. Privacy Policy
For further information about this site contact mhhe_webmaster@mcgraw-hill.com. McGraw-Hill Higher Education is one of the many fine businesses of The McGraw-Hill Companies.
|
McGraw-Hill Public Speaking
|
|||
| Speaking to an audience |
|
|
Focusing on delivery After you have prepared your speaking outline, it is time to work on your delivery. Two major areas of concern are your voice and your non-verbal communication. They are a significant part of practicing and delivering your speech that merit special attention. By consciously controlling these factors in your practice, you can improve your speech. Using your voiceSpeak with enough volume.Volume refers to the loudness or softness of your speaking voice. Although it is possible for a speaker to speak too loudly, it is unusual. Try to practice your speech in the room where you will be delivering it. Ask a friend to move to different points in the roomVary your pitch.Pitch refers to the highness or lowness of a sound. Changes in pitch, also known as inflections, communicate meaning and emotion.Avoid a too-rapid speaking rate.Rate refers to the speed at which you speak. Nervous speakers tend to speak too quickly. A rapid speaking rate usually conveys excitement. A slow speaking rate can be used to convey complex or sad ideas. Try to speak at a rate that is neither too slow (listeners become bored) or too fast (listeners have a hard time following your ideas).Pause between thoughts.Timing is crucial. Pause briefly to signal a change in thoughts or when you expect laughter or another response from the audience. When you find yourself pausing too long, avoid filling the pause with empty words or sounds (such as "okay," "er," or "uh").Add vocal variety.A speech delivered in an unchanging monotone is boring. Vocal variety refers to the combination of changes in volume, pitch and rate that give expressiveness to your voice.Pronounce words carefully.As you read through your practice outline, mark any words that you are uncertain how to pronounce. Look them up in a dictionary and learn their pronunciation. Learn the correct pronunciation of commonly mispronounced words as well as technical words.Articulate clearly.Articulation is similar to pronunciation. While pronunciation refers to the standard sound and rhythm of a word in a language, articulation refers to the attention that is given to enunciating the sound clearly and distinctly. Although physical problems may cause some poor articulation, the most common cause is sloppiness.Communicating non-verballyYour posture, eyes, gestures and facial expression communicate a message to your audience. These non-verbal cues affect how your audience reacts to your message. Check your appearance.Clothing and grooming that match the occasion and message enhance your credibility as a speaker.Signal confidence with your body position and movement.Walk calmly up to the front of the room or lectern. You may feel nervous, but that is rarely visible to your audience. Arrange your notes and visual aids the way you want them. Do not rush into speaking, wait until you are ready. Maintain a relaxed position throughout your speech. When you are finished speaking, briefly pause before gathering your notes and returning to your seat.Use natural gestures.It is not necessary to go overboard or to restrain natural gestures. If you focus on your message, your gestures will probably be natural. You do want to avoid nervous gestures, such as wringing your hands, playing with hair and jewelry, or tapping a foot.Eye contact.In most cultures, audiences expect a speaker to make some eye contact. Look around the audience and make brief eye contact with members of the audience. Do not concentrate all of your attention on one person or look beyond everyone at the wall. Commonly, individuals who have memorized a speech will close their eyes or look at the ceiling as they visualize the next portion of the speech. Practice delivering your speech to a friend or looking in a mirror to develop good eye contact. |