Public Speaking

186 CHAPTER 14^ Delivering Your Speech

Maximize Your Personal Appearance

Part of successful delivery includes coordinating your physical appearance, your cloth-

ing, and your accessories to give your audience a good impression of you.

Physical Appearance

Images of physically perfect bodies pervade our media, and by comparison, most people

have at least one flaw. Features like less-than-perfect skin, crooked teeth, visible birth-

marks, above- or below-average weight or height, or use of a wheelchair can cause reluc-

tance to speak publicly; you may feel as if you’re in the limelight, being scrutinized.^19

However, don’t worry too much; audiences don’t see just your physical characteristics;

they form an overall impression based on essentials you can control such as cleanliness

and grooming.^20

Clothing

Clothing can create positive or negative impression. Whatever the context, you can look

like you take the assignment seriously. A good general rule is to select attire that doesn’t

draw attention to itself and is appropriate to the situation. In the classroom slightly

more conservative and simple clothing generally works best. Visualize the impression

you’re creating from the audience’s point of view. Would a top with a “busy” pattern or a

message T-shirt distract from your talk? One student who normally wore a black T-shirt

decorated with the image of a creature whose fangs dripped blood, changed to a simple

black shirt on speech days.

In other contexts, check out clothing expectations, given the group and the occasion.

For instance, a student who was invited to speak at a university staff retreat dressed as if

she were going to a job interview, not realizing the retreat was located in the woods and

participants would wear casual clothes. She later confessed, “I was overdressed!” If she

had asked before going, she would have known.

Accessories

Make your accessories matter. These are the objects you add to your clothing such as

eyeglasses, jewelry, hats, and scarves. They are also the things you carry such as brief-

cases or folders. Professional-looking clipboards or folders for your speaking outlines

table 14.1

Types of Delivery

Manuscript Write the speech out word for word and deliver it by read-

ing the text

Memorized Learn the speech by heart and recite it conversationally

from memory

Impromptu Prepare the speech on the spot, using information you

know about the topic

Extemporaneous Prepare and outline the speech in advance; rehearse; use

note cards with the major points and key words but select

the exact wording as you speak

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