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The following excerpt is from Jill Schiefelbein’s book Dynamic Communication. Buy it now from Amazon | Barnes & Noble | IndieBound or click here to buy it directly from us and SAVE 60% on this book when you use code LEAD2021 through 4/10/21.
I don’t know a single person, even a seasoned professional speaker, who doesn’t get at least a few nervous butterflies before they speak. But I’m also aware there’s a big difference between a few excited butterflies and paralyzing fear. Let’s review some of the main areas of delivery and strategy and provide exercises you can do to practice and improve.
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Eye contact
When it comes to public speaking, making and maintaining eye contact can be tough. But making eye contact helps people trust you. If you’re scared of making eye contact, here are some exercises to try until you can get it right.
First, make “eye contact” by scanning the top of heads in the room. If you have a room of 25 plus, the only people who’ll realize you’re not making direct eye contact with them are the person you’re looking at and potentially the ones next to him. Next, graduate to the forehead. Get comfortable with the forehead, then make your way slowly to the eyes. It’s systematic desensitization.
If you feel you’re an eye contact pro, watch yourself on video and see what side of the room you tend to favor more. Note that, and gradually start to adjust to even it out.
Enunciation and pronunciation
How you articulate and pronounce words is important because people need to be able to understand you. But if you get a little nervous, you probably tend to speak faster and faster, until you’re not enunciating well and your clarity is going to suffer. Your audience won’t catch everything you’re saying and you’ll lack maximum effectiveness. Following are some ways to help with your enunciation and pronunciation.
First, show your teeth! To get the sound out, the mouth needs to be open and the air pipes clear. So if you find yourself starting to speak too quickly, think about showing some of your teeth (in other words, open your mouth a little wider). If you’re not sure whether you do this, watch yourself speak in a mirror. Better yet, set up a camera and record yourself in conversation or during a video chat.
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The second tip has to do with pronunciation. In music class, I learned that the singers who have lyrics you can actually understand have something in common -- they pronounce the consonants clearly, especially the final consonant of each word. Try it. Say “world” out loud without focusing on the final “d” in your pronunciation. Now say it while pronouncing the last “d” clearly. Practice this in your head (or even better, out loud) with other words. You’ll notice it makes a difference.
Paralanguage
Paralanguage is everything other than the words in your speech. It’s your rate, tone and pitch. The rate is the speed at which you speak. The tone is the relative volume of your voice -- are you loud or soft? The pitch is the natural highness or lowness of your voice -- think high notes and low notes. The three combined convey emotion, confidence and power during a presentation.
Effective paralanguage is like a vocal roller coaster. In a good amusement park ride, you have highs and lows, twists and turns, loops and straights. So, too, should a good speech have variation in rate, tone and pitch.
Nobody likes to listen to a monotonous speaker. You know that person who stands unmoving behind the podium, speaking at a flat level the entire time (think Ben Stein’s voice for an entire speech, except replace Ben Stein with a business owner or salesperson). Yikes!
Nonverbal barriers
The use of space in your presentation is important. Most people take a presentation space at face value -- that what they see is what they get -- or they walk into a room, see a podium and immediately gravitate there.
Don’t do that right away! Evaluate the space to see what type of barrier you might be placing between yourself and your audience, and how you might be better able to use the space to your advantage. Assess the room and the environment. Figure out how to best connect with your audience and deliver from a point of connection, not a point of power. Don’t put unnecessary nonverbal barriers between you and your audience.
Gestures and movement
With the exception of a few extraordinary speakers, most presenters don’t do their best standing perfectly still. It’s hard to convey emotion if your body is rigidly standing in a single position. Here’s what you can do.
Make sure your gestures and words are synonymous. If you’re enumerating a list and adding gestures, make sure the numbers you’re saying match the number of fingers you’re holding up. If you can move around the room or stage, be sure your movements are intentional. Don’t move just for the sake of moving. Instead, move to transition between points or stories or characters.
And don’t let your movements be a way for nervous energy to escape your body. Don’t be a pacer, a hula dancer, a weight shifter or a toe tapper. Move and gesture when it’s natural and purposeful.
Quick practice tips
The best way to improve on your public speaking is to get out there and do it! Then get it on video so you can review your delivery style.
To practice before a presentation, first record your presentation with just audio. Pay attention to the paralanguage and the enunciation and pronunciation. Also note the feeling. Does your voice elicit emotion? If not, focus on improving that.
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Second, record a practice presentation with video. Then watch that video on mute. This will make you keenly aware of your body movements and gestures. You’ll be able to observe if you favor one side of the room or another with your eyes and body posturing.
Finally, watch the video with the sound on. This is where you bring it all together and see exactly what others see and hear so you can improve.
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This course gives you a reliable model for preparing and delivering effective presentations. In business, in school, and in public life, we are often called upon to “make a few comments.” Often, people tasked with such speeches become flummoxed. They might not know what to talk about, or ramble without making a point, or simply be confusing to listen to. This course is designed to help you shine where others falter. We’ll learn how organize talks clearly, write them memorably, and deliver them confidently. By the end of the course, you should be able to significantly reduce your fear of public speaking, use rehearsal techniques to develop a strong, vibrant speaking voice, and perform speeches with dynamic movement and gestures. The speech model that we’ll practice is useful for briefings, elevator talks, interviews, and even as a structure for hour-long presentations. If you’re a beginner, this course will help you quickly master the fundamentals of speaking. If you’re a seasoned speaker, this course will help you better understand public speaking and push you to the next level.
Have you ever listened to someone’s speech and wondered how they could ever do something of that nature in front of a crowd? Have you ever given a speech before and experienced the exact definition of stage fright? There is an indescribable nervousness that arises as you gaze over a filled room of your colleagues, classmates, or possible clients. If you are looking for tips on what makes a good speech delivery, you’ve come to the right place!
Everything You Need to Know about Good Speech Delivery
At some point, whether age 13 or 30, we have all had one public speaking engagement where we wish we could just crawl into a hole afterwards. Do not be discouraged! It happens to the best of us. Use the event as motivation to learn how to deliver a speech better next time.
Whether giving a speech at work or school, these tips will help you through this nail-biting experience.
Be yourself
To the naked eye, giving a speech is just reading words and delivering it to the audience. To the trained eye, a speech is an opportunity to express your personality, values, charisma, voice, and passions. Don’t be afraid to show who you are and embrace the moment!
Showing passion for what you are speaking about can engage the audience and is one of the best characteristics of a good speech delivery. Don’t forget to smile!
Speak with your hands
Using hand gestures is a great tip for giving a good performance. Although it might seem silly, gesticulating during a speech is ideal. Subtle hand movements can be enough to keep the attention of your crowd.
Hand gestures are a fundamental part of our language. Gestures can make it easier to explain what you are trying to say. Watch yourself and try not to get carried away—too much hand movement can easily distract your audience from what you’re saying.
Get up and move around
If you don’t have to stand behind a podium, don’t. Hiding behind a lectern or staying seated in a chair are signs of nervousness that will instantly turn your audience off. Stand up straight and and have confidence while you speak. Hand gestures help but moving to your audience gives them a sense of being with you and keeps them engaged.
Make eye contact
Are you wondering how you can make eye contact if your audience is a large crowd of people? You can, and should, make an effort to make eye contact with each of them. Why? It‘s just one more way to connect with your audience and shows that you are confident. Eye contact makes a person in the crowd feel personally invested in the speech you are giving.
Have you ever witnessed a speech where the speaker kept looking up at the ceiling or down on the ground? This is a clear-cut sign of unpreparedness, nervousness, and uncertainty. Not only is it a passive way to deliver a speech, but it is also very distracting to your audience.
Memorize your speech
It’s a good idea to read your speech in preparation for your delivery. It’s an even better idea to try and remember it. Memorizing your speech will help you keep eye contact and will show confidence.
This doesn’t mean you have to remember it word for word; you can use cards. Even seasoned public speakers like Martin Luther King Jr. used cards and can be seen picking up his place in many public appearances. However, knowing your speech ahead of time is good speech delivery and allows more wiggle room to engage.
Watch others deliver good speeches
Research your favorite speech-givers. What are the aspects of their delivery that impress you? What aspects of how they present do you think are actions you can emulate? Just like sports players analyze their games to perfect their craft, a seasoned public speaker can learn from watching others giving great speeches as well.
Practice, practice, practice
Before you get up in front of audience members, give the speech in front of no one, give it in front of mirror, and give it in front of one person. Practicing your speech will help you pick out points you feel comfortable emphasizing. It may also help you realize ways you can communicate points better to your audience through movement, word emphasis and body language.
The more you practice, the less nerve wrecking it will be. And if you slowly build your audience, it will help to get feedback on the effectiveness of your speech.
Don’t rush yourself
Public speeches are nerve wrecking, even for the best of us. We tend to want to get it done as soon as possible. Rushing your speech is another sign of nervousness that can make or break your audience’s attention span.
As much as some of us may want to get it over with, the intentions of a well written speech can be lost. Take your time, and try to relax. You’ll thank yourself for it later
Don’t Let Your Nightmares Become Reality
For some people, speeches flow naturally. If you’re like most of us, giving speeches are at the top of your “worst nightmares” list. However, with these good speech delivery tips, we’re sure it will ease your fear of the spotlight. If you need speech writing services, you can always contact our staff at PR Plus for more help.