How To Deliver a Speech

Speech is the vocalized form of human communication. It is based upon the  syntactic combination of lexicals and names that are drawn from very large (usually >10,000 different words) vocabularies. Each spoken word is created out of the phonetic combination of a limited set of vowel and consonant speech sound units. These vocabularies, the syntax which structures them, and their set of speech sound units, differ creating the existence of many thousands of different types of mutually unintelligible human languages. Human speakers are often able to communicate in two or more of them. The vocal abilities that enable humans to produce speech also provide humans with the ability to sing.

Some golden rules, are designed to prevent a public speaking disaster when you make your speech and minimize the damage if anything does go wrong.

1.      Keep it simple - The fewer moving parts and dependencies your props have, the less likely they are to go wrong. Don't get smart, don't get clever. Just keep it simple. Example: Don't bring a powerpoint presentation, 3x5 index cards and some notes to the stage. Use one tool and use it well.

2.      Don't over-rely - Knowing that things can go wrong, you cannot over-rely on your props. A speech based entirely off a powerpoint presentation bombed when the screen failed and no backup print-outs were available. The public speaker who could not deliver his speech without his cue cards, discovered too late that they were completely out of order (quick tip - if using cue cards, make sure they are numbered, and you use large text that can easily be read at arms length).

3.      Be prepared - As discussed when we looked at knowing the public speaking venue, it's critical to know what props you will be expected to use. If you will be using a microphone, make sure you're shown how to use it first. If there is a large screen in use, make sure your powerpoint notes are available, or instead, a simple title page with your name and the name of your speech.

4.      Be prepared for mishaps - So you know what props you will be required to use and you even know how to use them. You know how to use that remote control and infrared pointer? Great! But what happens if the batteries fail? If the microphone fails, will you know what to do? (move your location if it helps being heard, shorten your speech, if appropriate). Of course, it is impossible to legislate for every mishap, but minimizing the impact of mishaps can only make your job easier.