254 13 Delivering Your Speech
Learning Objectives
13.1 Identify three reasons delivery is important to a public speaker.
13.2 Identify and describe four methods of delivery.
13.3 Identify and illustrate the characteristics of effective delivery.
13.4 Use strategies for adapting your delivery when speaking to diverse
audiences.
13.5 Describe the steps to follow when you rehearse your speech.
13.6 List four suggestions for enhancing the final delivery of your
speech.
13.7 Explain and use strategies for responding to questions from your
audience at the end of your speech.Delivery has long been considered an important part of public speaking. But
is the delivery of your speech more important than the content of your mes-
sage? For centuries, since ancient Greece, famous speakers and speech teachers,
such as Aristotle and, later, the Roman rhetorician Quintilian, have argued about
which is more important: what you say or how you say it.^2
Today, whether you are speaking in front of a live audience or presenting a
talk via Skype or other online, mediated method, communication teachers be-
lieve that both content and delivery contribute to speaking effectiveness. One
survey suggested that “developing effective delivery” is a primary goal of most
speech teachers.^3 Considerable research supports the claim that delivery plays
an important role in influencing how audiences react to a speaker and his or her
message. It is your audience who will determine whether you are successful.
Delivery counts.13.3 Characteristics of Effective Delivery
Eye Contact
Gestures
Movement
Posture
Facial Expression
Vocal Delivery
Personal Appearance13.4 Audience Diversity and Delivery
13.5 Rehearsing Your Speech: Some Final
Tips
13.6 Delivering Your Speech
13.7 Responding to Questions