Public Speaking

Develop Skills to Overcome Process Anxiety (^19)
• Choose vocabulary and grammar that fit both the occasion and the audience.
• Omit offensive language such as swear words or demeaning language.
• Choose understandable words. Either define technical jargon or replace it with more
familiar terminology.
• Instead of writing your speech like an essay, use an oral style that reflects the way
people actually speak. However, use fewer slang expressions.
More detailed information on the canon of style is provided in Chapter 12.
Learn and Present Your Speech: The Canons of Memory
and Delivery
Previous generations lacked index cards, teleprompters, and other memory aids, so
speakers often memorized their speeches. However, the canon of memory is often
called the lost canon because so few people in this culture rely on memory alone and
because memorized delivery can be risky. Forgetting even a few words can lead to
embarrassment—something you definitely want to avoid. Manuscript delivery, in
which you write out your entire speech and then read it to your audience, helps you
remember your ideas, but it is generally more useful for formal talks than for class-
room or workplace speeches. Also, spur-of-the-moment impromptu delivery, where
you stand up and speak with little advanced preparation, is not recommended for most
classroom assignments, although it is common in workplace settings or social events for
someone to be asked to “say a few words” on a familiar topic.
Instead, most classroom and workplace settings prefer extemporaneous delivery.
Here, you gather your materials, organize them carefully, and then jot down key ideas
on note cards that you later use to jog your memory during your talk. Chapter 14
elaborates on these four delivery methods, and Chapter 11 further explains content
outlines and speaking outlines.
Rehearsal is a vital part of the preparation process, but the amount of time needed
for rehearsal depends on several factors including your level of experience, your famil-
iarity with the topic, the speech length, and your anxiety level. Interestingly, in a recent
study researchers asked students to log the amount of time they spent in each of the
canons. Rehearsal was the area that made a difference in grades.^14
Here are a few rehearsal tips: Practice your speech orally and silently, using your
note cards. Recruit friends or family—basically anyone who can act as an audience,
provide feedback, troubleshoot problems, and let you deliver your speech to actual
listeners. Or make a video of your speech and watch it to identify areas to improve. Go
through the speech several times, each time selecting slightly different words. Focus on
looking away from your notes and communicating conversationally. Although practice
may not make perfect, you can at least have the confidence that comes from careful
preparation.
Principles found in the canon of delivery provide guidelines for the four delivery
methods described earlier and for nonverbal behaviors, such as gestures and eye contact.
Good delivery includes pleasant facial expressions, smiling at appropriate times, and a
posture of confidence. Good speakers speak conversationally, not in a monotone. Focus
throughout on creating something with your listeners instead of giving something to them.
In summary, the guidelines found in the five canons of rhetoric build process com-
petence and increase your response capability. You learn the skills of audience analy-
sis, topic and purpose selection, and research (invention). Then you develop skills in
organizing or arranging your ideas into meaningful patterns (disposition), choosing
appropriate language (style), and learning your major points (memory), so that you can
present them effectively (delivery). Go to The Forest of Rhetoric website for additional
information about the canons of rhetoric.
canon of memory guidelines
to help you remember your
ideas
memorized delivery learn-
ing the speech by heart, then
reciting it
manuscript delivery reading
a speech
impromptu delivery speak-
ing with little advanced
preparation
extemporaneous delivery
preparing a speech carefully
in advance but choosing the
exact wording during the
speech itself
canon of delivery rules or
standards for presenting a
speech
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