Delivery notes part 1: Vocal and personal qualities; dealing with stage fright

1. Vocal and Personal Qualities

The factors that make a difference when speaking are your voice and personal qualities. Voice quality may vary from person to person as regards its tone, intonation, and timbre, but we can always work on improving those.

You will definitely need to adjust the pitch of your voice (how high or how low it is). It is always best to speak at a med-point of your range, and you should practice when reading or speaking to work out where that point is.

Similar advice can be given when we consider the volume of your speech (how loud your voice is). Speak at medium volume, do not shout, but project your voice so that everybody in the room can hear you. Naturally, it would be best just to use a microphone and some sort of amplifier, but these might not always be available.

One of the most important things to work on when preparing a public speech is the speech rate, i.e. the speed. It is a good habit to speak more slowly than usual, without rushing through the things you want to say. You should also take pauses when you speak, but not for too long, as you do not want to sound hesitant. When pausing, it is best to follow punctuation marks; e.g. a longer pause at a full stop, and a shorter one at a comma. In order to articulate the words properly, it is best to check the pronunciation of difficult words ahead of time.

In order to practice good intonation, remember to give emphasis to important words in sentences. When you are careful about this, you will sound more natural and less monotonous.

Finally, to keep your voice in good condition, don’t dry it with tea, coffee, alcohol, cola, chocolate and cigarettes before you speak. If possible and practical, keep some water handy during your presentation.

Let us now consider your body language during the presentation. You need to have a good, straight posture (do not lean on tables or lecterns!). Your gestures should be natural, and used in moderation, while your facial expressions should be appropriate to what you are saying. When it comes to movement, you may move around as long as you do not continually pace back and forth, as this may distract your audience. To be natural, do not stay motionless, but use your movements to signal transitions between parts of your speech.  You may want to relax your hands on the lectern at the beginning or have them at your sides, with one hand bent at the elbow. To avoid mannerisms in gestures and movement, it is best to record yourself practicing your speech. Whatever you do, do not block the visual aids!

Remember to make eye contact with your audience as it not only establishes a connection between you, the speaker and your audience, but it also increases the confidence the audience has in you. Good eye contact is perceived as a sign of sincerity. Maintain eye contact with various members of the audience, unless the room is very big. In such a situation you may need to choose a few persons in different areas of the room and treat them as your “anchors”; i.e. persons that you will take turns to look at.

You will also notice that the audience “communicates” with you through nonverbal signals. Gauge your audience during the presentation: are they fidgeting? Are they looking away, or leaning back with crossed arms? It may mean that they are bored or tired and you need to change your style, adjust your volume, speak faster or slow down, pause, call for someone to respond, move physically or have them move as a last resort.

In most areas of public speaking, what you are wearing is important, too. You should dress appropriately for the audience and the venue, comfortably but professionally.

2. Practical Issues of Public Speaking

When it comes to the speaking venue, it is best to arrive early or check several things beforehand, so you are not surprised on the actual day of presentation.  Things to consider:

What is the room layout? Can people see and hear me comfortably? Do I want to change the seating arrangement? Remember that you can stage the room for success and change the atmosphere by moving chairs and/or tables. Is there a podium?

Is the lighting appropriate? Is there adequate ventilation/ heating?

Where are the electricity outlets located? What kind of audio or video equipment will be provided (or will I have to provide?) What kind of microphone am I comfortable with: built into the podium, handheld, lapel, or wireless?

3. How to Deal with Stage Fright

How to deal with fear: stage fright, or nervousness:

• Focus on being very well prepared, and realize that you have all the knowledge you need to make the speech a success. If you focus on a positive outcome, failure is no longer an option.
• Rehearse the speech as many times as you can. After practicing it several times, you will have almost learnt it by heart.
• Focus on your audience and what you want to tell them - do you wish to inform them, persuade them to do something, or change their point of view?
• Take into account that the audience is positive towards you and wants you to succeed.
• Remember that your listeners cannot usually tell that you are nervous.
• Also, remember that it is good to be a little nervous, as adrenaline gets you going and prepares you for what might happen.
• You may relax your body and mind beforehand: take deep breaths, visualize a calm situation in the past.
• To help you deal with unforeseen situations, anticipate questions people may ask you.
• And, last but not least, remember that the more experience you get, the more likely you are to overcome the fear. Public speaking is a skill like any other and can be improved with practice.

4. Things to Consider when Organizing a Question-and-answer session

Generally, it is up to you if you want to include the question-and-answer session at the end of your presentation. If you decide to do it, be in command. Be polite and firm, do not let people dominate the whole session with their questions or speeches. Keep the answers short and to the point. If a question surprises you, you may want to repeat it first (to make sure that you and everybody else understood it correctly.) That will give you some time to prepare your answer. Sometimes there may be people in the audience who will disrupt your speech with aggressive remarks or questions. The way to deal with them is to stay calm and offer to talk after your presentation. If you do not have time to answer all the questions from the audience, you may consider giving them your email address to answer questions later.

Things to remember about the question-and-answer session:

• When preparing your speech, anticipate the questions you may hear.
• Listen carefully to the speaker so that you answer the actual question asked. (ALC Book 34, DLIELC)
• Don’t fidget or nod during the question (it might signal your answer).
• Treat all questions equally, but: repeat positive questions so that everybody can hear them, paraphrase negative questions so you stay in control of the tone, do not repeat inaccurate questions, just correct them and move on.
• Respond directly and honestly. If you do not know the answer, say so, but promise to find out and later get back to the person with the answer.
• Connect your answer to the general topic of your presentation.
• Keep eye contact with the person questioning and the audience.