278 13.5 Delivering Your Speech
nonverbal messages communicate feelings, attitudes, and cues about the
nature of the relationship between you and your audience, so it is important
to avoid gestures or expressions that might offend your listeners. There is
no universal dictionary of nonverbal meaning, so spend some time asking
people who are from the same culture as your prospective audience about
what gestures and expressions your audience will appreciate.
• Prepare for working with a translator. The How To box offers advice for when
you are invited to address listeners who speak a language different from
your own and your message is translated.
We are not suggesting that you totally abandon your own cultural expec-
tations about speech delivery. Rather, we urge you to become sensitive and
responsive to cultural differences.Rehearsing Your Speech:
Some Final Tips
13.5 Describe the steps to follow when you rehearse your speech.
Do you want to make a good grade on your next speech? Then thoroughly re-
hearse your speech. As indicated in Figure 13.1, rehearsing your speech helps
you to prepare to deliver your speech to an audience. And research suggests13.5
work well with a Translator
• Learn enough of the language to provide at least an opening greeting in the language of your
listeners: “Good morning” (Buenos dias) or “Good evening” (Buenos noches).
• Speak more slowly than normal, to give your translator time to listen and repeat your message.
• Cut your content in half. If you are allowed 20 minutes to speak, plan 10 minutes of content,
because your translator will be repeating what you say in the language of the your audience.
• Use short, simple sentences. Pause frequently to give your translator time to translate your message.
• If possible, give your translator an outline of your message.
• Avoid slang, jargon, and figures of speech such as “pony up,” “elephant in the room,” “piggy-
back,” “clear as a bell,” and “thick as thieves.”
• Use jokes and humor with caution: Jokes often do not translate well.
• Consider using computer-generated slides to help your translator. If possible, have your slides
translated into the language of your audience.
• If your audience shows nonverbal clues that something you (or your translator) said is unclear,
ask the audience if your message is clear.
Source: “Don’t Get Lost in Translation,” Herald, Vol. 157, 4 (April 2010), p. 32. Reprinted with
permission of Community of Christ.HO
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