cut along the dotted lines. Distribute the scripts to student volunteers. Give them a few
minutes to mark the text for emphasis then have them read the script to the class, using the vocal
variation appropriate to the character that’s given. Discuss the vocal adjustments they made in rate,
volume, inflection, pauses, and so on.
Next, have volunteers read the same ad in a voice that doesn’t “match.” For example, use a Valley
Girl voice for the perfume ad, a perfume voice over for the sports announcement, a confident style for
the cruise ship promotion.
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(sports announcer) WELCOME TO FRIDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL. TONIGHT THE UNBEATEN
PIT BULLS TAKE ON THE EMERALD CITY AXMEN. EMERALD CITY IS CURRENTLY 4 AND
1, AND THE TEAM ENTERS THE STADIUM TONIGHT, LOOKING TO AVENGE THEIR
DEFEAT AT THE HANDS OF THE PIT BULLS LAST SEASON.
– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
(used car sales person) COME OUT TO AUTO ROW TODAY AND BUY A NEW CAR FROM ONE
OF OUR WELL-TRAINED SALES REPRESENTATIVES.
—NO MONEY DOWN. NO MONEY UNTIL JANUARY.
—JUST THINK. YOU CAN BE DRIVING A NEW TAURUS—THAT’S A NEW TAURUS—
FOR NO MONEY DOWN, NO PAYMENTS UNTIL JANUARY!!
– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
(voice over for a perfume commercial) ROMANCE . . . THE NEW PERFUME FROM PARIS. WEAR
IT TO CELEBRATE ALL THE ROMANCES IN YOUR LIFE.
– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
(conversational style) GET AWAY FROM IT ALL!
HAVEN’T YOU WANTED TO LEAVE YOUR TROUBLES BEHIND AND RELAX FOR A
WEEK ON THE LUXURIOUS WHITE, WARM SAND OF A TROPICAL ISLAND?
WELL, OUR SPECIAL VACATION PACKAGE OFFERS YOU THIS AND MORE—
—AIRFARE FOR TWO—TO AND FROM THE ISLAND.
—A WEEK IN A LUXURY HOTEL OVERLOOKING THE BEACH.
—GOURMET MEALS.
—USE OF A HEALTH SPA.
CALL YOUR TRAVEL AGENT TODAY AND ASK FOR DETAILS.
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Research Note: 14.1: Ums—Those Pesky Filled Pauses
Do you find yourself saying “um” as you teach? I’m always self-conscious when I present the
material on delivery . . . especially the “filled pause” section, because, I confess, I’m an ummer.
Several years ago, I read that one reason people say “um” relates to the amount of options they
have. For instance, a math teacher won’t say, “Two (um) plus two (um) equals (um) four.” No,
there’s one answer, one choice for this teacher. However, we in the humanities have so many
possible directions to take a discussion—or so many possible examples to illustrate a difficult
concept—that we often pause to think . . . but we pause aloud.
Christenfeld (1994) examined the relationship between choices and ums by having students
describe a number of mazes ranging from simple (one route) to complex (many alternative
routes). He found that students describing a difficult maze produced a lot of ums . . . but students
describing the simplest maze were regular ummers, too. Options did seem to contribute to filled
pauses, but Christenfeld suggests that breaking up the rhythm of the speech may also result in
ums.
In a sense, I’m thankful for student ums when they indicate extemporaneous rather than
memorized or manuscript delivery!
Source. Christenfeld, N. (1994). Options and ums. Journal of Language and Social Psychology, 13,
192-199.
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