Public Speaking Skills For Dummies

Chapter 21

Ten Ways to Improve Your Delivery

IN THIS CHAPTER

Analyzing and personalizing

Emphasizing and breathing

Recording and having people listen and give feedback

Here are ten ways to improve your delivery in your speech or presentation, culled from all over the book and collected and summarized here in one handy place.

Analyze Your Script

So you feel like you need to work on your delivery. But maybe it’s not all in how you’re saying it. It may be what you’re saying.

Many of my clients seem to believe that their speeches are set in stone once they feel they’re done writing them. But you can’t think of them that way. A speech is a living document. You should always be able to go back and improve it.

In analyzing your script, first answer these questions:

• What is your main point? Can you sum up the main point in one sentence?
• Why are you speaking to the audience? What makes you the expert?
• What do you want to say? You’re giving a speech to preteens about the benefits of staying in school. Are you giving a good presentation of your message?
• Is it relevant to your audience? You believe that what you have to say is important for the audience to hear — but is it important from ...