Page 321 - Between One and Many The Art and Science of Public Speaking

288 Part 3 Putting Theory Into Practice

Adapting Delivery to the Speech Occasion

How we present our speech depends on the specifi c rhetorical situation we face
and the kind of delivery our audience is likely to expect. A speech commemorat-
ing or honoring a person calls for a formal and dignifi ed delivery. Other speech
situations call for an energetic, dynamic delivery. A motivational speaker, for
example, usually dispenses with the lectern and moves about the stage, perhaps
even into the audience. A lively style is expected and rewarded. Then there
are situations that call for a lighthearted, comic style of delivery. For example,
“roasts” honoring someone are often punctuated with good-natured joking at the
honoree’s expense. Unlike a commemorative speech, a delivery at a roast should
be informal and lively. The key is to understand what the audience expects in a
given situation and match your delivery style to those expectations.

Discovering Your Personal Style

A class in public speaking shouldn’t be looked on as an episode of Extreme Make-
Over. All of us have a personal “style” of communicating that has been evolving
over the course of our lives. Our goal is to assist you in developing and adapting
your personal style to the demands of the public speaking transaction both now
and in the future. This involves teasing out the elements of your personal style
that can work for you when you speak, and modifying elements of your personal
style that may be undermining your ability to truly shine.
Many styles of speaking can work to the advantage of a speaker. Some speak-
ers are dramatic and have a fl air for telling stories, revealing things about them-
selves with which the audience can identify. They have a high level of energy as
is evidenced by their gestures and facial expressions. Other speakers are nearly
deadpan but still highly effective. As we recommend in the Self-Assessment box
“Assessing Your Personal Style” on page 289, build on the style of delivery that
comes most naturally to you rather than trying to mimic a style unsuitable to you.

Your Voice

Before we talk about what makes voices as unique as fi ngerprints, we want to
re-emphasize the fact that what you say and how you say it are not the same
thing. The spoken word has two dimensions. One dimension is content—the
words themselves and the way they are confi gured to form sentences. The other
dimension is vocalic—the sound that shapes the meaning the spoken word con-
veys to the audience. Consider the sentence “I love you.” By changing the pitch,
volume, and infl ection of your voice as you utter the sentence, you can actually
alter the meaning the sentence conveys to another person. It can be sensuous or
sincere, for example, depending on the tone of voice with which it is spoken.
In a sense, words are like musical notes, and the voice is like an instrument.
In the hands of a skilled musician, notes are not simply played but are shaped
by the musician. Skilled guitarists playing the same notes can produce quite
different sounds, depending on how they bend or agitate the strings with their
fi ngertips. Skilled speakers do much the same thing with the pitch, tempo, and
rhythm of their voices.