Page 325 - Between One and Many The Art and Science of Public Speaking

292 Part 3 Putting Theory Into Practice

excessively rapid pace can be perceived as a sign of nervousness. An excessively
slow pace may suggest a speaker is not well prepared. Researchers have found
that moderate to fast rates of speaking tend to be associated with increased per-
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ceptions of a speaker’s competence on the part of the audience. Other research-
ers have noted a ceiling to that effect, however, meaning that too fast a rate of
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speaking can backfi re. In addition, when audiences perceive speech rates as
similar to their own, they are more likely to fi nd speakers socially attractive
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and to comply with their requests. The best advice is to moderately vary your
tempo. Not only will this accommodate the different preferences of individuals
in your audience, it will also enhance the overall effect of your message.
Your tempo is also affected by pauses. Sometimes a brief moment of silence
can convey much to an audience. Pausing just before delivering a crucial word or
phrase helps grab the audience’s attention. Pausing after you’ve made an impor-
tant point gives it time to sink in. Used judiciously, pauses can be an effective rhe-
torical device. It is also better to pause a moment than to fi ll the air with “ums,”
“uhs,” and “you knows,” which are really vocalized pauses. The best way to con-
trol disfl uencies such as these is to practice your speech until it is second nature.

Articulation

If you expect an audience to understand what you are saying, you need clear
articulation, which refers to the distinctness with which you make individual
sounds. You may have experienced the frustration of listening to someone who
sounds mushy, failing to distinctly vocalize sounds. A common articulation
problem comes from either running together differing sounds or dropping parts
of a word: goin’ instead of going, wanna instead of want to, or whatcha doin’? in
place of what are you doing? A good way to test your articulation is to audio-
record your speech and listen critically to yourself. If you fi nd a consistent ar-
ticulation problem or set of problems, you may want to fi nd out if your college or
university offers a course in voice and articulation. Sometimes drama or theatre
department courses in voice for performers can be of assistance. Severe articula-
tion problems are often best treated by a speech pathologist. But for most stu-
dents in public speaking classes, exercising care, practicing, and slowing down
are the keys to being understood by the audience.
In Chapter 10 we emphasized the importance of using words correctly. This
is a good place to reemphasize the fact. As you practice articulating words, make
sure that you are also pronouncing them correctly. “Nu-ku-lar” is still wrong, no
matter how well you articulate it.
As we said in Chapter 10, mispronounced words tend to undermine audience
perceptions of a speaker’s credibility. This is true whether the mispronunciation
involves a term unique to a profession or the name of a person or place. Medi-
cal terms such as hemangioma can tie up the tongue of even the most articulate
speaker. So, too, can place names such as Mexico’s Cacaxtla or the last name of
recognized football star Troy Polamalu.
For some words, the correct pronunciation is as close as a dictionary. In addi-
tion, some online dictionaries (e.g., http://www.howjsay.com) let you type in a
word and actually hear it pronounced. For terms and names like those in our ex-
ample, however, a dictionary may be no help at all, and the advice of an expert
is required: a physician, an authority on Central America, or the actual person
whose surname we will otherwise murder. The time for such consultation is well