Unit 9: Delivery notes part 1

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.

Your personal qualities will come to the fore when you master a natural, relaxed image on the stage. You want to sound accurate and grammatically correct, but most of all, empathetic. Keep your body language natural, be positive and businesslike and smile at your audience. To be professional, begin on time; to sound like an expert, memorize your opening. Do not forget to introduce yourself!