The easiest approach to speech delivery is not always the best.
Substantial work goes into the
careful preparation of an interesting and ethical message, so it is understandable that students
may have the impulse to avoid “messing it up” by simply reading it word for word. But students
who do this miss out on one of the major reasons for studying public speaking: to learn ways to
“connect” with one’s audience and to increase one’s confidence in doing so. You already know
how to read, and you already know how to talk. But public speaking is neither reading nor
talking.
Speaking in public has more formality than talking. During a speech, you should present yourself
professionally. This doesn’t mean you must wear a suit or “dress up” (unless your instructor asks
you to), but it does mean making yourself presentable by being well groomed and wearing clean,
appropriate clothes. It also means being prepared to use language correctly and appropriately for
the audience and the topic, to make eye contact with your audience, and to look like you know
your topic very well.
While speaking has more formality than talking, it has less formality than reading. Speaking
allows for meaningful pauses, eye contact, small changes in word order, and vocal emphasis.
Reading is a more or less exact replication of words on paper without the use of any nonverbal
interpretation. Speaking, as you will realize if you think about excellent speakers you have seen
and heard, provides a more animated message.
The next sections introduce four methods of delivery that can help you balance between too
much and too little formality when giving a public speech.
Impromptu Speaking
Impromptu speaking is the presentation of a short message without
advance preparation. Impromptu speeches often occur when someone is
asked to “say a few words” or give a toast on a special occasion. You have
probably done impromptu speaking many times in informal, conversational
settings. Self-introductions in group settings are examples of impromptu
speaking: “Hi, my name is Steve, and I’m a volunteer with the Homes for
the Brave program.” Another example of impromptu speaking occurs
when you answer a question such as, “What did you think of the
documentary?”
The advantage of this kind of speaking is that it’s spontaneous and
responsive in an animated group context. The disadvantage is that the
speaker is given little or no time to contemplate the central theme of his or
her message. As a result, the message may be disorganized and difficult for
listeners to follow.
Here is a step-by-step guide that may be useful if you are called upon to
give an impromptu speech in public.
Take a moment to collect your thoughts and plan the main point you
want to make.
Thank the person for inviting you to speak.
Deliver your message, making your main point as briefly as you can
while still covering it adequately and at a pace your listeners can follow.
Thank the person again for the opportunity to speak.
Stop talking.
As you can see, impromptu speeches are generally most successful when
they are brief and focus on a single point.
Extemporaneous Speaking
Extemporaneous speaking is the presentation of a carefully planned and
rehearsed speech, spoken in a conversational manner using brief notes. By
using notes rather than a full manuscript, the extemporaneous speaker can
establish and maintain eye contact with the audience and assess how well
they are understanding the speech as it progresses. The opportunity to
assess is also an opportunity to restate more clearly any idea or concept
that the audience seems to have trouble grasping.
For instance, suppose you are speaking about workplace safety and you
use the term “sleep deprivation.” If you notice your audience’s eyes
glazing over, this might not be a result of their own sleep deprivation, but
rather an indication of their uncertainty about what you mean. If this
happens, you can add a short explanation; for example, “sleep deprivation
is sleep loss serious enough to threaten one’s cognition, hand-to-eye
coordination, judgment, and emotional health.” You might also (or instead)
provide a concrete example to illustrate the idea. Then you can resume
your message, having clarified an important concept.
Speaking extemporaneously has some advantages. It promotes the
likelihood that you, the speaker, will be perceived as knowledgeable and
credible. In addition, your audience is likely to pay better attention to the
message because it is engaging both verbally and nonverbally. The
disadvantage of extemporaneous speaking is that it requires a great deal of
preparation for both the verbal and the nonverbal components of the
speech. Adequate preparation cannot be achieved the day before you’re
scheduled to speak.
Because extemporaneous speaking is the style used in the great majority of
public speaking situations, most of the information in this chapter is
targeted to this kind of speaking.
Speaking from a Manuscript
Manuscript speaking is the word-for-word iteration of a written message.
In a manuscript speech, the speaker maintains his or her attention on the
printed page except when using visual aids.
The advantage to reading from a manuscript is the exact repetition of
original words. As we mentioned at the beginning of this chapter, in some
circumstances this can be extremely important. For example, reading a
statement about your organization’s legal responsibilities to customers may
require that the original words be exact. In reading one word at a time, in
order, the only errors would typically be mispronunciation of a word or
stumbling over complex sentence structure.
However, there are costs involved in manuscript speaking. First, it’s
typically an uninteresting way to present. Unless the speaker has rehearsed
the reading as a complete performance animated with vocal expression and
gestures (as poets do in a poetry slam and actors do in a reader’s theater),
the presentation tends to be dull. Keeping one’s eyes glued to the script
precludes eye contact with the audience. For this kind of “straight”
manuscript speech to hold audience attention, the audience must be already
interested in the message before the delivery begins.
It is worth noting that professional speakers, actors, news reporters, and
politicians often read from an autocue device, such as a TelePrompTer,
especially when appearing on television, where eye contact with the
camera is crucial. With practice, a speaker can achieve a conversational
tone and give the impression of speaking extemporaneously while using an
autocue device. However, success in this medium depends on two factors:
(1) the speaker is already an accomplished public speaker who has learned
to use a conversational tone while delivering a prepared script, and (2) the
speech is written in a style that sounds conversational.
Speaking from Memory
Memorized speaking is the rote recitation of a written message that the
speaker has committed to memory. Actors, of course, recite from memory
whenever they perform from a script in a stage play, television program, or
movie scene. When it comes to speeches, memorization can be useful
when the message needs to be exact and the speaker doesn’t want to be
confined by notes.
The advantage to memorization is that it enables the speaker to maintain
eye contact with the audience throughout the speech. Being free of notes
means that you can move freely around the stage and use your hands to
make gestures. If your speech uses visual aids, this freedom is even more
of an advantage. However, there are some real and potential costs. First,
unless you also plan and memorize every vocal cue (the subtle but
meaningful variations in speech delivery, which can include the use of
pitch, tone, volume, and pace), gesture, and facial expression, your
presentation will be flat and uninteresting, and even the most fascinating
topic will suffer. You might end up speaking in a monotone or a sing-song
repetitive delivery pattern. You might also present your speech in a rapid
“machine-gun” style that fails to emphasize the most important points.
Second, if you lose your place and start trying to ad lib, the contrast in your
style of delivery will alert your audience that something is wrong. More
frighteningly, if you go completely blank during the presentation, it will be
extremely difficult to find your place and keep going.
