Speaking English in the Right Way- Methods of Delivery in English

As a leading online English speaking course in India, we always emphasize the importance of speech delivery. Speaking is one of the most essential elements of English speaking. It makes a speech distinctive from other forms of communication.

All our online English tutors advocate that oral communication is richer than the written language because of delivery. This does not mean that written English should not be your area of focus, we have discussed at length in this blog on simple tips to write better

All online English classes in India have several courses on improving pronunciations, enunciations as well as speech delivery styles.

Why are speech delivery styles important?

The following are some aspects of delivery that are common to all good speakers.

• One Must Speak Clearly-Words must be enunciated properly so that the people can understand what is being said. People speaking fast often lose track and at the same time, the audience is not able to comprehend the message. Therefore, varying the rate at which the words are spoken is an effective technique, but, better to go slow than fast

• One Must Speak Loudly- With clarity, the speaker must be loud enough so that the audience is able to listen to him properly. Regulating the volume of voice is important when delivering a message to the audience.

• Usage of Gestures- Gestures are an effective asset of a speaker, but they must be used judiciously while giving a speech. The gestures should be natural and in synchrony with the meaning of the spoken words.

• Make Eye Contact- When delivering or talking to any person, maintain eye contact. Maintaining eye contact will help you to engage with the audience. They will feel that you are taking an interest in each of them.

Methods of fluent English delivery

Moving to the methods of delivery, there are four most common styles for public speaking. They are Extemporaneous, Manuscript, Memorization, and Impromptu delivery.

Extemporaneous- The most preferred way by speakers, this is one of the four methods of oral delivery in which the speaker can deliver speech with the help of already prepared notes, outline or handouts. It is the presentation of a carefully planned and rehearsed speech which is spoken in a conversational tone using brief notes. By using notes, the extemporaneous speaker can establish a relationship and eye-contact with the audience and assess how well they are understanding the speech. Studies shows that speakers who use great eye contact emerge as more competent and confident individuals. Frequent presentations will enable you to use less notes and make you feel more confident. It is one of the most natural of all methods of prepared delivery where you can get in a conversation with the people easily.

Benefits

1. Combines improvisation, preparation and spontaneity
2. Allows speaker to use notes but also maintain regular eye contact
3. Speaker can be both adaptable and precise

Drawbacks

1. Overuse and reading of notes can limit gestures and eye contact

Manuscript- A speech where the speaker jots down every word they will speak during the speech. In this method, each word is already planned and the speaker needs to read it from it. You might have seen the news anchors speaking generally from manuscript to deliver the news. Here, the speakers maintain their attention on the printed page except when using visual aids. It doesn’t offer much to the audience in the way of entertaining delivery or eye contact as it's already a pre-written speech.

Benefits

1. Accuracy and high precision
2. Transcript can be released simultaneously
3. Less pressure to read than to deliver
4. More control over outcome

Drawbacks

1. Limited eye contact
2. More focus towards written than spoken

Memorization- It is a technique where the speaker memorizes the speech before they deliver it. This type of speech is prepared well in advance and the speaker does not use any notes. This helps the speakers to gather courage and face the audience. It is important that one should not be too quick and should look natural as there is a tendency to forget the matter. Therefore, care should be taken to make the speech more spontaneous.

Benefits

1. Eye contact with the audience
2. Allows freedom of movement
3. Precise and exact wording

Drawbacks

1. Requires a lot of preparation time
2. Easy to forget
3. Does not allow for spontaneity

Impromptu- Impromptu means ‘without preparation’. It is when you need to deliver a speech or express your thoughts in front of a gathering without any preparation. This way of oral delivery requires ample knowledge, experience, and practice. One can speak impromptu after a lot of practice, and long presentations. If you can organize your thoughts quickly, you can surely give an impromptu speech.

Benefits:

1. Spontaneous
2. Eye contact with audience
3. Freedom to adapt and speak freely to any given situation

Drawbacks:

1. No preparation time
2. Lead to stress and anxiety
3. Less control over outcome

Even the best online English speaking course in India will not be helpful if you simply are unaware on what areas you need to work on to improve speech delivery. It is your discretion which method you would like to use for delivery. There may be parts of your presentation that you would like to have memorized so that you get the words correctly. On the other hand, you may want to deliver other parts of your speech freely. Whatever you choose, keep adapting and try to adapt new methods to find what works the best for you. There might be times where things won’t work exactly the same you had thought. Keep your calm and try to use a different strategy.

Often, the president of the United States reads the written speeches, and because of a lack of attention to the word choices, it creates controversies. For instance, President George W. Bush referred to the military response to September 11th as a “crusade” in a question-and-answer session on September 16, 2001. His statement resulted in a very strong response from some people in the audience.

The Crusades of the medieval period relates to a religious conflict in which Christians left their homes to engage in battles against Muslims in the Middle East. President Bush may not have intended to frame the military actions against terrorism as a holy war against non-Christians, but his word choice-which was spontaneous and impromptu rather than scripted. If he had pre-written notes, he might have avoided this controversy.

Presentation and speech both go hand in hand. Therefore, you need to deliver a good speech with impressive presentation aids. Delivery can certainly make a big impact on an audience in ways. Both aids and speech should be equally focused when preparing for a speech. Practice is a must to perform nicely, paying attention to your delivery and overall style.

Related Article: Pauses in Speech