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CONTENTS
STAND UP, SPEAK OUT: THE PRACTICE AND ETHICS OF PUBLIC SPEAKING
14.1 Four Methods of Delivery
Learning Objectives
Differentiate among the four methods of speech delivery.
Understand when to use each of the four methods of speech delivery.
Lt. Governor Anthony Brown bring greetings to the 13th Annual House of Ruth Spring
Luncheon. by Brian K. Slack at Baltimore, MD
Maryland GovPics – House of Ruth Luncheon – CC BY 2.0.

The easiest approach to speech delivery is not always the best. Substantial work goes into the
careful preparation of an interesting and ethical message, so it is understandable that students
may have the impulse to avoid “messing it up” by simply reading it word for word. But students
who do this miss out on one of the major reasons for studying public speaking: to learn ways to
“connect” with one’s audience and to increase one’s confidence in doing so. You already know
how to read, and you already know how to talk. But public speaking is neither reading nor
talking.

Speaking in public has more formality than talking. During a speech, you should present
yourself professionally. This doesn’t mean you must wear a suit or “dress up” (unless your
instructor asks you to), but it does mean making yourself presentable by being well groomed
and wearing clean, appropriate clothes. It also means being prepared to use language correctly
and appropriately for the audience and the topic, to make eye contact with your audience, and
to look like you know your topic very well.

While speaking has more formality than talking, it has less formality than reading. Speaking
allows for meaningful pauses, eye contact, small changes in word order, and vocal emphasis.
Reading is a more or less exact replication of words on paper without the use of any nonverbal
interpretation. Speaking, as you will realize if you think about excellent speakers you have seen
and heard, provides a more animated message.

The next sections introduce four methods of delivery that can help you balance between too
much and too little formality when giving a public speech.

Impromptu Speaking
Impromptu speaking is the presentation of a short message without advance preparation.
Impromptu speeches often occur when someone is asked to “say a few words” or give a toast
on a special occasion. 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 Steve, and I’m a volunteer with the Homes for the Brave program.”
Another example of impromptu speaking occurs when you answer a question such as, “What
did you think of the documentary?”

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 his or her 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.

Take a moment to collect your thoughts and plan the main point you want to make.
Thank the person for inviting you to speak.
Deliver your message, making your main point as briefly as you can while still covering it
adequately and at a pace your listeners can follow.
Thank the person again for the opportunity to speak.
Stop talking.
As you can see, impromptu speeches are generally most successful when they are brief and
focus on a single point.

Extemporaneous Speaking
Extemporaneous speaking is the presentation of a carefully planned and rehearsed speech,
spoken in a conversational manner using brief notes. By using notes rather than a full
manuscript, the extemporaneous speaker can establish and maintain eye contact with the
audience and assess how well they are understanding the speech as it progresses. The
opportunity to assess is also an opportunity to restate more clearly any idea or concept that the
audience seems to have trouble grasping.

For instance, suppose you are speaking about workplace safety and you use the term “sleep
deprivation.” If you notice your audience’s eyes glazing over, this might not be a result of their
own sleep deprivation, but rather an indication of their uncertainty about what you mean. If this
happens, you can add a short explanation; for example, “sleep deprivation is sleep loss serious
enough to threaten one’s cognition, hand-to-eye coordination, judgment, and emotional health.”
You might also (or instead) provide a concrete example to illustrate the idea. Then you can
resume your message, having clarified an important concept.

Speaking extemporaneously has some advantages. It promotes the likelihood that you, the
speaker, will be perceived as knowledgeable and credible. In addition, your audience is likely to
pay better attention to the message because it is engaging both verbally and nonverbally. The
disadvantage of extemporaneous speaking is that it requires a great deal of preparation for both
the verbal and the nonverbal components of the speech. Adequate preparation cannot be
achieved the day before you’re scheduled to speak.

Because extemporaneous speaking is the style used in the great majority of public speaking
situations, most of the information in this chapter is targeted to this kind of speaking.

Speaking from a Manuscript

Manuscript speaking is the word-for-word iteration of a written message. In a manuscript
speech, the speaker maintains his or her attention on the printed page except when using visual
aids.

The advantage to reading from a manuscript is the exact repetition of original words. As we
mentioned at the beginning of this chapter, in some circumstances this can be extremely
important. 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 mispronunciation of a word or stumbling over complex
sentence structure.

However, there are costs involved in manuscript speaking. 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 (as poets do in a poetry slam and actors do in a
reader’s theater), the presentation tends to be dull. Keeping one’s eyes glued to the script
precludes eye contact with the audience. For this kind of “straight” manuscript speech to hold
audience attention, the audience must be already interested in the message before the delivery
begins.

It is worth noting that professional speakers, actors, news reporters, and politicians often read
from an autocue device, such as a TelePrompTer, especially when appearing 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 while 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, and (2) the speech is written in a style that sounds conversational.

Speaking from Memory

Memorized speaking is the rote recitation of a written message that the speaker has committed
to memory. Actors, of course, recite from memory whenever they perform from a script in a
stage play, television program, or movie scene. When it comes to speeches, memorization can
be useful when the message needs to be exact and the speaker doesn’t want to be confined by
notes.

The advantage to memorization is that it enables the speaker to maintain eye contact with the
audience throughout the speech. Being free of notes means that you can move freely around
the stage and use your hands to make gestures. If your speech uses visual aids, this freedom is
even more of an advantage. However, there are some real and potential costs. First, unless you
also plan and memorize every vocal cue (the subtle but meaningful variations in speech
delivery, which can include the use of pitch, tone, volume, and pace), gesture, and facial
expression, your presentation will be flat and uninteresting, and even the most fascinating topic
will suffer. You might end up speaking in a monotone or a sing-song repetitive delivery pattern.
You might also present your speech in a rapid “machine-gun” style that fails to emphasize the
most important points. Second, if you lose your place and start trying to ad lib, the contrast in
your style of delivery will alert your audience that something is wrong. More frighteningly, if you
go completely blank during the presentation, it will be extremely difficult to find your place and
keep going.

Key Takeaways
There are four main kinds of speech delivery: impromptu, extemporaneous, manuscript, and
memorized.
Impromptu speaking involves delivering a message on the spur of the moment, as when
someone is asked to “say a few words.”
Extemporaneous speaking consists of delivering a speech in a conversational fashion using
notes. This is the style most speeches call for.
Manuscript speaking consists of reading a fully scripted speech. It is useful when a message
needs to be delivered in precise words.
Memorized speaking consists of reciting a scripted speech from memory. Memorization allows
the speaker to be free of notes.
Exercises
Find a short newspaper story. Read it out loud to a classroom partner. Then, using only one
notecard, tell the classroom partner in your own words what the story said. Listen to your
partner’s observations about the differences in your delivery.
In a group of four or five students, ask each student to give a one-minute impromptu speech
answering the question, “What is the most important personal quality for academic success?”
Watch the evening news. Observe the differences between news anchors using a
TelePrompTer and interviewees who are using no notes of any kind. What differences do you
observe?
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There are four ways in which a speaker can deliver his or her information. Once can speak from
his head, commit every word to memory, read from a script or use a blended approach.
Choosing the Right Speech Delivery
So, you are asked to perform a speech before your graduating class. No biggie. Just get up on
stage and speak your piece. People will love it. They may even throw roses at the stage.

Well, that may be the case if you are familiar with your audience and, well, they are a very
forgiving bunch of fellows. That's mostly because there is more to giving a speech than the
actual content. Sure, facts must be accurate. The message should be important, and the
speaker must be engaging and well-groomed. That's the stuff Public Speaking 101 is made of.

A good speaker will also think about the delivery method, or the way in which the speech will be
conveyed to the audience. There are a few ways in which this is done:

Impromptu
Extemporaneous
Manuscript
Memorized
Let's explore them now.

Impromptu Speeches
Suppose while attending your best friend's wedding, the guests begin chanting your name
followed by the words 'Speech, Speech, Speech!'

Frightened at the possibility of having leftover prime rib thrown in your direction, your first
thought is to hide behind a potted plant. After all, it is your friend's wedding and you are the best
man, so you reluctantly get on stage and begin yapping. You might talk about your friendship,
his many former girlfriends, all of which you liked, his wife's mother and her facial mole, and the
nasty creamed spinach that was served with dinner.

Pat yourself on the back! You just performed an impromptu speech. This is a speech that has
no advanced planning or practice. Reflecting back on your speech, you are probably thinking
about what you could have done better. Your black eye may very well be the catalyst for your
regret in making those word choices. Well, lucky for you, if you are ever asked to speak before a
crowd without advanced notice again, here are a few tips you can use:

Think for a second about what you are going to say.

Keep your points brief and to the point.
Take a few seconds between thoughts to compose yourself.
If you take your time and think about what you would like to say, you probably will never put
your foot in your mouth again. Some speeches play it a little safer. They are a combination of a
researched speech and an off-the-cuff speech.
Extemporaneous Speeches
We learned that the impromptu speech can be tricky. Finding the right words without advanced
notice may not be for every speaker. No need to worry. The extemporaneous speech is a
perfect balance. This speech involves the speaker's use of notes and some embellishment to
deliver a speech. To clear this up, a speaker who uses this method would have note cards or
prompts that guide him from point to point, but he uses his own words as he goes along. What
makes this different than an impromptu speech is that he has a loose guideline for his speech.
He did not memorize anything; he just used cues to know where to go next.

There are advantages and disadvantages to this type of speech. For one, the audience will think
you are a genius. You used few notes and appeared to know everything about the topic. But this
is not something that can be done quickly. The same fact finding and research used for other
types of speeches must be used here. The speaker also must rehearse this speech for timing,
rhythm and flow. Now, if shooting from the hip is not your style, you may want to consider
reading your speech.

Manuscript Speeches