Methods of Speech Delivery

We have established that presentations involve much more than the transfer of information. Sure, you could treat a presentation as an opportunity to read a report you’ve written out loud to a group, but you would fail to engage your audience and connect with them. In other words, you would leave them wondering exactly why they had to listen to your presentation instead of reading it at their leisure.

The Four Methods of Speech Delivery

One way to ensure you engage your audience effectively is to consider how to deliver your speech carefully. Each of you has likely sat in a class, presentation, or meeting where you didn’t feel engaged by the information the presenter shared. Part of the reason for your disengagement likely originated in the presenter’s method of speech delivery.

For our purposes, there are four different methods—or types—of speech delivery discussed in this textbook:

• Impromptu
• Manuscript
• Memorized
• Extemporaneous

Impromptu Speeches

Impromptu speaking involves presenting a short message without prior preparation. A speaker is called upon with little or no warning and discusses a topic they know well. You have probably done impromptu speaking many times in informal, conversational settings. Self-introductions in group settings are examples of impromptu speaking: “Hi, my name is Shawnda, and I’m a Pikes Peak State College student.”

Another example of impromptu speaking occurs when you answer a question such as, “What did you think of the movie?” Your response has not been pre-planned, and you are constructing your arguments and points as you speak. Even worse, you might find yourself going into a meeting when your boss announces, “I want you to talk about the last stage of the project,” without warning. The advantage of this kind of speaking is that it’s spontaneous and responsive in an animated group context. The disadvantage is that the speaker is given little or no time to contemplate the central theme of their message. As a result, the message may be disorganized and difficult for listeners to follow.

Here is a step-by-step guide that may be useful if you are called upon to give an impromptu speech in public:

1. Take a moment to collect your thoughts and plan your main point (like a mini thesis statement).
2. Thank the person for inviting you to speak. Do not comment about being unprepared, called upon at the last minute, on the spot, or uneasy. In other words, try to avoid being self-deprecating!
3. Deliver your message, making your main point as concisely as possible while covering it thoroughly and at a pace that your listeners can follow.
4. If you can use a structure, use numbers if possible: “Two main reasons…” or “Three parts of our plan…” or “Two side effects of this drug…” Past, present, and future, or East Coast, Midwest, and West Coast, are pre-fab structures.
5. Thank the person again for the opportunity to speak.
6. Stop talking. It is easy to “ramble on” when you don’t have something prepared. As you return to your seat, stop talking in front of an audience.

Impromptu speeches are generally most successful when they are brief and focus on a single point. We recommend practicing your impromptu speaking regularly. Do you want to work on reducing your vocalized pauses in a formal setting? Great! You can begin this process by being aware of your vocalized fillers during informal conversations and other settings.

Manuscript Speeches

Manuscript speaking is the word-for-word iteration of a written message. In a manuscript speech, the speaker maintains their attention on the printed page except when using presentation aids. The speech is completely written out and then read. This type is ineffective in persuasive speaking because it fails to capitalize on the immediacy of public speaking. Manuscript speeches are appropriate when specific wording is required (e.g., legal considerations, newscasts, acting). The advantage of reading from a manuscript is the exact repetition of original words. This can be extremely important in some circumstances. For example, reading a statement about your organization’s legal responsibilities to customers may require that the original words be exact. In reading one word at a time, in order, the only errors would typically be the mispronunciation of a word or stumbling over complex sentence structure. A manuscript speech may also be appropriate at a more formal affair (like a funeral), when your speech must be said exactly as written to convey the proper emotion the situation deserves. However, there are costs associated with publishing the manuscript. First, it’s typically an uninteresting way to present. Unless the speaker has rehearsed the reading as a complete performance animated with vocal expression and gestures (well-known authors often do this for book readings), the presentation tends to be dull. Keeping one’s eyes glued to the script prevents eye contact with the audience.

A temptation in virtual settings is to read from a manuscript, thinking the audience might not notice. In a web conference, the speaker does not necessarily have to look at the audience while speaking. However, reading from a manuscript in this setting is inappropriate. The speech sounds read and unnatural, losing connection with the audience. For a “straight” manuscript speech to hold the audience’s attention, the audience must already be interested in the message and the speaker before the delivery begins. Finally, because full notes are required, speakers often need a lectern to place them, which restricts movement and the ability to engage with the audience. Speakers must manage full-page speaking notes without a note-taking device, which can be distracting. It is worth noting that professional speakers, actors, news reporters, and politicians often read from an autocue device such as a teleprompter. This device is ubiquitous when these people appear on television, where eye contact with the camera is crucial. With practice, a speaker can achieve a conversational tone and give the impression of speaking extemporaneously and maintaining eye contact using an autocue device.

However, success in this medium depends on two factors:

1. The speaker is already an accomplished public speaker who has learned to use a conversational tone while delivering a prepared script.
2. The speech is written in a conversational style.

Memorized Speeches

Memorized speaking is reciting a written message that the speaker has committed to memory. Actors recite from memory whenever they perform from a script in a stage play, television program, or movie. When it comes to speeches, memorization can be helpful when the message needs to be exact, and the speaker doesn’t want to be confined by notes. The advantage of memorization is that it enables the speaker to maintain eye contact with the audience throughout the speech. Being free of notes means you can move freely around the stage and use your hands to make gestures. If your speech uses presentation aids, this freedom is even more of an advantage.

Memorization, however, can be tricky. First, if you lose your place and start trying to ad-lib, the contrast in your delivery style will alert your audience that something is wrong. Finding your place and keeping going will be tough if you go completely blank during the presentation. Memorizing a typical seven-minute classroom speech requires a significant amount of time and effort; it is challenging to pull off if you aren’t accustomed to memorizing.

Extemporaneous Speeches

Extemporaneous speaking is the presentation of a carefully planned and rehearsed speech, spoken in a conversational manner using brief notes. This type of speech uses carefully planned arguments, appeals, and formal or informal organization. The speech is not written out word-for-word, read or memorized, or a manuscript. Instead, the speaker creates a formal outline. Then, a speaking outline is used during the speech to avoid reading from notes. A significant part of extemporaneous speaking is that these speeches are always well-prepared and practiced. Speaking extemporaneously has some advantages. It promotes the likelihood that you, the speaker, will be perceived as knowledgeable and credible since you know the speech well enough that you don’t need to read it.

Additionally, your audience is likely to pay closer attention to the message because it engages both verbally and nonverbally. Using notes rather than a full manuscript (or everything you’re going to say), the extemporaneous speaker can establish and maintain eye contact with the audience and assess how well they understand the speech as it progresses. It also allows flexibility; you are working from the firm foundation of an outline, but if you need to delete, add, or rephrase something at the last minute or to adapt to your audience, you can do so. The outline also helps you distinguish between main ideas and subordinate ones.

Why use an extemporaneous style? There are many great reasons to use this approach to public speaking:

• Extemporaneous speeches sound like a natural conversation because the particular wording arises out of the moment of interaction between the speaker and the audience.
• Connects with the audience by enhancing speaker-audience interaction because of the extemporaneous delivery’s natural and spontaneous quality.
• Demonstrates confidence, knowledge, concern, and credibility.
• It keeps the audience engaged and awake.

Compared to the other three types of speech delivery, an extemporaneous style is the best for engaging your audience and making yourself sound like a natural speaker.

There are several great ways to prepare an extemporaneous presentation:

• Begin jotting notes for significant topics and headings.
• Decide on structure, content, and arguments.
• Sketch out points by talking your way through the material out loud and updating your brief outline notes.
• Continue practicing out loud to refine and polish your points.
• Finalize structure.
• Practice out loud using different words and sentences each time to keep the delivery fresh.
• Do not memorize the speech.