Delivery Tips

“Men trust their ears less than their eyes.”

—Herodotus

A speech is much more than the words written on a piece of paper. It is the communication of those words with the speaker’s whole being in a way that reflects the content that is being communicated. Here are some ways to get your message across effectively.

Speak from the heart. People are much more interested in authenticity than they are in a polished, too formal speech. I tell people to speak the truth—their truth. Talk about what is important to you.

Be present in the moment. That means using your eyes not just to connect with people in the audience but to “read” what they are saying back to you with their body language. Make adjustments to what you’re saying or how you’re saying it if you need to.

Create a conversation with the audience versus giving them a lecture. Look at individuals in the audience and make eye contact with them. Talk as if you’re talking just to them. Then move on to someone else. “Work the room”.

Change your voice to reflect your feelings about what you’re saying. Don’t speak in a monotone. Or at the same pace. Use pauses around important information and between ideas or parts of the speech. Repeat important facts or information.

Tell stories. Human beings are wired for narrative. If you want to get an abstract idea across, put it in a personal story or an anecdote that illustrates the point you’re trying to make. Show us what you are talking about, don’t just tell us about it. Humor—especially self-effacing humor—is another very effective way to connect with an audience.

Look at the audience if you are reading a speech as you deliver the words with the expression the speech deserves. If you speak while looking down, your projection goes down and your enunciation suffers.

Use gestures to help make your point. Body language expresses feelings better than words do. Just make sure that your gestures are consistent with what you are saying. If they are not, listeners will tend to believe what they see, not what they hear. Don’t let gestures distract the audience or detract from what you’re saying.

Speak about things in terms of the audience’s benefit. Anticipate the audience’s questions and build answers to them in your talk. Rhetorical questions like “why is this important?” and “what do I want you to take away from this?” are great ways to “flag” what’s important and get the audience’s attention.

Use common, everyday language rather than multisyllabic jargon to get your point across. Also, try to create images with your words, pictures that people will remember “seeing” long after they have forgotten your words.

Welcome anxiety. Don’t fear it. Virtually all of us are nervous when we get up to speak because we are on display and about to be judged. Come to the podium with anxiety, but also with excitement and pride. Take a few breaths, look out at the audience, find a friendly face to talk to, begin speaking your truth, and enjoy the moment.

Here are some great examples of a good delivery:

• Conversational style, being present in the moment, and effective use of gestures: Bill Clinton
• Reading a script with eye contact and expression and telling stories and using humor: Isabel Allende
• Speaking the truth: Representative Barbara Lee
• Speaking in terms of the audience’s benefit and anticipating their questions: Steve Jobs