Strategies For Effective Delivery in Public Speech

 Some persons have a common fear of public speaking which is called 'stage fright', or glossophobia'. They get nervous when asked to say something before an audience. Delivery of a speech is a difficult task for them. This fear can be overcome by guidance and practice. A speaker can adopt the following strategies to make the speech effective:

Planning is an essential requirement for effective delivery. The speaker should plan the speech appropriately in advance. S/he should keep the audience in mind and plan accordingly. S/he should collect the data and prepare a written draft of the speech. It brings confidence to an inexperienced speaker. S/he should decide the method of delivery as well. Planning also helps the speaker to face unpredictable questions from the audience.

"Practice makes a person perfect. The speaker should rehearse the speech as many times as possible before the final delivery. S/he should keep on practicing till the words flow smoothly and easily. If possible, s/he should do a dummy run in front of small audience. The audience can give feedback on the material as well as performance. This practice makes the speaker to feel more comfortable with the material and adds confidence to her/him.

The speaker should start the speech on an impressive note. A good and catchy beginning establishes good rapport with the audience. The speaker can start the speech with some interesting statistic, statement, headline, fact, anecdote, joke, quotation, or something else that can capture attention of the audience. S/he can ask some question from the targeted individuals, group or entire audience. S/he should also greet the audience in the beginning.

Body movements play an important role at the time of delivery. The speaker should use them carefully. Positive posture and gestures leave positive impact on the audience, while negative ones can harm speaker's reputation. The speaker should stand straight, holding her/his head high with a smile on face. It reflects her/his confidence level. S/he should make direct eye-contact with the audience. S/he should move her/his hand(s) wherever required. S/he should not lean on one leg or use gestures that seem unnatural. S/he should walk around

instead of standing behind the podium. This movement helps the speaker to engage her/his audience.

English is written in one way and spoken in other.

There can be different accents of each word. Pronunciation can make the difference as incorrect pronunciation can lead to wrong meaning of the word. The speaker should use correct pronunciation of the words. S/he can check the phonetic transcription of the words from a good dictionary.

The speaker should introduce inflections and make proper voice modulation at the time of speaking. Inflection includes the manner of speaking in which the loudness, pitch or tone of the voice is modified. Pitch of the voice, pauses and break in the sentence can make difference to the meaning of a sentence; hence they should be used appropriately.

The speaker should use illustrations and examples to make meaning clear to the audience. S/he can use examples, quotations or sayings of her/himself as well as others. The examples should be presented which are easily understandable to the audience.

It is necessary for the speaker to keep the audience

interested in listening. The speaker should use wit and humor to entertain the audience. S/he can share some jokes or funny movements to amuse them.

"All is well that ends well.” The speaker should end the speech on an emphatic note. It creates lasting impact on the audience and leaves them enthralled. The speaker can use the statements, such as 'To conclude... Finally.. 'In the end..., 'One last word., etc. Such statements raise curiosity among the listeners and they expect that the speaker is going to present the most important part of the speech now.

The speaker should engage the audience and make the speech interactive. S/he should encourage the audience to participate and ask questions. It motivates the audience to listen to the speaker with more attention as well as makes the environment lively.

Sometimes the speech includes queries of the audience. It provides the speaker a chance to clear their doubts. In that case, the question - answer session is very much crucial to the speaker as well as audience. The speaker should be ready with possible questions from the audience with their answers in mind. S/he should handle the situation tactfully and satisfy the person asking question with the answer. S/he should encourage the audience to ask questions, repeat the question before answering, and request the person to ask the question in one go in order to avoid counter questioning. S/he should handle even irrelevant or irritating questions with stoic patience.