KARATINA UNIVERSITY

CCM 211PUBLIC SPEAKING

Course Instructor: Prof. Juliet Macharia

Email :jmacharia@karu.ac.ke

Topic 4-Types of Speech Delivery Notes

Introduction

Learning outcomes

i. Differentiate among the four methods of speech delivery.

ii. Understand when to use each of the four methods of speech delivery.
iii. Demonstrate an understanding on how to eliminate disadvantages found in each
delivery mode
iv. Use principles of speech delivery according to different communication
settings.

Types of Speech Delivery

In the context of public speaking, delivery refers to the presentation of the speech you
have researched, organized, outlined, and practiced. Delivery is important, of course,
because it is what is most immediate to the audience. Delivery relies on both verbal and
nonverbal communication .

The Importance Of Speech Delivery

Once you have selected and researched your topic, and prepared and organized your
presentation, you will need to work on your delivery .Without diligent work on the
initial parts of the speech process, however, even the most impressive delivery has little
meaning. On the other hand, combined with a well-prepared and practiced
presentation, delivery can be a key to your success as a speaker.

Delivery can communicate your confidence and preparedness to your audience.

1
Effective delivery shows your audience that you have researched your topic and
understand what you are speaking about. An effective delivery allows you to pull it all
together—to showcase your work and to speak with confidence during your delivery.

Think about some of the brief courtroom speeches you’ve seen or heard by lawyers on
various television shows, such as Law and Order. Think about how they communicate
confidence and enthusiasm in their arguments when making a case to the jury. If an
attorney does not seem confident in his or her delivery, how might it affect the jury’s
decision?

Speaking in public has more formality than talking. During a speech, you should
present yourself professionally. This means you must( wear a suit or “dress up”) make
yourself presentable by being well groomed and wearing clean, appropriate clothes.
That is ,dress according to the occasion and the purpose of your speech. 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.

2
3
A good and prepared speaker.

Four Types of Speech Delivery There are four types of speeches that most speakers
utilize in delivering a speech.

1. Impromptu : Delivery without prior preparation

When to use : When no preparation is possible; in response to a spontaneous event.

In the impromptu mode you deliver a presentation without notes, plans, or formal
preparation and with spontaneity and conversational language. The word impromptu
has Latin and French roots and means “in readiness.”(Pearson,et.al,2011)

Impromptu speeches are speeches that are delivered without notes or a plan, and
without any formal preparation – they are very spontaneously delivered. This is one of
the most nerve wracking situations for most people to find themselves in because there
isn’t a plan or agenda to follow – they just have to get up and speak without any
“thinking” time. They are afraid of not knowing what to say when they get up in front
4
of the audience so they might make a fool of themselves. The reality is that this is the
type of public speaking you are the MOST prepared for. Your daily life is filled with
impromptu experiences and conversations. Every phone conversation, exchange
between you and a loved one, and discussion amongst friends is impromptu by its very
nature – even if we “practice” our conversations, they are still impromptu in their
delivery. So, while most students are nervous about impromptu speeches, they are the
type they are the most prepared for from their daily experience.

Ordinarily, this mode of delivery requires no practice and no careful choice of language.
The impromptu mode encourages you to “think on your feet” without research,
preparation, or practice.(Pearson,et.al,2011)

Advantages:

1. No prior work involved

2. Speakers sound natural and sincere

3. Speeches are usually brief

Disadvantages:

1. requires speaking experience

2. Must have a purpose and be organized immediately, with no preparation or

planning.

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.

5
  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.

1. Extemporaneous speeches
These are speeches that are carefully prepared and practiced by the speaker
before the actual speaking time. A speaker will utilize notes or an outline as a
guide while they are delivering the speech. According to Pearson,et al(2011) This
mode is message- and audience-centered, with the speaker focused not on the
notes but on the ideas being expressed. Considerable eye contact, freedom of
movement and gesture, the language and voice of conversation, and the use of
an outline or key-words to keep the speaker from reading or paying undue
attention to the written script characterize this mode. The notes or outline will
usually include any quotes and sources the speaker wants to cite in the
presentation, as well as the order the information in the speech should be
delivered in. The speech is delivered as if the speaker is having a conversation
with the audience. Since the speaker is not reading the entire speech, the
extemporaneous speaker uses the notes as a guide only – a sort of memory
trigger – and the speaker will also be able to respond to the audience since her
head isn’t trapped by reading every word on a paper. This is the type of public
speaking you should strive to use in Fundamentals of Oral Communication for
your informative and persuasive speeches as this is most practical type of public
speaking – the type you are most likely use in a real life situation when you
might be asked to give a formal presentation.
Advantages:
1. Allows speakers to adapt to different audiences and situations

6
 2. Changes can be made up to during the speech.
3. Delivery sounds natural
4. Takes less time than writing a manuscript
5. Enables a speaker to organize ideas easily
Disadvantages:
1. Eye contact may suffer while looking at notes
2. Handling notes may interfere with gestures and movement.

3. Manuscript speeches- Delivery from a text in which every word of the speech is
written out.

When to use: In situations where a speech must be worded carefully or a record of the
content is necessary

These are speeches that are delivered with a script of the exact words to be used. If they
have to give a speech, most people prefer to have every single word in front of them so
they can basically “read” the speech to the audience. While this is very reassuring for a
speaker and they feel like they won’t “forget” anything if they have every word in front
of them, manuscript speaking is one of the worst traps to fall into for a speaker. The
speaker who utilizes a complete manuscript will often spend more time looking at the
script than at the audience. By doing this, the speaker is unable to react to the audience
or respond to the audience members questions. Therefore, the manuscript becomes a
trap for the speaker.

Advantages:

1. Assures exact wording

2. Holds to specific time limits

3. Preparation time allows for careful language when exact wording is essential.

Disadvantages:

7
1. Difficult to write for spoken English: the speech often sounds awkward

2. Affected or stilted delivery

3. Requires a great deal of experience to prepare

4. It cannot be adapted to the situation and the audience during delivery

5. It requires a great deal of time to prepare

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.

4. Memorized Speeches: A manuscript speech that’s committed to memory

When to use : In contest situations when you don’t want notes to interfere with delivery
and eye contact

Memorized speeches are speeches that are committed to memory. The speaker
completely memorizes the text of a speech and then delivers the speech from memory
without reliance on notes or an outline. This mode requires considerable practice and
allows ample eye contact, movement, and gestures. However, this mode discourages
the speaker from responding to feedback, from adapting to the audience during the
speech, and from choosing words that

8
might be appropriate at the moment. (Pearson,et.al,2011) This type of speaking is not
very common to daily living unless you are in a profession like acting.

Politicians, athletes, and businesspeople who speak to the same kind of audience about
the same subjects often end up memorizing their speeches. Even professors, when the
teach a class for the third time in a week, may memorize the lesson for the day.

Advantages

1. Allows for a very polished delivery

2. Includes the advantages of a manuscript without losing eye contact for affective
delivery.
Disadvantages
1. Can be over-rehearsed and sound unnatural

2 Speaker can forget portions of the speech

3 Requires a great deal of experience to prepare

4 It cannot be adapted to the situation and the audience during delivery

5 It requires a great deal of time to prepare

Memorized speeches should only be delivered when necessary and/or when the
speaker is comfortable with their skills and the situation

To sum Up

 There are four main kinds of speech delivery: impromptu, extemporaneous,

manuscript, and memorized.

9
  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.

References

Lucas, S.E (2019). The art of public speaking (13th ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill.

Osborn, M., & Osborn, S. (2014). Public Speaking (7th ed.). Boston: Houghton Mifflin

Pearson J.et al (2011) Human Communication. Boston: Mc Graw – Hill

10