Kathleen Windsor Windsor 1

Professor Gina Johnson

COM 1010

02 March 2018

Argument #1

A public speaker has to get up in front of crowd of people and present a topic, for some

this may never be an easy task. Stage fright is a very real issue for some people, causing them to

mix up words and stubble through their presentation or speech. This makes the topic hard to

follow and confusing to the audience. An effective public speaker seems to never have the same

mistakes or slip ups. Were they always good at speaking in front of a large crowd of people?

How do they do this? An effective public speaker focuses on three main points when speaking to

a crowd; their physical delivery, vocal delivery and the overall organization of the presentation.

Physical delivery focuses on how the speaker moves around the room or on the stage

while presenting, makes eye contact with the crowd, and uses body language while speaking to

keep the audience’s attention. A person who is nervous to speak in front of a crowd should avoid

playing with their hair or touching their face; this can show the audience that you are

uncomfortable and possible lead the audience to be less persuaded. Facial expressions should

match the speaker’s body language; if the verbal and non-verbal communication is conflicting

the audience will be confused as well. If the speaker stands straight, makes effective eye contact

with the audience and appears physically confident the audience will be able to follow along

through the speech and be persuaded by the topic.

Physical delivery is just as important as vocal delivery. Vocal delivery focuses on the

tone, volume and the words used during the presentation. The speaker should change their tone

and volume while presenting; if a quote or fact is very important to the topic the speaker should
 Windsor 2

speak with more intensity so that the speaker keeps the attention of the audience. When asking a

rhetorical question the speaker should pause to give the audience a chance to think. Devito

explains that the speaker should “[v]ary your language to express different degrees of intensity”

(347) meaning that speaker should also use words that evoke a deeper emotion and thought. The

speaker should be clear, vivid and powerful with their word choice. Rehearsing the speech before

stepping in front of the audience will help the speaker make adjustments and perform better

when it’s time to speak in front of the crowd. Devito lists that rehearsal time can be used

effectively “to develop a delivery that will help you achieve the objectives of your speech, to see

how the speech will flow as a whole and to make any changes and improvements you think

necessary, and to reduce any feelings of apprehension and gain confidence” (349).

The vocal and physical delivery of a speech can be enhanced by the overall organization

of a speech. After collecting the information and facts needed to present a topic, the speaker

should start to organize where each fact or piece of information should go within their speech..

Once the information is collected the organization of the speech can be determined. Some facts

will have similarities or a common theme under the main topic, these facts should be listed

together in the same section of the speech. Devito claims that “[o]rganizing will help guide the

speech preparation process, help your audience understand your speech, help your audience

remember your speech, and help establish your credibility” (323). There are multiple types of

organizational patterns for a speech. The temporal pattern is useful for speeches the involve

stages; the spatial pattern is used for speeches about physical objects; the topical pattern helps

organize speeches with 3 different topics. The cause and effect pattern is useful for speeches

about social issues; compare and contrast can be used when a topic is similar or different in 3

ways; and the 5 W’s pattern is useful when speaking about an event. These organizational
 Windsor 3

patterns will help the speaker prepare a speech with an effective flow to keep the audience’s

attention and persuade the audience with their topic.

While standing in front of an audience can be nervous racking ad high stress, these

speaking tips and tricks can reduce the stress and create a strong flow to a topic. The audience is

more likely to retain the information when the speaker is calm, collected and confident. An

effective speaker will develop a strong physical delivery, vocal delivery, and organization of

their speech. These tips will improve any speech with any topic.

Note: All page references are to Devito, Joseph A. Human Communication: The Basic Course.
14th ed. (Boston: Pearson, 2018.)