Page 338 - Between One and Many The Art and Science of Public Speaking

Chapter 11 Delivery: Engaging Your Audience 305

Given the preceding caveat, gesturing and
moving can complement your delivery in sev-
16
eral ways. These include making your deliv-
ery more emblematic, making your delivery
more illustrative, and regulating the speech
transaction.

Emblems
The speeches of the best public speakers are
usually rich in emblems. An emblem is a
nonverbal behavior that can be directly trans-
lated into words and phrases and may replace
17
them. For example, it’s now widely under-
stood that when a person holds up his or her
hand to an ear with the thumb and little fi nger
extended and the other fi ngers curled under, it
means “call me.” Emblems must meet the fol-
lowing criteria: This photo shows people with fi ngers in a “V”—which is an
emblem know as a peace sign.
1. The emblem means something specifi c to
the audience members.
2. The emblem is used intentionally by the speaker to stimulate meaning.
3. The emblem can be easily translated into a few words. emblem
A nonverbal symbol that
As a case in point, U.S. service personnel in Iraq are advised that the okay sign
can be substituted for a
made by Americans with the thumb and forefi nger actually is considered an “evil
word.
eye” by Iraqis. Further, they are warned, “To signal a vehicle to stop, place arm
in front of you, palm down, and then move entire arm up and down. If you sim-
ply face the palm toward a person, it means hello, not stop, as in America.” 18

Illustrators
Nonverbal behaviors that accompany speech and “show” what is being talked
about are called illustrators. Although a lot like emblems, they are more gen-
illustrators
eral and seldom translate into a few words. The most common way we nonver-
Nonverbal symbols used
bally illustrate is with our hands. Verbal directions or descriptions beg for the
to visualize what is being
use of our hands. Try giving someone directions or describing an object—say, a
spoken.
spiral staircase—without using your hands.
Regulators
Gestures called regulators can infl uence the amount and type of feedback
regulators
received from the audience. If you hold up your hand when asking audience
Nonverbal behaviors that
members whether they’ve ever felt frustrated waiting in line, for example, you
infl uence the speech
are much more likely to prompt them to raise their hands as well. If you are
transaction.
stationary throughout a speech, your audience will give you much different feed-
back than if you were to move and periodically change the zone of interaction.
Using gestures and movement to regulate feedback requires planning and re-
hearsal. An unnatural or inappropriate gesture or specifi c movement may elicit
a response from the audience that you don’t expect.