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As we know, words communicate meaning. But the way we say words also communicates meaning. This is why effective speakers devote time to improving their delivery.
So what exactly is delivery? Delivery is the speaker’s physical (vocal and bodily) actions during a speech. The main purpose of delivery is to enhance, not distract from, the message. In order to help you avoid distracting from your message, we’ve created a document about what not to do while delivering a speech.
We consider several aspects of delivery: controlling speech anxiety, vocal variety, body language, and practice.
It’s important to thoughtfully consider both the organization and oral style of the speech before discussing the principles of delivery. It doesn’t matter how great your delivery is if the speech is disorganized and hard to understand.
If you’re confident about organization and oral style, it’s time to work on delivery!
Controlling speech anxiety
To control your speech anxiety the first step is simple: practice. The better you know your speech, the more comfortable you’ll feel. Comfort generally helps reduce anxiety.
In addition, it would be incredibly helpful to practice in the same room you’ll be giving the speech or to practice in front of other people. Both of these situations will simulate the speaking experience, and make the actual speaking experience feel less foreign, and less anxiety provoking.
You’ll be most anxious in the first minute of the speech. After the first minute (or so) anxiety levels tend to stabilize and decrease. Since the first minute can be the most challenging, it may be wise to memorize your opening.
For additional methods to deal with speech anxiety, this article will prove useful. If you’re in a rush, here are a few quick tips summarized:
- Visualize your success.
- Find a friendly face.
- Take a few calming breaths.
Even the best orators still get nervous when speaking; it’s normal, so don’t worry about it.
Please contact the Center for Counseling and Wellness if your anxiety is daily and inhibiting.
Vocal variety
Vocal variety is essential to a captivating delivery. In oral rhetoric classes, you’ll learn about effective vocal variety. You may have an excellently written speech, but if delivered without vocal variety, it will be boring and dry. However, not every speech assignment at Calvin is for an oral rhetoric class. So what is vocal variety and how does one use it?
Vocal variety includes elements such as pitch, tone, volume, and rate.
How do I speak with vocal variety?
To learn about pitch, tone, volume, and rate variation, watch this video by Florida International University's Comm Art Studio from 1:10 to 6:09.
Additional tips related to vocal variety:
- Practice in everyday conversation to make vocal changes second nature.
- If you’re using a notecard, use slash marks or asterisks to mark cardinal places to vary pitch or slow down.
- Tone conveys emotion and emphasis. When in doubt, remember to demonstrate in your voice what you want your audience to feel or think about your speech. Here are some tips to use tone effectively:
- Pause or slow down to emphasize important words or concepts.
- Speed up to solicit excitement or energy.
- Use a lower pitch to create an authoritative tone.
Many extraordinary speakers rely heavily on vocal variation. Listen to Meghan Markle, now the Duchess of Sussex, in her 2015 address to the United Nations. Markle frequently changes pitch and rate--pitch to make the speech interesting and rate to emphasize different points. (At 5:20-6:05 she slows down to emphasize her message; this is an effective rate change.)
Sometimes our voices sound scratchy when we speak. This may be vocal fry.
What is vocal fry and how to avoid it?
Vocal fry is the lowest voice register of the human voice. It sounds muffled and unclear. Speaking professionals recommend you avoid it during public speaking. If you think vocal fry may be a problem for you, watch this short video.
If you need help or someone to listen, come to the Rhetoric Center!
Notecards
Many speakers use notecards for guidance through speech delivery. Notecards aren’t the same as the outline. Normally, the outline is turned in to the teacher and consists of complete sentences. The notecards would be the reverse: they are guideposts for the speaker, normally written as single words, phrases, or bullet points that are easy to glance read during a speech.
Note cards can also be used for notes about the delivery. Many speakers use slash marks to signal places where a pause would help. If you sound monotone or struggle with vocal variety, note places where vocal variation would be appropriate.
For a deeper look on how to use notecards, check out this resource from Oral Communication Center, Hamilton College.
Some people recommend using only one or two notecards. Typically, we at the Rhetoric Center don’t recommend that it’s better to have more cards to make sure you don’t get lost.
While you’re using notecards, it’s tempting to forget to make eye contact with the audience; remember, eye contact will communicate confidence.
For an example, look at this notecard for a speech about the Orlando shooting.
For further direction, check out Hamilton College or visit the Rhetoric Center.
Body language
Body language communicates meaning just like your words and how you say them. Consider what your body language says about you and your message while you’re speaking. For instance, your body language can affect your tone, your audience’s attention, and your audience perception of you.
Tone
Body language and movement affects the tone of your speech or presentation. For instance, how much moving should take place during a eulogy? Probably none. In a eulogy you want to be more composed. However, in a more energetic environment, such as an informative speech, it would be more acceptable to use movement. For example, Michelle Obama, in her campaign speech for Hillary Clinton, uses energetic body language to excite voters about voting for her preferred candidate.
Attention
Body language can either gain or lose the attention of your audience over the course of a speech. If used conservatively and properly, it can make your speech more interesting and engaging. If used excessively and carelessly, it can distract your audience from your message.
Confidence or insecurity
Body language communicates confidence or insecurity. If your back is turned to the audience, you’re pacing back and forth, or your hands are in your pockets, you’ll probably come off as insecure. On the other hand, walking with confidence and using hand gestures meaningfully will communicate confidence.
Now that you’re aware of how body language can affect your speeches, let’s consider how to use our body language while speaking.
What do I move and how?
Need some options for body movement? Watch from (6:52-9:55) for fundamental body movement concepts during a speech. Pay attention, but also put it to practice!
A few suggestions on body movement:
- Face the audience and don’t turn your back to them.
- Be in the center of room and don’t walk to near to the edges.
- Don’t put your hands in your pockets or on your hips; this creates emotional barriers.
Practicing and preparation
Practicing is critical to the performance and success of the speech. When practicing, it’s normal to touch up and fix slight wording issues, but at this point in the writing process the speech should be pretty much finished. If you still have more to write, we recommend the speech writing and organization pages.
How do you practice for a speech?
Keep practicing and don’t always start at the beginning; change where you start practicing.
If you always start with the beginning, then you’ll know the beginning best, and the rest will get progressively harder. You should know every part of the speech equally well if you keep changing your starting location. However, memorizing the first few lines isn’t a bad idea because the first few lines will be the hardest to recite when confronted by speech anxiety.
This resource from University of Hawai'i Maui Community College Speech Department will prove helpful when practicing speeches. Read the “Do’s” and “Don'ts” carefully.
It’s also beneficial to imitate the environment of the speech. This can be done by practicing in front of people and in the real space you’ll be giving the speech in. It’ll be easier to deliver if it’s not your first time seeing the space.
Watch two examples related to preparation: one bad and one good.
General delivery tips
- Avoid filler words. Filler words, such as “umm” and “like,” take away from your credibility as a speaker, affecting how the audience receives your message.
- Maintain eye contact; it demonstrates confidence!
- If you slip up, don’t apologize. Apologizing makes you appear insecure and affects your credibility as a speaker.
- Pauses help. They can make a speech somber and serious. President Obama used pauses for effective emotional measures in his speech following the shooting at Sandy Hook elementary school , particularly in his introduction.
- Slow down; you deliver the speech faster than your practiced it. Even if your practice trials were perfectly timed, it’s common for speakers to speed up the actual delivery.
For additional tips, check out this resource on general guidelines for speech delivery (The Writing Resources Center, Swem Library, College of William & Mary).
If you have any questions or would like a Rhetoric Center consultant to listen to your speech, schedule an appointment.