What Makes for Effective Delivery of Your Speech?

What makes for effective Delivery of your speech?

 Volume  Rate  Emphasis  Articulation  Body Language

VOLUME 5 4 3 2 1 o Do not be too loud or too soft. o Speakers use volume to project confidence and win the agreement of their audience. o Speak louder in a large room or crowded room. o Raise and lower the volume of delivery to emphasize an important point or show emotion. o Raising your voice will get the audience’s attention. o Lowering your voice will force people to listen.

RATE 5 4 3 2 1 o Do not be too fast or too slow. o Presenting new or difficult information may be done slowly. o Showing importance of an idea or event may be done slowly. o Use pauses for emphasis o Avoid fillers (“you know, umm, whatever”)

EMPHASIS 5 4 3 2 1 o Do not emphasize all words equally. o Focus listeners’ attention on words that have drama, substance, power, or imagery. o Use pitch (high/low) to emphasize particular points. o Use tone (which includes rhythm and pace) to stress key parts . A tone can be conversational, nervous, serious, humorous, etc. o Tone or pitch should match the quality of voice to the feelings of the speaker.

ARTICULATION/Pronunciation 5 4 3 2 1 o Pronounce each word clearly—do not slur your words together. o Avoid slang, except to make a point. o Mispronunciation can hurt your credibility; pronouncing words correctly will establish trust with the audience. (ethos) o Practice your speech to deal with challenges of proper pronunciation. o Most errors occur when unfamiliar words are used. o Easiest way to learn correct pronunciation is to use a dictionary. o Repeat words until they are easily said.

BODY LANGUAGE/DEMEANOR 5 4 3 2 1 o Make consistent eye contact. Aim for the ability to read an entire sentence or two without looking down. o Maintain proper posture. Avoid sagging shoulders or crossed legs. Doing this will establish credibility (ethos) and make you appear sincere about your message. o Use gestures to focus your audience’s attention and remind them of what point you’re making. o Hand signals of one, two, or three fingers in the air can help the audience follow your arguments and points.