Page 345 - Between One and Many The Art and Science of Public Speaking

312 Part 3 Putting Theory Into Practice

and anticipates and controls for as many variables as possible rather than merely
reacting to them. Reactive delivery is like the boxer who only counterpunches.
This wait-and-see attitude is rarely the mark of a championship boxer, and it
can be disastrous for even the most seasoned public speaker. The guidelines that
follow should assist you in making sure that your nonverbal behavior enhances,
rather than detracts from, the delivery of your speech.

Tips and Tactics
Guidelines for Proactive Speech Delivery

1. Take control of your environment. Regardless of when or where you are speak-
ing, you are responsible for making sure the environment suits your purpose
and delivery style. This means checking out and modifying the environment
well ahead of the time you are scheduled to speak. Check on the confi gura-
tion of seats and whether or not they need to be re-arranged. Check on the
lighting, including its operation if you need to darken the room. Check on
the equipment available, including projectors, screens, video monitors, and
computers. During your check make sure you know how to operate them if
you plan on using them. If you are using a microphone, make sure you have
rehearsed with it and have done a thorough sound check.
2. Rehearse. You will never be comfortable with your delivery until you are fi rst
comfortable with the content of your speech. If you have to “overly think”
about content as you actually speak, then it will impede your ability to
complement your message nonverbally. On the other hand, when you are
comfortable to the point that your speech becomes second nature, your facial
expressions, gestures, and movements will become natural extensions of your
message. Rehearsing content, therefore, paves the way for proactive delivery.
3. Take control of your appearance. Dressing appropriately is one of the easiest
ways to enhance initial impressions of you as the medium of your message.
Think about the possible effects of apparel, such as the baseball cap that
seems to be attached to your scalp, the baggy shorts you prefer, or the saying
on your favorite T-shirt.
4. Use natural gestures. Make a video of your practice. Check on your gestures.
Do they appear natural and complement your delivery, or do they appear
forced and detract from your spoken message?
5. Time your speech. Do this more than once and on video if you can. Note your
timing and the degree to which the rate at which you speak facilitates the
mood you want to communicate to your audience. Also, remind yourself
that your practice time probably will be longer than when you actually
speak before your audience.
6. Avoid self-adapting behaviors. During practice, watch out for self-adapting be-
haviors such as playing with your hair, tugging on a fi nger, cracking knuck-
les, licking your lips, and hiding your hands. Self-adapters such as these will
call attention to themselves and undermine perceptions of your power and
self-confi dence. Before you speak, empty pants pockets of loose change and
keys and leave pencils and pens at your desk.