characteristics of effective Delivery 13.3 267
those occasions, it can be appropriate to move from behind the lectern to make a
point, signal a change in mood, or move on to another idea.
estAblIsh ImmedIAcy According to psychologist Albert Mehrabian,
immediacy is “the degree of physical or psychological closeness between
people.”^20 Immediacy behaviors are those that literally or psychologically make
your audience feel closer to you; because they create this perception of close-
ness, immediacy behaviors enhance the quality of the relationship between you
and your audience.^21 Immediacy behaviors include the following:
• Standing or moving closer to your listeners
• Coming out from behind a lectern
• Using appropriate levels of eye contact
• Smiling while talking and, more specifically, smiling at individual audience
members
• Using appropriate gestures
• Having an appropriately relaxed posture
• Moving purposefully
More than three decades of research on the immediacy cues used by teach-
ers in North American classrooms has clearly established that teachers who are
more immediate enhance student learning, increase student motivation to learn,
and have more favorable teacher evaluations.^22 It seems logical to suggest that
public speakers who increase immediacy will have similarly positive results.
One cautionary note: Listeners—not the speaker—determine the appropriate
amount of immediacy. Be vigilantly audience-centered as you seek the appro-
priate level of immediacy between you and your listeners. Temper our advice
about proximity and other delivery variables by adapting to the cultural expec-
tations of your audience.
sIgNAl trANsItIoNs Movement can provide listeners with a nonverbal
cue that you are beginning a new idea or major point in your speech. If you
make a transition statement or change from a serious subject to a more humor-
ous one, movement can also be a good way to signal that your approach to the
speaking situation is changing.
Posture
Although there have been few formal studies of posture in relation to public
speaking, there is evidence that the way in which you carry your body commu-
nicates significant information. Whereas your face and voice play the major role
in communicating a specific emotion, your posture communicates the intensity
of that emotion. If you are happy, your face and voice reflect your happiness;
your posture communicates the intensity of your joy.^23