Public Speaking Delivery Delivery refers to how a speaker presents her or his message through the voice and body. Many public speaking contexts call for a speaker to deliver extemporaneously, which includes using a conversational tone and occasionally referring to a keyword outline. Effective delivery requires preparation and practice. Consider the below elements of delivery when preparing and practicing.

Element of Delivery and Definition

What to Consider

Voice Volume Voice Pitch

• Loudness

• Too loud? Not loud enough?

• When voice is “high” or “low” • Inflection - change of pitch • Monotone - narrow pitch range

Rate Pauses Vocal fillers

• Speech w/ which person speaks

• Too high? Too low? Too monotone? Varied enough? • Upward inflection - expresses a question or an uncompleted thought • Downward inflection - expresses a completed thought • Too fast? Too slow?

• Brief silences

• Enough/too many pauses? Pausing at the right time?

• Pauses filled w/ meaningless sound (e.g., “ah” and “um”) • Clarity of words • Enunciation - precision or distinctness in sounding words • Pronunciation - accepted way to sound a given word • A particular quality, way of sounding, or intonation of the voice as expressive of some meaning or feeling

• Use silent pauses

Facial expression Eye contact

• Facial movements that convey emotional state

• Heightening or distracting from speech? • Consistent with and support content/message?

• Looking directly at audience members

Hand gestures

• Movement of hands and arms used for emphasis

Speaking position

• Where you stand or sit

Movement

• Moving around and/or staying in same position • Characteristic way of bearing one's body • Appearing lively, interested, excited

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

• State, condition, manner, or style in which a person or object appears

• What impressions will the audience form? • Appropriate for occasion? • Look unprepared, incompetent, unreliable?

• Arrangement of seats • Group density - how crowded room feels to audience • Relative ability to be seen under given conditions of distance, light, and atmosphere

• Can you control seating arrangement? • What would suit needs of audience best?

Diction

Tone of voice

Posture Animation & enthusiasm Physical appearance Seating Visibility

Public Speaking Center

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• Enunciating enough? Words slurring together? • Enunciating too much? Do words sound too distinct?

• Does tone of voice sound conversational, preachy, scripted? • Conversational delivery sounds as though the speaker is talking with listeners.

Making eye contact 90% of the time? Spanning entire audience with eyes? Minimal use of notes Using enough? Using too much? Using to support or draw away from message? Appear natural? Enhance or distract from message? Too far from audience? Too close? Podium/table in front of you, to your side, or none? Enhance or distract from message? Move when making a transition? Standing up straight? Enhance or distract from message? Animated enough or too much? Enthusiastic enough or too much?

• Lights on or off? Can you control? What would suit audience’s needs best? • Can all audience members see you and your visuals?

www.uwlax.edu/CommStudies/PSC

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