PRINCIPLES OF SPEECH DELIVERY

PHYSICAL FEATURES OF A SPEAKER

(a) Appearance - The speaker’s appearance should be

appealing to the audience. The audience in fact likes
speakers who are similar to them.
(b) Movement - All the movements on the stage should
be voluntary and warranted. Nervousness can cause
involuntary movements which can distress both the speaker
and the audience. If the speaker gets involved in the speech
and trusts the audience, nervousness can go. No
movement can happen on the stage without reason.
Movements driven by the speech can help the speaker
maintain contact with all the sections of the audience.
(c) Posture: A confident speaker stands straight with his arms
well relaxed. Nervous speakers sprawl on the podium and
lean against the wall. There is always fear
and tension.Great speakers on the other hand take
an informal posture and relax their audience too.
Informal postures get the speaker a positive reaction from
the audience.
(d) Facial Expressions: The expression on the speaker’s
face determines the audience’s closeness to
him. Warm smile and confident look take the audience
close to the speaker. The expressions display the degree
of involvement, the speaker has in his speech. The
involvement with the speech is all the necessity and the rest
will take care of itself.
 The expressions and the tone used by the speaker should
go hand in hand with the message and the emotions that
are delivered. For example, the expression and tone of the
speaker should be serious when he delivers a serious
message and sad when he delivers something sad. Any
deviation in this would confuse the audience.
(e) Eye Contact: It is one of the most important gestures. It
not only increases the speaker’s direct contact with the
audience but also increases their interest in their
speech. Direct eye contact helps the speaker understand
audience reaction then and there and it makes the occasion
less frightening.
(f) Volume: It is confirmed by the number of the audience but
it should be loud enough for the speech to reach
everybody. The beginners who have stage fear are usually
not loud enough and it is they who should check it through
rehearsals.
(g)Articulation: It is the right pronunciation of all the
words. The people who suffer stage fright commit the
mistake of deletion, addition, adding extra parts towards
slurring. Perfect articulation and Standard English are a
must for any public speaker.
(h) Time: Time is an important factor in Speech delivery. At
the outset, the speaker should know the amount of time
given for his speech and prepare accordingly. Sticking to
time can be achieved by proper rehearsals.
(i) Language : The speaker should use the language well
suited for the audience. Too much of scientific terms may
not go well with the common public. The words that the
speak uses should be readily understood by the audience.
I t is good to stoop to the level of the audience.
“Don’t use a big word where a small one could
do.” – George Orwell.
(j) Use Short stories, Anecdotes and Quotations according to
the need. It is always good to start the speech with a small
story as stories normally arouse interest. But remember, too
much of anything is good for nothing.
A good saying to follow in giving a speech is
“Tell them what you are going to tell them, tell them,
and tell them what you told them.”