methods of speech delivery

memorizes speeches
principle of public speeking

Public Speaking Principle #1

Never, ever start your speech with an apology about your level of
preparation or about how poor a speaker you are. In a non-professional venue,
the audience will be on your side. In a professional venue, don’t go in
unprepared. Have a professional help you to get ready if necessary.

The only exception to the apology rule is if you’re using it intentionally to make a
point, it’s part of a joke, or it’s otherwise being used as part of your speech.

Public Speaking Principle #2

Control your body. A lot of people start to sway (often because of shifting from
one foot to the other) when they speak. Or they bat their arms against their sides.
Or they otherwise don’t have control of their bodies because of nerves. Make sure
you practice ahead of time in front of a mirror, video camera, or people you can
trust. Not only will the practice help to keep you from feeling nervous, but you’ll
have practice in this body control.

Public Speaking Principle #3

Control your eyes. Yes, you might largely be reading from a script (and
remember, don’t apologize for that), but don’t forget that you’re speaking to real
people. Make eye contact with them as often as possible, even if it means keeping
one finger on the page to keep your place. Also, the more stories you can tell from
your own experience, the less you’ll need to refer to that paper, and the more the
speech becomes a comfortable situation for you where you’ll be able to really
relate to your audience.

Public Speaking Principle #4

Control your voice. Because of nerves, many people speak too quickly, too
indistinctly, or too quietly. Keep in mind that you’re having a conversation with
someone and use that voice of yours. Sometimes fast is ok, because it can
emphasize excitement or it can be used in a humorous way. Sometimes extra slow
can add real power. But use speed intentionally. Likewise, don’t do monotone or
your audience will sleep. Make sure to vary your tone to help convey meaning and
keep things interesting.

Public Speaking Principle #5

USE your body. Don’t just control it. Use it. It’s better to stand still than to
sway about, but it’s best if you can use body language to help communicate your
message. A good deal of communication is made through the body. Don’t lose the
opportunity to say more than your words are saying.

Public Speaking Principle #6

Use the pause. A lot of people don’t understand the power of the pause. A good
pause can help to command people’s attention, underline a point you’re making,
or throw an audience into hysterics. Write these pauses into your speech and
practice it this way. Professional comedians and speakers put a lot of time into
learning how to drop a pause in just the right way.

Public Speaking Principle #7

Practice. No, really – practice! When I’m writing speeches for people, they
often come to me at the last minute for help. I’m happy to do so, but I know it
means that they won’t really practice their speech

SPEECH DELIVERY METHODSLearning Objective:Identify the

various speechdelivery methods.Now that you have studied the speech
preparationsteps and the various classifications of speeches, it istime to select a
speech delivery method. Why decide thisfirst? Simply because the degree
and type ofpreparation vary with each different method of delivery.Four
principal methods of presenting a speech are asfollows:l Impromptu.
Memorization. Manuscriptl Extemporaneous
IMPROMPTUThe impromptu method is completely unplanned.You are at
a meeting of the Second Class Petty OfficersAssociation Advisory Board
and someone sayssomething with which you disagree. So you get up
andmake an impromptu speech. Perhaps you are on leavein your hometown and
stop by to see your former highschool principal. He invites you to tell the
senior class alittle bit about your Navy travels and experiences, andthus you
deliver an impromptu speech

MEMORIZATIONMemorizing a talk word for word is at the

oppositeextreme of the impromptu method. Some speakers canuse this method
effectively, but too often it results in astilted, inflexible presentation, simply
because thespeaker is more concerned with his material than he iswith his
audience.Unless you are an experienced actor, memorizationis absolutely the
worst way to present a speech. Whenyou memorize, usually you are
committing words andsentences to memory rather than a sequence of
ideas.The result is scanned routine that would not sell vacuumcleaners, much
less the Navy. It is an expressionless,boring presentation that leaves your
audience in doubtas to your sincerity and even your knowledge of
thesubject.Another major weakness of this approach is the factthat if you forget
a word or a sentence, you may omitimportant portions of your talk without
knowing it, oreven worse, find that you do not know where you
are,what you have said, or what comes next. In recoveringyou may omit or
even repeat parts of the talk.
MANUSCRIPTA great many Navy speakers read speeches thathave been
written out word for word. This manuscriptmethod is almost as inflexible as
memorization. Again,it sets up a barrier between the speaker and his
audiencebecause the speaker must pay close attention to what heis reading and
cannot react to the responses of theaudience. Occasionally, talks are read
effectively whenthe speaker is particularly gifted and practiced atreading,
but for the most part, the manuscript methodshould be left to special
circumstances, such as thefollowing:lllWhen the verbatim text has been or
will bereleased to the news media and it is probable thatthe speaker will be
quoted extensively.When the subject matter involves security orpolicy
considerations so sensitive that the exactwording is essential.When the
talk is being broadcast and timing iscritical.A speaker must have a lot of
experience and usuallya bit of training to read a speech effectively, since
aspeech is read effectively only when it sounds as thoughit were not being read.
This method is not recommendedfor your own use; and if you are called onto
help anyofficer or petty officer prepare a speech, you should dowhat you
can to discourage him from reading from acompletely prepared text.

EXTEMPORANEOUSThe extemporaneous method is usually used bymost

good speakers. To a speechwriting newcomer,“extemporaneous” sounds
synonymous with“impromptu” or “extempore,” but in the language ofpublic
speakers, it means something quite different.The delivery seems to be off the
cuff, while actuallythe material has been well prepared and rehearsed.
Anextemporaneous delivery is a happy medium betweenthe overly casual
impromptu and the stiff memorizationor manuscript. The talk is very
carefully planned andoutlined in detail. Sometimes a complete draft of it
iswritten out, but this draft is only used in rehearsal. Thetalk is delivered from
an outline with the speakermemorizing the sequences on the outline, but
never theexact wording.What makes the extemporaneous method
soeffective is that it borrows the good qualities from theother three
methods of speaking without incorporatingtheir bad qualities. A thorough and
careful use of theextemporaneous method results in a talk as polished asa
memorized one, and certainly more vigorous, flexibleand spontaneous