9.5 What to Do When Delivering Your Speech

9.5 What to Do When Delivering Your Speech

Finding Balance in Delivery

Your speech delivery is shaped by both verbal and nonverbal elements. When these work together effectively, your message becomes engaging and memorable. When either is exaggerated or neglected, however, your audience may become confused or distracted. The key is balance, which might be described as the “Goldilocks approach”: not too much, not too little, but just right.

Overly dramatic gestures or hyperactive movement can overwhelm your message, while stiff or minimal delivery can make you appear uncomfortable or disengaged. Achieving a natural style takes practice, feedback, and experience. The following sections offer practical guidance for managing body language during a speech.

Hands

Nervous energy often appears in a speaker’s hands. Some speakers fidget, shake their hands, or make exaggerated gestures without realizing it. Others go to the opposite extreme by keeping their arms rigidly at their sides, behind their backs, or in their pockets. Each of these behaviors can appear awkward or distracting.

The best approach is to use your hands as you would in an everyday conversation. Gestures should feel natural and purposeful. For example, when listing several points, you might use your fingers to count them. When emphasizing an important idea, allow your hands to support that emphasis.

When you are not gesturing, rest your hands gently along the sides of the lectern. Avoid gripping it tightly. Practicing this posture in advance can help you feel more comfortable and confident during your speech.

Feet

Like your hands, your feet can reveal nervousness. Some speakers shift constantly, twist their legs, or appear to dance behind the lectern. Others stand rigidly with their knees locked, which can look unnatural and may cause dizziness or fainting.

An effective stance is simple: stand with your feet approximately shoulder-width apart and keep your knees relaxed rather than locked. This position helps you remain grounded and comfortable. Occasional movement is appropriate, such as shifting your weight or stepping forward for emphasis, but avoid constant pacing or complete stillness.

Energy and Engagement

Effective speakers project energy. This does not mean becoming hyperactive. Instead, it means demonstrating enthusiasm, awareness, and presence. Slouching, monotone delivery, and a lack of purposeful movement may suggest disinterest. Your posture, gestures, facial expressions, and vocal variety should communicate that you care about your message and your audience.

Managing Objects at the Lectern

Bring only what you need to the lectern. For most speeches, this includes your speaking notes and, when necessary, a visual aid. Avoid unnecessary clutter. Pens, phones, laptops, jewelry, and personal items can become distractions.

Phones can be especially problematic. They may be too small for comfortable use as speaking notes, and notifications or calls can interrupt your presentation. Keep your setup simple and intentional. The fewer distractions you create, the easier it will be to focus on your message and audience.

Personal Presentation and Physical Delivery

Your delivery is shaped not only by what you say and how you say it, but also by how you present yourself physically and visually. The way you move, what you wear, and how you interact with the lectern all influence how your audience perceives you.

Clothing and Accessories

When dressing for a speech, choose clothing that is comfortable, appropriate, and free from distractions. Jewelry that jingles, unfamiliar or uncomfortable shoes, and clothing with fringe or dangling elements can tempt you to fidget and may distract both you and your audience.

When you have long hair, consider securing it away from your face so that you are not repeatedly adjusting it. Frequent adjustments may interrupt eye contact and disrupt the flow of your delivery.

Lectern Use and Posture

The lectern is a helpful tool, but it should not become a crutch. Leaning on it heavily or avoiding it entirely can signal discomfort. Use it naturally by placing your notes on it and resting your hands lightly along its sides when you are not gesturing.

Practicing with a lectern, counter, table, or similar surface can help reduce awkwardness and increase confidence.

Posture also matters. Standing with your feet shoulder-width apart, your knees relaxed, and your shoulders comfortably aligned creates a strong and credible presence. This position also supports effective breathing, which improves vocal strength and clarity.

Eye Contact

Eye contact is one of the most effective ways to connect with an audience. It communicates confidence, develops rapport, and helps maintain attention. Your goal is to establish genuine eye contact rather than glance upward occasionally or stare continuously at one person.

Avoid these common mistakes:

• Looking at fixed points on a wall: This can make you appear disconnected from the audience.
• Using quick glances while reading: Briefly looking up before returning immediately to your notes does not establish a meaningful connection.
• Focusing on only one person: This may make that individual uncomfortable and exclude the rest of the audience.

Instead, look throughout the room, including the front, back, left, and right. Hold eye contact with individuals for several seconds at a time. This creates a conversational feeling even in a formal presentation.

Vocal Delivery: Volume and Variety

Your voice is a central tool in public speaking. Volume refers to how loudly or softly you speak, and it should be appropriate for the size of the room and audience. Speaking too softly makes it difficult for listeners to follow your message, while speaking too loudly may sound aggressive or uncomfortable.

In most classroom settings, your natural speaking voice should be sufficient. When you are soft-spoken, practice projecting your voice so that listeners at the back of the room can hear you. When you naturally speak loudly, adjust your volume to fit the space.

Beyond volume, your voice should communicate energy and variety. A flat or monotone delivery may suggest disinterest and can cause the audience to lose attention. Review recordings of yourself to evaluate your energy, pitch variation, pacing, and clarity. When your voice sounds lifeless, work on breathing, articulation, emphasis, and vocal variety.

Voice production involves four key elements:

1. Breathing: Supports volume and vocal strength.
2. Phonation: Produces sound and pitch through vocal-fold vibration.
3. Resonation: Amplifies sound through the throat, mouth, and nasal passages.
4. Articulation: Shapes speech into clear and understandable words.

Your instructor may provide additional guidance about vocal technique. Ultimately, the goal is to sound confident, clear, and engaged.

Vocal Variety: Pitch, Rate, and Pauses

Your voice is one of the most powerful tools available in public speaking. The way you use pitch, rate, and pauses can energize your message or make it difficult for the audience to remain engaged.

Pitch

Pitch refers to the highness or lowness of your voice. Excessive pitch variation may sound unnatural or musical, but the more common problem is monotone delivery, in which the voice remains flat and unchanging.

Monotone delivery often occurs when speakers concentrate too heavily on reading a speech word for word instead of communicating naturally.

To avoid a monotone delivery, choose topics that interest you and practice speaking conversationally. When people care about a topic, their voices tend to vary naturally, just as they do during everyday conversation. Ask a practice audience to provide feedback when you are uncertain about your vocal variation.

Rate

Rate is the speed at which you speak. Speaking too slowly may make you sound uncertain or disengaged, while speaking too quickly may overwhelm the audience and make your ideas difficult to follow.

Think of your speech as a shared journey in which you are setting the pace. When you rush, your audience may fall behind. When you speak too slowly, listeners may lose interest.

Practice helps you identify a comfortable rate. Record and time your speech to determine whether your pacing remains consistent. Pay particular attention to your introduction because the audience is still becoming accustomed to your voice and delivery.

Pauses

Pauses are not mistakes. They are useful tools. A strategic pause gives audience members time to process an important point and can add emphasis to your message. After a powerful statement, for example, a brief pause allows listeners to reflect.

Pausing too frequently or for too long can become distracting. Repeated pauses may suggest uncertainty, while extended silences may create confusion or discomfort. Aim for natural and purposeful pauses that reflect the rhythm of conversation.

During a speech, it is normal to pause while collecting your thoughts. However, speakers often attempt to fill silence with words such as “uh,” “um,” “like,” or “you know.” These are called vocalized pauses or nonfluencies. Although occasional use is normal, excessive filler words can distract the audience and weaken a speaker’s credibility.

Many speakers do not recognize their filler-word habits. Begin by identifying the expressions you use most often. You may begin sentences with “well” or end them with “you know.” Once you recognize your patterns, practice replacing filler words with silence or a deliberate pause.

One useful exercise is the “uh game,” in which you name items from a category within a time limit without using filler words. The activity is challenging, but it encourages concentration, fluency, and clarity.

Handling Mistakes Gracefully

No matter how thoroughly you prepare, you may make a small mistake during your speech. This is normal. The key is to avoid drawing unnecessary attention to it.

Avoid statements such as “Can I start over?” or “I messed that up.” Audience members often will not notice a minor error unless you identify it for them.

Instead, correct yourself calmly and continue. Practice recovering from mistakes during rehearsal so that you can remain composed during the actual presentation. When you stumble over a word or lose your place, pause, breathe, refocus, and continue.

Practice Makes Permanent

You may have heard the phrase “practice makes perfect,” but a more accurate statement is practice makes permanent. When you repeatedly rehearse poor habits, such as rushing, mumbling, or using filler words, those habits are likely to appear during your presentation.

Make sure your rehearsal reflects how you want to perform in class. Practice while standing, speak clearly, use natural gestures, maintain eye contact, and recover from mistakes calmly and confidently.