Using Your Voice and Body to Influence

 

Contents Voice Appearance Body Choices for Delivery: Strategic Considerations

 

From Sprague, Jo and Douglas Stuart. Speaker’s Handbook. 2^nd Ed. San Diego: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1988.

Your delivery should enhance your message and extend its influence.

A.    Voice

1.     Use changes in your delivery like “verbal bold type” to signal main points and big ideas.

2.     Tips

a.      Keep a conversational tone. Public speaking should be an extension of your conversational tone.

b.     Energize.

c.      Even if reading from a manuscript, be direct.

d.     Vary your delivery. Any measured quality about your delivery will detract from your message.

i.       Rate, including overall rhythm.

ii.     Volume.

1.)   Be loud enough for the space.

2.)   Vary volume.

iii.   Pitch

iv.   Pauses

v.     Quality (not usually varied in most routine presentations)

vi.   Pronounce words distinctly and naturally.

vii. Use standard, acceptable pronunciation.

viii.         Adjust for your accent or for special words.

3.     Avoid these vocal problems

a.      Anything that stays the same all the time: volume, pitch, rate, rhythm patterns.

b.     Affected or distracting vocal qualities

i.       Harshness, Hoarseness, or Stridency

ii.     Breathiness, Thinness, or Weakness

iii.   Avoid problems of articulation.

c.      Vocalized pauses and other irrelevant sounds and phrases.

i.       uh, um, err

ii.     y’know

iii.   any phrase you repeat without good reason

B.    Appearance

1.     Make sure your appearance enhances your message.

2.     Clothes

3.     Grooming

C.    Body

1.     Tips

a.     Look at your audience.

i.       Especially at critical points like the introduction and conclusion.

ii.     Look at them directly.

b.     Use facial expression to reflect or forecast mood and tone.

c.      Stand or sit with a relaxed but alert posture.

d.     When standing

i.       Feet shoulder width apart.

ii.     Feet on the floor.

iii.   Weight equally distributed on both feet. Don’t rock back and forth.

iv.   Knees flexed

v.     Arms relaxed at your side when not gesturing. This feels far more awkward than it looks. Hands can be in your pockets, but not to hide them-make it look natural.

e.      Make any movement purposeful.

f.       Move to reinforce structure, e.g. a different place for each point.

g.     Move to emphasize a big idea.

h.     Keep your hands free so you can gesture if it feels natural.

i.       Make gestures natural, forceful and complete.

2.     Avoid

a.      Distracting mannerisms

i.       Drumming fingers.

ii.     Jangling keys.

b.     Repeated movements that don’t enhance the message.

c.      Nervous movements that draw attention to themselves.

d.     Gestures that are only half-way.

e.      Gestures that look planned.