Instructor Resource
Duck, Communication in Everyday Life: The Basic Course Edition With Public Speaking, 3e
SAGE Publishing, 2021
Lecture Notes
Chapter 15: Delivering a Presentation
Learning Objectives
1. Identify guidelines for effective delivery.
6. Explain how communication apprehension can be managed.
Chapter Outline
I. Introduction
A. All about manner of actual delivery: Tone, gestures, emphasis, poise.
II. Managing Emotions About Speaking
A. Anxiety as a powerful emotion: Different for everyone.
B. Strong enough to take physical form at times: Sweating, nausea.
C. Negatively loaded emotions can be turned into value.
D. Egotist Fallacy: Everybody focused on one’s behavior, performance.
i. Derivation: One’s performances are central to other people’s lives.
E. The Audience
i. Majority of presentations given to known audience.
ii. Speaker regarded as expert: Connections to audience, ethos as speaker already
established.
Instructor Resource
Duck, Communication in Everyday Life: The Basic Course Edition With Public Speaking, 3e
SAGE Publishing, 2021
iii. Communication apprehension: Fear/anxiety when speaking to large/unfamiliar
audience.
iv. Has been sustained area of study in communication for past five decades.
F. Dealing with Initial Nerves
i. Anxiety of damaging relationship with known audience: Friends not likely to
change opinion about speaker due to speech.
III. Guidelines for Effective Delivery
A. Many demerits to reading out presentation: Lacks spontaneity, unnatural, boring,
B. PowerPoints/slides projected must not be read out: Reading themselves ensures
audience focuses attention.
C. Making audience read engages them; avoids insulting their intelligence.
D. Summary or interpretation of visible text may be provided by speaker: Helps
audience process text.
E. Guidelines Based on Common Questions
i. Be Natural: Most effective way to deliver presentation.
ii. Be Conversational: Connect with audience in a relational way.
iii. Be Prepared for and Avoid Calling Attention to Mistakes and Nerves
a. Have a rough idea of how to handle mistakes.
b. Equipment failures: Have a backup plan/prepared remark.
IV. Styles of Delivery
Instructor Resource
Duck, Communication in Everyday Life: The Basic Course Edition With Public Speaking, 3e
SAGE Publishing, 2021
A. Recognize usefulness of each style in different situations that best suits
circumstances, occasion, audience.
B. Manuscript delivery: Entire speech written out in front of speaker during
presentation.
i. Many political presentations scripted this way: Delivery relies on projection of
script onto invisible screen/teleprompter.
ii. Important method only when accurate wording matters.
iii. Not to be used for whole presentation: Use reading for key passages.
C. Memorized delivery: Delivering speech without use of manuscript/notes.
i. Advantages: Eye contact maintained, natural sounding delivery, spontaneous,
credible.
ii. Needs to be skilfully well practiced.
iii. Disadvantages: Difficulty of committing entire speech to memory, tendency to
D. Extemporaneous delivery: Generally recommended to achieve natural
conversational delivery.
i. Ensures accuracy of ideas, relational connection with audience.
ii. Involves use of few notes: Key words, phrases, brief sections of presentation.
V. Goals of Effective Delivery
A. Developing and Enhancing Credibility
i. Gass, Seiter: Three primary, four secondary dimensions of credibility.
ii. Primary: Expertise, trustworthiness, goodwill.
iii. Fully transacted through delivery of speech.
Instructor Resource
Duck, Communication in Everyday Life: The Basic Course Edition With Public Speaking, 3e
SAGE Publishing, 2021
B. Increasing Audience Understanding
i. Gestures, movement help explain/reinforce material.
ii. Pauses guide audience when speaker moves from one section/part of speech.
iii. Expression of emotion: Voice, facial expression, body should correspond, convey
C. Connecting Relationally with the Audience
i. Positive relational connection with audience.
ii. Nonverbal communication: Smiling when appropriate, concerned and
compassionate tone, openness of gestures.
iii. Identification with audience: Communicating similarity with them.
iv. Accomplish association through appearance, dialect, similar pronunciation.
D. Components of Effective Delivery
i. Personal Appearance
a. Little relevance for familiar audience: Suit the occasion; do not appear
odd/strained.
b. General rule of thumb: Dressing one step above how would as an audience
member.
Duck, Communication in Everyday Life: The Basic Course Edition With Public Speaking, 3e
SAGE Publishing, 2021
c. Rate: How fast or slowly you speak: Speak at same rate as normal
conversation; vary depending on emotion, intensity, emphasis.
d. Volume: How loudly or quietly you speak: Speak naturally; match volume
iii. Eye Contact
a. Holds audience attention, enhances speaker credibility and relational
connection.
iv. Facial Expression and Body Position
a. Portrays relational connection; directs audience emotionally.
b. Sociability: Secondary dimension of credibility: Deals with person’s
likability.
c. Amiable smile underscores primary dimensions of trustworthiness, goodwill.
d. Facial expression conveys emotion; body position conveys intensity of that
emotion.
v. Gestures
a. Hand movements, pointing, arm extensions, and so on.
VI. Presentation Aids: Objects, images, graphs, video clips, sound, PowerPoint
presentations.
A. Can enhance audience understanding and retention.
B. Can enhance speaker’s credibility.
C. Should be limited in number, relatively simple, incorporated seamlessly.
Instructor Resource
Duck, Communication in Everyday Life: The Basic Course Edition With Public Speaking, 3e
SAGE Publishing, 2021
VII. Managing Communication Apprehension
A. Apprehensive is a common experience.
C. Communication apprehension can result in uncomfortable stress.
D. Recognizing and Knowing What You Fear
i. Fear of the unknown: Little/no public speaking experience leads to fear.
E. Practicing Delivery of Your Presentation
i. Increases familiarity with material and speech.
ii. Raises confidence as a speaker.
iii. Practicing in front of others reduces nerves.
iv. Practice Actual Delivery
a. Present material out loud.
b. Incorporate full gestures and movement.
F. Experience and Skill Building
i. Help manage anxiety: Eliminate some unknowns; skills provide added
confidence.
Instructor Resource
Duck, Communication in Everyday Life: The Basic Course Edition With Public Speaking, 3e
SAGE Publishing, 2021
G. A Final Thought About Anxiety
i. Speak with instructor.