280 13.6 Delivering Your Speech
If you do use electronic notes, it is wise to have a hard copy backup in case
you experience technology problems.
• Rehearse your speech standing up. This will help you to get a feel for your use
of gestures as well as your vocal delivery. However, do not try to memorize
your speech or plan specific gestures. As you rehearse, you might want to
modify your speaking notes to reflect appropriate changes.
• Rehearse with an audience. If you can, present your speech to someone else so
that you can practice establishing eye contact. Seek feedback from your cap-
tive audience about both your delivery and your speech content.
• Record your rehearsals. If possible, make an audio or video recording of your
speech during the rehearsal stage. Most smartphones, computers, and tab-
lets have a built-in camera and microphone. You can use the recording to
observe your vocal and physical mannerisms and then and make necessary
changes. Many speakers still find it useful to practice before a mirror so that
they can observe their body language—it’s low-tech, but it still works.
• Rehearse using all your presentation aids. As we discuss in the next chapter,
don’t wait until the last minute to plan, prepare, and rehearse with flip-
charts, computer-generated slides, handouts, or other aids that you will
need to manipulate as you speak.
• Make rehearsals realistic. Re-creating, as much as possible, the speaking situa-
tion you will face will help you gain confidence. If you will be speaking in a
large classroom, find a large classroom in which to rehearse your speech. If
your audience will be seated informally in a semicircle, then this should be
the context in which you rehearse your speech.
• Practice good delivery skills while rehearsing. Remember this maxim: Practice
makes perfect if practice is perfect.Delivering Your Speech
13.6 list four suggestions for enhancing the final delivery of your speech.
The day of your speech arrives, and you are ready. Using information about your
audience as an anchor, you have developed a speech on an interesting topic and
with a fine-tuned purpose. Your central idea is clearly identified. You have gath-
ered interesting and relevant material and organized it well. Your speech has
an appropriate introduction, a logically arranged body, and a clear conclusion
that nicely summarizes your key theme. You have rehearsed your speech several
times; it is not memorized, but you are comfortable with the way in which you
express the major ideas. Your last task is calmly and confidently to communicate
with your audience. You are ready to deliver your speech (see Figure 13.2).
As the time for presenting your speech to your audience approaches, con-
sider the following suggestions to help you prepare for a successful performance.13.6