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10 Tips to Try Now to Master Stage Presence

Having a good stage presence is the key to any great performance. From live music to keynote speeches, the most memorable performers command the stage with charisma, energy, and confidence. As someone who has been giving speeches and presentations for multiple decades, I have learned a thing or two about having a good stage presence in my journey.

Your success as a presenter relies on your ability to capture and command the attention of your audience. You need to be able to direct and control that attention through your words, confidence, appearance, body language, eye contact, visual cues, and general mannerisms.

Depending on who you are and what your message is, your stage presence can be achieved in several ways. A politician must be eloquent, a comedian must be humorous, and a public speaker must be authentic. It’s important to understand where you stand and the best stage presence to have to get the most effective outcomes.

Whether it’s good or bad, everyone has a stage presence. You may be serious and articulate, hoping to convey impactful messages when on stage. Or, you may be curious and excitable, hoping to energize your audience when you get on stage. Either way, here on my tips on how to enhance your current stage presence in order to capture and engage your audience.

What is Stage Presence?

Stage presence cannot be defined by one word. Stage presence is a combination of things – your charisma, appeal, confidence, and energy when performing on stage. This also includes your level of comfort on stage, your ability to connect with your audience and hold their attention, and how memorable the experience was once it’s over. Your stage presence is the biggest variable that determines whether your audience will be spreading the word about your presentation after it’s over.

Having a good stage presence is very important when delivering a speech or presentation. The best speakers have a very captivating stage presence – they are able to capture the audience’s full attention and keep them interested throughout the entirety of their speech.   Improving your public speaking skills allows you to build confidence and develop a strong stage presence anytime you give a speech; from a presentation to your team at work, all the way to a company-wide keynote.  

How to Tell if You Have Good Stage Presence

Stage presence can be gauged by a few metrics. If you’re wondering how well you perform on stage, here are a few ways to figure it out.

  • Your audience’s reaction. Does your audience appear interested and engaged throughout your presentation? Are they laughing or reacting at all the right parts? Is their full attention on you? Did they give you positive feedback once your speech was over?
  • Your audience’s remembrance of your presentation. Was your audience talking about your presentation after it was over? Will they tell their friends, family, colleagues about what you presented? Were there memorable quotes or anecdotes in your speech that your audience can recall later on? Is your presentation being referenced long after you gave it?
  • Your own confidence in your presentation. How well do you think you performed? Did you feel like you executed the speech just as you hoped? Did you feel comfortable and confident throughout the presentation? Is there anything you could have improved?

These are all very important questions to ask yourself when determining your stage presence. The answers to these questions will help you understand what’s working, what can be improved, and what could be gotten rid of.

If some of the answers weren’t as great as you hoped they would be, I’ve included some of my best tips below to help boost your confidence, engage with your audience, and improve your overall stage presence .  

10 Tips to Improve Stage Presence

Everything from communicating with colleagues to presenting your big ideas to the company, having a good stage presence is an important factor in getting your message across. Being under a spotlight of any kind gives you command of the room – after that, you decide how you want the rest to go.

Throughout my 40-year career as a public speaker, I’ve learned and incorporated many best public speaking practices in my speeches. Here are a few that I believe are the most important in developing your unique stage presence and your own style of presenting.

1. Practice, practice, practice

Here’s a cliché we have all heard at least a dozen times: practice makes perfect.

Why is it a cliché, you ask? Because it’s been proven time and time again. If you, like 40% of Americans, have a fear of public speaking , practicing allows you to minimize the panic and mitigate stress during your presentation.

Whenever you are preparing to give a big presentation, nothing can take the place of practice. Practicing allows you to really nail down your main points, prepare for any situation that may arise during your speech, and help you gain confidence in your speaking skills.

If you’re newer to the world of public speaking, practicing will be incredibly helpful in overcoming your fears and developing a great stage presence.

2. Use Engaging Visuals

Enhancing stage presence can be done in many ways. A great tool I’ve utilized in many of my presentations is using engaging visuals. Though you should be the main focus of your presentation, visual aids can act as a useful addition to enhance your performance.

Using engaging visuals can help you tell your story and deliver meaningful points. Considering that over 65% of the population are visual learners, visual content also helps reinforce your message. Through the use of charts, infographics, images, videos, and even the occasional meme, visual aids can evoke emotion in your audience and strengthen your key points.

3. Bring your audience into the presentation

Whether it’s an anecdote, a question, a joke, or asking for a volunteer, bringing your audience into your performance is one of the best ways to make them feel valued and stay engaged.

People love to make their voices heard and feel like they are contributing to the conversation. You will notice how their body language changes when they feel like they have the opportunity to shine.

Engaging with your audience will allow you to establish and deeper connection with them and be seen as relatable.

You can create comradery and rapport to further capture your audience’s attention by bringing them into your presentation when appropriate. Developing a stage persona that feels relatable and accepting will make for a memorable performance.

4. Always seek to improve every performance

As a speaker that has been in this industry for a long time, I know that there is always room for improvement. Seeking opportunities for improvement will always keep you hungry to become the best performer you can be.

Reference past performances and look at areas you could have done better in. Record your speeches and take notes on them after the fact. Watch yourself and track how the audience reacts throughout your speech.

What did they like or dislike? When did they start losing interest? Was everyone fully engaged or were they talking amongst themselves?

The answers to these questions can help you pinpoint what works best for you during your performances.

Track your characteristics and patterns and think of ways to enhance the good ones and remove the bad ones. Maybe after rewatching your speech, you realize you have a different anecdote that you think could elevate your presentation the next time. Notes like this will help you continuously improve and enhance your public speaking skills and stage presence.

5. Use the entire stage

Whether in person or on zoom, utilize all the room you have – work the whole stage. Especially if you’re presenting to a large audience – make an effort to walk around the stage so you can engage with each portion of the audience. You will get a better view of your audience members, and they will see more of you. Hold meaningful eye contact with your audience members in order to build connections. Use your body language to convey openness and confidence.  

Staying in one place and reading from a prompter while presenting may feel dull and unenthusiastic. You want each audience member to follow your movements and stay engaged in your performance.

Plus, moving around and taking up space on the stage can help elevate your energy level and alleviate any tense nerves you may have, and make you look more confident whilst presenting. You will notice what kind of movements and body language your audience responds the most to. This is your opportunity to try new things and add them to the repertoire if they work well.  

6. Embrace the power of pause

One of the most important skills you can have as a speaker is listening. Being an active listener allows you to absorb new information and make people feel heard and understood. Rather than jumping to respond right after finishes speaking, a great listener always pauses . This pause allows you to gather your thoughts and respond with consideration to the message the person has spoken to you.

All great listeners are masters of the pause . They are comfortable with silence and can even use it to build momentum and anticipation for what they have to say next. They appear more confident and self-assured when they have the patience to pause. This skill is especially important when building your stage presence, as it will help you keep your audience at the edge of their seats.  

7. Dress to Impress

Though your audience will surely be attending your presentation to hear what you have to say, it’s very important to dress the part. Make sure you are wearing something that you feel comfortable and yourself in, but that also aligns with the meaning of your presentation.

For example, if your presentation is about how to find balance in life, wearing a full-pressed suit may not be the best choice. Why do you ask? Because the topic of the conversation is more casual and inclusive. You want to look and sound like you have found balance in your own life. A better outfit option for that speech could be a nice pair of slacks and a button-down.

If you are presenting something more formal and the event is corporate, a suit may be the way to go. Feeling good in the way you look while performing will help you speak with confidence and boost your stage presence.  

8. Stay Confident in Yourself, Even When Slipups Happen

You will always hear me say how important it is to be confident when performing. Your confidence, energy, and comfortability on stage allow your audience to focus on the message you are delivering, rather than how nervous you may be.

It is, however, not always as simple as that. You may miss a key point during your presentation or stumble on a few words. The microphone may stop working halfway through or the lights may suddenly go out. Your first instinct may be to panic that your presentation is ruined. But alas, it is not. Take a breath and pause if needed.

Having a good stage presence means you know how to handle bad situations. This means practicing how to deal with these kinds of situations before they occur. When you know what your next steps will be in case anything goes wrong, you won’t be nervous about anything to come. You’ll remain cool, calm, and collected through anything.

One of my favorite quotes is a Hasidic Proverb and it goes like this, “The man who has confidence in himself gains the confidence of others.”

If you remain confident in yourself, you will deliver an incredible presentation and leave your audience with some great leadership quotes of your own .  

9. Ensure All Equipment is Working

Though it’s important to stay confident if a bad situation arises during your presentation, it’s equally as important to mitigate risk wherever possible. Whether you’re presenting on a physical stage or virtually, make sure everything you need is working properly beforehand, like microphones, screens, cameras, and prompters.

Your stage presence can still be felt virtually. That’s why it’s so important to get familiar with and understand the technology you are using. You don’t want to distract from your presentation with silly errors, like not knowing how to un-mute yourself. Becoming familiar with the features you will need to use during your presentation will create an efficient and problem-free presentation. Learn how to share your screen, read audience members’ comments, break participants into discussion groups, run polls, and so to ensure that your presentation runs smoothly.

You also want to make sure your Wi-Fi is strong and your background is clean and clear, to mitigate unnecessary distractions and hold-ups. Your virtual stage presence relies heavily on your platform working well.  

10. Respect the Audience’s Time

We all know how annoying it is to be left waiting. That is why it’s so important to respect our audience’s time. Even if it’s just your presentation they have come to see, make sure that you start on time and end on time. By making sure your equipment is working properly, you can ensure that everything runs smoothly during your presentation. Even if something goes wrong, be conscious of the extra time and see where you can minimize going too far over time.

Your audience will only be willing to wait for so long before they start getting antsy, at both the beginning and the end of your presentation. You don’t want an impatient or agitated audience, as they won’t be as focused on the message you are delivering. When the audience feels like their time and energy is being considered and respected, they will give you their full attention.

These tips and tricks will help you not only give incredible presentations and speeches but help you have a better stage presence.

Take these tools and expand on them in your own way – this will help you incorporate your personality in your presentation and make your performance authentic.  Performing on stage may be scary at first, but with enough practice and effort, you will become the best performer you can possibly be.

If you want to kickstart your public speaking career and continue to develop stage presence, I highly recommend checking out my “Speak Like A Leader” course. This course will help you create the structure and plans you need in order to maximize your stage presence and master your public speaking skills. If you’re finally ready to become an incredible public speaker and change your life, this is the course for you. Don’t wait and miss out, check it out today!

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About Brian Tracy — Brian is recognized as the top sales training and personal success authority in the world today. He has authored more than 60 books and has produced more than 500 audio and video learning programs on sales, management, business success and personal development, including worldwide bestseller The Psychology of Achievement. Brian's goal is to help you achieve your personal and business goals faster and easier than you ever imagined. You can follow him on Twitter , Facebook , Pinterest , Linkedin and Youtube .

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13 Stage Presence Rules That Capture & Enrapture Your Audience

stage presence

Stage presence is the core variable that determines if someone will spread the good word about your performance after the show, or tell their buddies not to bother next time you’re in town.

“The band was really sucking that night and I don’t even like that genre of music, but man, the vocalist was the most enthusiastic and funny person ever. It’s worth seeing them just to watch this guy be a maniac on stage!”

If your stage presence is impeccable, you can weather any unforeseen mishaps and convert countless people into fans. This applies to rock bands, a single violinist in a large orchestra, a solo slam poet, a comedian, and anyone else that stands up in front of an audience of any size.

Of course, you can’t apply all of these suggestions if you have an assigned seat in an orchestra, but otherwise if you have freedom of movement then you need to be exercising every tactic you can to your benefit. And we have everything you need below.

Obviously you’re going to practice, study the greats and their star power, and try to emulate their charisma and charm, but that still doesn’t tell you exactly how to command the audience. Let’s break down exactly what stage presence is and then jump right into the 13 stage performance tips.

What is Stage Presence?

Stage presence is the ability of a performer to capture and command the attention of an audience , directing and controlling that attention by being impressive in one’s visual appearance, body language, charismatic speech, and general mannerisms.

This can be achieved through eloquence like a politician, respect and intimidation like a military leader, humor and silliness like a comedian, authenticity like an author reading a new story, or by being the biggest personality in the room like a rock star performing on stage.

How to Have Good Stage Presence

We’re here to talk about how to develop stage presence. Everyone already has a presence whether good or bad, so the task is really that of learning how to improve stage presence. The following 13 stage performance tips are all you need.

Taking these tips and expanding upon them in your own way is what will give you confidence and make your performance authentic. Being real is how you get through into people’s hearts, but that also needs to have layers on top of it that make you seem bigger and better than the common person.

You’ll develop your own cool things to do on stage while performing, and they’ll all fit into the framework below. So take your time, take notes, write down ideas, and get ready to up your game to the next level.

#1 – Project the Most Idealized Version of Yourself

stage performance tip 1 - project the most idealized version of yourself

What I mean by this is that you first need to know who you are and what makes you unique. Once you identify that, then you can create a fantasy version of yourself in your head, but it still has to fit into reality. It has to be natural to be authentic, otherwise people will spot you’re being a fake. Don’t do that.

If you’re not funny at all, your idealized version of yourself can’t be the funniest guy ever. But that doesn’t mean you can’t tell purposefully bad jokes in between songs. If you deliver them right, that in itself will be extremely entertaining.

Notice the word “project.” That means that you don’t necessarily have to buy into your own delusion, but you can still outwardly show these qualities that you wish you had to the crowd. They’ll believe it, and in time you will actually gain these qualities and come to believe it too.

What will happen is your self-esteem and confidence will sky rocket, which will lead to you being relaxed and comfortable on stage. And when that happens, magic will occur. You’ll start to think on your toes, be witty, and find tons of opportunities to add extra flair to your shows. Your real persona will become your stage persona over time.

#2 – Mind Your Posture & Body Language

stage presence tip 2 - posture and body language

Out of all the things you’re actively doing on stage, that only controls about 50% of what other people think of you. The other 50% is unspoken and comes from your body language. That means you can’t stand there like a statue behind your instrument or the mic stand. You need to be moving to the music.

Whatever you do, the audience will be drawn to do the same. So if you’re enjoying your own performance, so will they. You need to be showing their subconscious minds that you’re the real deal and deserving of their focus. And that will only happen if you’re truly enjoying yourself and confident.

You can force this to occur until it happens by itself. You should stand up straight, make eye contact with people, and speak or sing forcefully. Stand with your shoulders back and down, head held high, chest out, and stand with your legs at least shoulder width apart if not more.

Don’t fidget about. Don’t cross your arms. Don’t sit down. Anything that you see other people do when they’re uncomfortable, nervous, and self-conscious are all of the things you want to stay as far away from as possible.

All of this shows dominance and confidence. And without those two characteristics, nobody is going to want to look at you, let alone for an hour or more straight. You must be the alpha in the room that everyone would be watching even if they weren’t in the spotlight.

#3 – Work the Whole Stage & All Sides of the Crowd

If you’re telling a story to a group of five acquaintances and you keep ignoring one of them, guess what happens? They’ll pull out their phone, go to the bathroom, start whispering to someone else, etc. You have to keep everyone engaged, and there’s a way to do that.

First and foremost you should be taking up as much space as possible. That shows that you own the entire room. It is yours to do as you wish in, where you can move about freely.

On stage, that means “working the whole stage.” In your mind, cut the stage up into parts. On a small stage that may be three sections or in a big theater that could mean there’s five sections.

The point is, you need to be moving through these sections and stopping in them. And when you do, you’ll engage that portion of the audience. Look at and sing towards the people in the front.

Then engage those in the middle, and finally those furthest back and in the balcony. Don’t leave anyone out. Rotate through these sections of the stage and crowd constantly.

Get crazy, depending on the energy level of the show. You can jump on the speaker monitors, squat down and give the crowd high fives, and even hop down off the stage and run up and down the aisles. Try different things and if they go over well, add them to your repertoire.

#4 – Involve the Audience in Your Performance

stage presence tip 4 - involve the audience in your performance

Just because you’re moving around the parts of the stage and looking at the various parts of the audience doesn’t meant they’re involved. They might be engaged, but not involved. You need to find ways to make your performance feel like a group effort.

Simple things to do would be to get them to clap along during certain songs. At other times you can point the microphone at the crowd during a simple chorus and let them sing it instead.

If you have a super fan that knows the lyrics, you can invite them on stage to sing a verse. Between songs you can comment on the crowd’s energy, compliment how kind and nice the city is, etc.

Bigger things you can do is create a battle between the sections of the audience and see who can chant some phrase louder. You can invite several people on stage to perform air guitar solos and make the sounds with their mouths into the mic.

You can even invite people up to beatbox and create melodies, basically improvising a song on the spot. Then the band can perform it.

You have to be creative, but there’s tons of cool things you do on stage to involve the audience. Don’t think of it as “there’s me and then there’s the crowd.” Think of the entire room as “us” and tune into the overall energy and raise it.

#5 – Don’t Allow Silence – Use Skits, Jokes, Stories, & Timing

While all stage shows include visuals, the dominant sense to engage is hearing. If sounds are happening then we know we should be paying attention. As soon as you stop making noise, you start losing audience members to boredom and distraction.

So the rule is to not allow silence. But how do you do that? You need to fill every gap, and that’s usually between songs in the context of musicians on stage. Think about when you’ve been in the crowd of a show. Nothing is more boring than hearing song after song with nothing else happening.

A lot of this needs preparation and coordination before you get on stage, but you can create skits and jokes that require multiple band members to execute. Interspersing these is great, but need to be rare.

Maybe two or three quick skits per show, maximum, or it’ll become cheesy. You can also tell jokes between songs as your bandmates tune their instruments or grab some water.

And of course you can tell stories. Funny or interesting things that have happened to you on tour are perfect. You can tell the origin stories of some of your songs, the meaning of the lyrics, etc.

You can make up something ridiculous and then inform the crowd that you made all that up on the spot. Have fun with it. Goodhearted banter works too but be careful, you have to pull this off just right or you’ll offend someone.

If you know you’re going to go right into the next song without any downtime, give the audience time to clap for you. But as soon as you hear the volume of the clapping dying down, start the next song. Don’t allow silence to occur!

#6 – Make It Personal for Various Fans

I mentioned earlier about giving fans high-fives, inviting some up to sing or to have an air guitar contest, etc. You have to make it become personal for a handful of people at the event. You can’t do this for everyone but everyone will go home and tell the story about the other lucky people.

Making eye contact is huge and easy to do non-stop from on the stage. You can do things like ask the crowd to raise their hands if they’ve ever done something you enjoy (just make it make sense in context of the show). Then ask a couple what it is they like about that activity.

The point is to single out a few people (who look like they’re willing and not introverted) and elevate them to a level in between “general audience” and “musicians on stage.” This creates a sense of tension and urging to join that next higher level up, which keeps the eager audience engaged.

If you have time afterwards, walk through the crowd and shake some hands, take some pictures, and give autographs.

It doesn’t take much to turn a first-time show-goer into a fan, or to turn a normal fan into a super fan that becomes a brand disciple. If one person has an extra special time, everyone will understand that and they’ll all feel they had a better time.

#7 – Look Fashionably Larger Than Life

stage presence tip 7 - be larger than life

There’s not a lot to say here. You know what it means. Although you can, you don’t have to go into a full costume and face paint like KISS or the Insane Clown Posse. But you do need to look larger than life, which will match your amazing charisma.

This might mean hiring a fashion designer to help out, but what it doesn’t mean is that you can wear your normal clothes on stage. If you look normal, you’ll set the expectation that you sound normal and create a normal experience.

And even if you rock the house, the audience’s mind will trick them into thinking you’re normal. Dress big! Look special and abnormal, something the crowd recognizes as out of the ordinary.

Create a big look that is appropriate for your genre and those fan’s expectations. Then take it a notch higher. It’s also good if you can have one unique thing about your appearance that you can exploit in band photos, on album covers, and during each show.

Remember, the entire thing about commanding an audience’s attention is to be more important and exciting than them and everyone else in the room. The way you look is a huge part of your stage presence, so put in some real effort. It will cost money and you might feel stupid to a certain degree, but it’s a must.

#8 – Show High Energy Even in the Small Things

You can’t plan to have high energy during certain “shticks” you do on stage. You either have it or don’t and it will show. Every single thing you do needs to scream excitement.

When you first hit the stage, applaud the crowd, point at them, say “What’s up, Town-I’m-In! Thanks for coming out, are you ready to rock?!”

Something as small as your entry on the stage can be exciting. Let’s say you accidentally drop the mic at some point. You could go as far as to back up a few steps and then pick it up as you do a cartwheel. The crowd would go nuts.

Anything and everything that happens, no matter how minuscule, can become an unforgettable moment. Draw as much attention to yourself as possible, even during mishaps.

The currency you’re concerned with is attention. That’s what stage presence is. The crowd shouldn’t dare look away in case they miss something cool, even in the tiniest of moments.

#9 – Record & Watch Yourself to Find Strengths & Weaknesses

Have some one record your shows once in a while so you can review the footage at home. Your goal is to watch yourself and at the same time be taking note of how the audience is reacting.

What did they like or dislike? When did you start losing their attention? How are the transitions between songs going?

Watch to find out what your strengths are so you can play into them. Find out what your weaknesses are so you can either improve them or avoid those scenarios.

Your goal is to become a super human on stage, where everything you do or say places you on a tier above a mere mortal. And this takes work and study.

In addition to watching yourself, you should be watching the greats. Watch rock band performances, watch professional wrestlers talk smack to each other, watch comedians, and even watch business leaders give lectures on stage.

But don’t watch their show. Keep your mind at a meta-level and watch how they perform. Take notes and apply it to your own style.

#10 – Never Do or Say Anything Negative, Ever

stage performance tip 10 - always keep it completely positive

This is huge. Never trash an audience member or another musician, no matter what’s happening. Someone will take offense or you’ll slip up and your sarcasm won’t go over well. Just don’t do it. Everything must be all positivity all the time.

One reason is that these moments are never forgotten. And that’s doubly worse in the modern age because it will undoubtedly be caught on video and audio, hit the internet, and spread far and wide damaging your brand and reputation.

What you do want to do is be caught on tape constantly being kind, positive, and doing so with the most authenticity possible. Never chastise, insult, or even make silly negative jokes. Don’t even make self-deprecating jokes. Keep it 100% positive, always.

If you want to know how to start a band , the most important thing is to find bandmates that can follow this philosophy, between themselves, their family and friends, and their fans. It only takes one bad moment to ruin an entire career.

#11 – Don’t Self-Reflect on Your Stage Presence As It’s Happening

It is absolutely impossible to give a speech or have a flowing conversation if you’re using your meta-cognition to review your performance as it’s happening. And the same goes for a stage show.

If you second-guess or start moping about because you did something that disappoints you, that will poison the rest of the show. And it will completely throw you off your game.

Always wait until the show is over to reflect on your performance. Never do it during set breaks, while you’re on stage, between songs, etc. Stay fully engaged in delivering your performance.

Remember, it’s not about you. You’re the primary point of focus, but it’s about the audience. Save the self-pity or even self-congratulatory nonsense for later. If you flub something, ignore it or turn it into a joke, then keep going.

If you lose yourself to that, you’ll lose the crowd too and worse, you’ll break the illusion that you’re a super star. You’ll expose the fact that you’re just another human being, and that’s not why anyone came to see you. They’re paying you to give them hope and joy, not remind them that even you are susceptible to self-doubt.

#12 – Never Announce You Feel Nervous or Confused

This is wrapped up in the point above but is so important it needs to be stated separately. So many people will come out on stage and say something like “I’m pretty nervous so please bare with me.”

No, don’t do that. It doesn’t lessen anyone’s expectations or relieve you of the responsibility of not being nervous. It just makes you look weak.

Your audience is tuned into you and your internal state while they watch you, dreaming of being you, and enjoying your music. If you expose yourself as being nervous, which a lot of people will do as an ice breaker, you’ll ruin the fantasy that you’re worth giving attention to.

As you continue to perform that night, the nervousness will pass within minutes. And as you continue your career, you’ll stop having stage fright altogether. It’s perfectly normal and everyone in the crowd experiences it, so there’s no need to announce it.

If you don’t announce your anxiety, very few people might even notice it. Just get on with the show, because the show must go on regardless. You’re supposed to be nervous, because you’re busting out of your comfort zone, and that should give you confidence in itself. It’s an amazing thing to do that few people ever do in their entire life.

#13 – Having Fun is Being Authentic

I save this one for last and while you probably think it goes without saying, the most important thing you can do is have fun. People want to be around the person that’s having fun. Laugh, dance, act goofy, say goofy things and do it confidently. If you have fun, so will the crowd. It’s as simple as that.

And while you’re being larger than life for the sake of the audience, that’s still your life so make sure your personality shines through. Your performance has to feel real, and for that to occur it has to be real. And there’s no better way to cut through the games and hit the genuine, authentic level than to make sure you’re just out there having fun.

This will draw the audience into your world rather than you being sucked into theirs (meaning you start to become nervous). And if they’re in your world, then you run the show and have their attention.

And that’s what stage presence is. It’s your world and they came to see you and even opened up their wallets for you. Be confident and have fun.

Your Stage Presence Will Improve With Practice!

Like I said before, nobody starts at ground zero. Everyone already has a stage presence and the task is improving it so it not only doesn’t suck but blasts your career into the next level. The real goal is to make sure people enjoy being in your presence while you’re the center of attention.

The 13 tips above are really rules. Everything else falls within one of those categories, and it is your job to practice and experiment so you can flesh out this framework and make it your own. It will take time for you to become comfortable, but once you do you’ll have impeccable stage presence.

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  • 1.2 Social Media Trailblazer: Selena Gomez
  • 1.3 Glance at Critical Response: Rhetoric and Critical Thinking
  • 1.4 Annotated Student Sample: Social Media Post and Responses on Voter Suppression
  • 1.5 Writing Process: Thinking Critically About a “Text”
  • 1.6 Evaluation: Intention vs. Execution
  • 1.7 Spotlight on … Academia
  • 1.8 Portfolio: Tracing Writing Development
  • Further Reading
  • Works Cited
  • 2.1 Seeds of Self
  • 2.2 Identity Trailblazer: Cathy Park Hong
  • 2.3 Glance at the Issues: Oppression and Reclamation
  • 2.4 Annotated Sample Reading from The Souls of Black Folk by W. E. B. Du Bois
  • 2.5 Writing Process: Thinking Critically about How Identity Is Constructed Through Writing
  • 2.6 Evaluation: Antiracism and Inclusivity
  • 2.7 Spotlight on … Variations of English
  • 2.8 Portfolio: Decolonizing Self
  • 3.1 Identity and Expression
  • 3.2 Literacy Narrative Trailblazer: Tara Westover
  • 3.3 Glance at Genre: The Literacy Narrative
  • 3.4 Annotated Sample Reading: from Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass by Frederick Douglass
  • 3.5 Writing Process: Tracing the Beginnings of Literacy
  • 3.6 Editing Focus: Sentence Structure
  • 3.7 Evaluation: Self-Evaluating
  • 3.8 Spotlight on … The Digital Archive of Literacy Narratives (DALN)
  • 3.9 Portfolio: A Literacy Artifact
  • Works Consulted
  • 2 Unit Introduction
  • 4.1 Exploring the Past to Understand the Present
  • 4.2 Memoir Trailblazer: Ta-Nehisi Coates
  • 4.3 Glance at Genre: Conflict, Detail, and Revelation
  • 4.4 Annotated Sample Reading: from Life on the Mississippi by Mark Twain
  • 4.5 Writing Process: Making the Personal Public
  • 4.6 Editing Focus: More on Characterization and Point of View
  • 4.7 Evaluation: Structure and Organization
  • 4.8 Spotlight on … Multilingual Writers
  • 4.9 Portfolio: Filtered Memories
  • 5.1 Profiles as Inspiration
  • 5.2 Profile Trailblazer: Veronica Chambers
  • 5.3 Glance at Genre: Subject, Angle, Background, and Description
  • 5.4 Annotated Sample Reading: “Remembering John Lewis” by Carla D. Hayden
  • 5.5 Writing Process: Focusing on the Angle of Your Subject
  • 5.6 Editing Focus: Verb Tense Consistency
  • 5.7 Evaluation: Text as Personal Introduction
  • 5.8 Spotlight on … Profiling a Cultural Artifact
  • 5.9 Portfolio: Subject as a Reflection of Self
  • 6.1 Proposing Change: Thinking Critically About Problems and Solutions
  • 6.2 Proposal Trailblazer: Atul Gawande
  • 6.3 Glance at Genre: Features of Proposals
  • 6.4 Annotated Student Sample: “Slowing Climate Change” by Shawn Krukowski
  • 6.5 Writing Process: Creating a Proposal
  • 6.6 Editing Focus: Subject-Verb Agreement
  • 6.7 Evaluation: Conventions, Clarity, and Coherence
  • 6.8 Spotlight on … Technical Writing as a Career
  • 6.9 Portfolio: Reflecting on Problems and Solutions
  • 7.1 Thumbs Up or Down?
  • 7.2 Review Trailblazer: Michiko Kakutani
  • 7.3 Glance at Genre: Criteria, Evidence, Evaluation
  • 7.4 Annotated Student Sample: "Black Representation in Film" by Caelia Marshall
  • 7.5 Writing Process: Thinking Critically About Entertainment
  • 7.6 Editing Focus: Quotations
  • 7.7 Evaluation: Effect on Audience
  • 7.8 Spotlight on … Language and Culture
  • 7.9 Portfolio: What the Arts Say About You
  • 8.1 Information and Critical Thinking
  • 8.2 Analytical Report Trailblazer: Barbara Ehrenreich
  • 8.3 Glance at Genre: Informal and Formal Analytical Reports
  • 8.4 Annotated Student Sample: "U.S. Response to COVID-19" by Trevor Garcia
  • 8.5 Writing Process: Creating an Analytical Report
  • 8.6 Editing Focus: Commas with Nonessential and Essential Information
  • 8.7 Evaluation: Reviewing the Final Draft
  • 8.8 Spotlight on … Discipline-Specific and Technical Language
  • 8.9 Portfolio: Evidence and Objectivity
  • 9.1 Breaking the Whole into Its Parts
  • 9.2 Rhetorical Analysis Trailblazer: Jamil Smith
  • 9.3 Glance at Genre: Rhetorical Strategies
  • 9.4 Annotated Student Sample: “Rhetorical Analysis: Evicted by Matthew Desmond” by Eliana Evans
  • 9.5 Writing Process: Thinking Critically about Rhetoric
  • 9.6 Editing Focus: Mixed Sentence Constructions
  • 9.7 Evaluation: Rhetorical Analysis
  • 9.8 Spotlight on … Business and Law
  • 9.9 Portfolio: How Thinking Critically about Rhetoric Affects Intellectual Growth
  • 10.1 Making a Case: Defining a Position Argument
  • 10.2 Position Argument Trailblazer: Charles Blow
  • 10.3 Glance at Genre: Thesis, Reasoning, and Evidence
  • 10.4 Annotated Sample Reading: "Remarks at the University of Michigan" by Lyndon B. Johnson
  • 10.5 Writing Process: Creating a Position Argument
  • 10.6 Editing Focus: Paragraphs and Transitions
  • 10.7 Evaluation: Varied Appeals
  • 10.8 Spotlight on … Citation
  • 10.9 Portfolio: Growth in the Development of Argument
  • 11.1 Developing Your Sense of Logic
  • 11.2 Reasoning Trailblazer: Paul D. N. Hebert
  • 11.3 Glance at Genre: Reasoning Strategies and Signal Words
  • 11.4 Annotated Sample Reading: from Book VII of The Republic by Plato
  • 11.5 Writing Process: Reasoning Supported by Evidence
  • 12.1 Introducing Research and Research Evidence
  • 12.2 Argumentative Research Trailblazer: Samin Nosrat
  • 12.3 Glance at Genre: Introducing Research as Evidence
  • 12.4 Annotated Student Sample: "Healthy Diets from Sustainable Sources Can Save the Earth" by Lily Tran
  • 12.5 Writing Process: Integrating Research
  • 12.6 Editing Focus: Integrating Sources and Quotations
  • 12.7 Evaluation: Effectiveness of Research Paper
  • 12.8 Spotlight on … Bias in Language and Research
  • 12.9 Portfolio: Why Facts Matter in Research Argumentation
  • 13.1 The Research Process: Where to Look for Existing Sources
  • 13.2 The Research Process: How to Create Sources
  • 13.3 Glance at the Research Process: Key Skills
  • 13.4 Annotated Student Sample: Research Log
  • 13.5 Research Process: Making Notes, Synthesizing Information, and Keeping a Research Log
  • 13.6 Spotlight on … Ethical Research
  • 14.1 Compiling Sources for an Annotated Bibliography
  • 14.2 Glance at Form: Citation Style, Purpose, and Formatting
  • 14.3 Annotated Student Sample: “Healthy Diets from Sustainable Sources Can Save the Earth” by Lily Tran
  • 14.4 Writing Process: Informing and Analyzing
  • 15.1 Tracing a Broad Issue in the Individual
  • 15.2 Case Study Trailblazer: Vilayanur S. Ramachandran
  • 15.3 Glance at Genre: Observation, Description, and Analysis
  • 15.4 Annotated Sample Reading: Case Study on Louis Victor "Tan" Leborgne
  • 15.5 Writing Process: Thinking Critically About How People and Language Interact
  • 15.6 Editing Focus: Words Often Confused
  • 15.7 Evaluation: Presentation and Analysis of Case Study
  • 15.8 Spotlight on … Applied Linguistics
  • 15.9 Portfolio: Your Own Uses of Language
  • 3 Unit Introduction
  • 16.1 An Author’s Choices: What Text Says and How It Says It
  • 16.2 Textual Analysis Trailblazer: bell hooks
  • 16.3 Glance at Genre: Print or Textual Analysis
  • 16.4 Annotated Student Sample: "Artists at Work" by Gwyn Garrison
  • 16.5 Writing Process: Thinking Critically About Text
  • 16.6 Editing Focus: Literary Works Live in the Present
  • 16.7 Evaluation: Self-Directed Assessment
  • 16.8 Spotlight on … Humanities
  • 16.9 Portfolio: The Academic and the Personal
  • 17.1 “Reading” Images
  • 17.2 Image Trailblazer: Sara Ludy
  • 17.3 Glance at Genre: Relationship Between Image and Rhetoric
  • 17.4 Annotated Student Sample: “Hints of the Homoerotic” by Leo Davis
  • 17.5 Writing Process: Thinking Critically and Writing Persuasively About Images
  • 17.6 Editing Focus: Descriptive Diction
  • 17.7 Evaluation: Relationship Between Analysis and Image
  • 17.8 Spotlight on … Video and Film
  • 17.9 Portfolio: Interplay Between Text and Image
  • 18.1 Mixing Genres and Modes
  • 18.2 Multimodal Trailblazer: Torika Bolatagici
  • 18.3 Glance at Genre: Genre, Audience, Purpose, Organization
  • 18.4 Annotated Sample Reading: “Celebrating a Win-Win” by Alexandra Dapolito Dunn
  • 18.5 Writing Process: Create a Multimodal Advocacy Project
  • 18.6 Evaluation: Transitions
  • 18.7 Spotlight on . . . Technology
  • 18.8 Portfolio: Multimodalism
  • 19.1 Writing, Speaking, and Activism
  • 19.2 Podcast Trailblazer: Alice Wong
  • 19.3 Glance at Genre: Language Performance and Visuals
  • 19.4 Annotated Student Sample: “Are New DOT Regulations Discriminatory?” by Zain A. Kumar
  • 19.5 Writing Process: Writing to Speak
  • 19.6 Evaluation: Bridging Writing and Speaking
  • 19.8 Portfolio: Everyday Rhetoric, Rhetoric Every Day
  • 20.1 Thinking Critically about Your Semester
  • 20.2 Reflection Trailblazer: Sandra Cisneros
  • 20.3 Glance at Genre: Purpose and Structure
  • 20.4 Annotated Sample Reading: “Don’t Expect Congrats” by Dale Trumbore
  • 20.5 Writing Process: Looking Back, Looking Forward
  • 20.6 Editing Focus: Pronouns
  • 20.7 Evaluation: Evaluating Self-Reflection
  • 20.8 Spotlight on … Pronouns in Context

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this section, you will be able to:

  • Implement various technologies effectively to address an audience, matching the capacities of each to the rhetorical situation.
  • Apply conventions of speech delivery, such as voice control, gestures, and posture.
  • Identify and show awareness of cultural considerations.

Think of a speech you have seen or heard, either in person, on television, or online. Was the speech delivered well, or was it poorly executed? What aspects of the performance make you say that? Both good and poor delivery of a speech can affect the audience’s opinion of the speaker and the topic. Poor delivery may be so distracting that even the message of a well-organized script with strong information is lost to the audience.

Speaking Genres: Spoken Word, Pulpit, YouTube, Podcast, Social Media

The world today offers many new (and old) delivery methods for script writing. While the traditional presidential address or commencement speech on a stage in front of a crowd of people is unlikely to disappear, newer script delivery methods are now available, including many that involve technology. From YouTube , which allows anyone to upload videos, to podcasts, which provide a platform for anyone, celebrities and noncelebrities alike, to produce a radio-like program, it seems that people are finding new ways to use technology to enhance communication. Free resources such as YouTube Studio and the extension TubeBuddy can be a good starting place to learn to create these types of media.

Voice Control

Whether the method is old or new, delivering communication in the speaking genre relies not only on words but also on the way those words are delivered. Remember that voice and tone are important in establishing a bond with your audience, helping them feel connected to your message, creating engagement, and facilitating comprehension. Vocal delivery includes these aspects of speech:

  • Rate of speech refers to how fast or slow you speak. You must speak slowly enough to be understood but not so slowly that you sound unnatural and bore your audience. In addition, you can vary your rate, speeding up or slowing down to increase tension, emphasize a point, or create a dramatic effect.
  • Volume refers to how loudly or softly you speak. As with rate, you do not want to be too loud or too soft. Too soft, and your speech will be difficult or impossible to hear, even with amplification; too loud, and it will be distracting or even painful for the audience. Ideally, you should project your voice, speaking from the diaphragm, according to the size and location of the audience and the acoustics of the room. You can also use volume for effect; you might use a softer voice to describe a tender moment between mother and child or a louder voice to emphatically discuss an injustice.
  • Pitch refers to how high or low a speaker’s voice is to listeners. A person’s vocal pitch is unique to that person, and unlike the control a speaker has over rate and volume, some physical limitations exist on the extent to which individuals can vary pitch. Although men generally have lower-pitched voices than women, speakers can vary their pitch for emphasis. For example, you probably raise your pitch naturally at the end of a question. Changing pitch can also communicate enthusiasm or indicate transition or closure.
  • Articulation refers to how clearly a person produces sounds. Clarity of voice is important in speech; it determines how well your audience understands what you are saying. Poor articulation can hamper the effect of your script and even cause your audience to feel disconnected from both you and your message. In general, articulation during a presentation before an audience tends to be more pronounced and dramatic than everyday communication with individuals or small groups. When presenting a script, avoid slurring and mumbling. While these may be acceptable in informal communication, in presented speech they can obscure your message.
  • Fluency refers to the flow of speech. Speaking with fluency is similar to reading with fluency. It’s not about how fast you can speak, but how fluid and meaningful your speech is. While inserting pauses for dramatic effect is perfectly acceptable, these are noticeably different from awkward pauses that result from forgetting a point, losing your place, or becoming distracted. Practicing your speech can greatly reduce fluency issues. A word on verbal fillers , those pesky words or sounds used to fill a gap or fluency glitch: utterances such as um , ah , and like detract from the fluency of your speech, distract the audience from your point, and can even reduce your credibility. Again, practice can help reduce their occurrence, and self-awareness can help you speak with more fluency.

Gestures and Expressions

Beyond vocal delivery, consider also physical delivery variables such as gestures and facial expressions . While not all speech affords audiences the ability to see the speaker, in-person, online, and other forms of speech do. Gestures and facial expressions can both add to and detract from effective script delivery, as they can help demonstrate emotion and enthusiasm for the topic. Both have the ability to emphasize points, enhance tone, and engage audiences.

Eye contact is another form of nonverbal, physical communication that builds community, communicates comfort, and establishes credibility. Eye contact also can help hold an audience’s attention during a speech. It is advisable to begin your speech by establishing eye contact with the audience. One idea is to memorize your opening and closing statements to allow you to maintain consistent eye contact during these important sections of the script and strengthen your connection with the audience.

Although natural engagement through gestures, facial expressions, and eye contact can help an audience relate to a presenter and even help establish community and trust, these actions also can distract audiences from the content of the script if not used purposefully. In general, as with most delivery elements, variation and a happy medium between “too much” and “too little” are key to an effective presentation. Some presenters naturally have more expressive faces, but all people can learn to control and use facial expressions and gestures consciously to become more effective speakers. Practicing your speech in front of a mirror will allow you to monitor, plan, and practice these aspects of physical delivery.

Posture and Movement

Other physical delivery considerations include posture and movement. Posture is the position of the body. If you have ever been pestered to “stand up straight,” you were being instructed on your posture. The most important consideration for posture during a speech is that you look relaxed and natural. You don’t want to be slumped over and leaning on the podium or lectern, but you also don’t want a stiff, unnatural posture that makes you look stilted or uncomfortable. In many speeches, the speaker’s posture is upright as they stand behind a podium or at a microphone, but this is not always the case. Less formal occasions and audiences may call for movement of the whole body. If this informality fits your speech, you will need to balance movement with the other delivery variables. This kind of balance can be challenging. You won’t want to wander aimlessly around the stage or pace back and forth on the same path. Nor will you want to shuffle your feet, rock, or shift your weight back and forth. Instead, as with every other aspect of delivery, you will want your movements to be purposeful, with the intention of connecting with or influencing your audience. Time your movements to occur at key points or transitions in the script.

Cultural Considerations

Don’t forget to reflect on cultural considerations that relate to your topic and/or audience. Cultural awareness is important in any aspect of writing, but it can have an immediate impact on a speech, as the audience will react to your words, gestures, vocal techniques, and topic in real time. Elements that speakers don’t always think about—including gestures, glances, and changes in tone and inflection—can vary in effectiveness and even politeness in many cultures. Consideration for cultural cues may include the following:

  • Paralanguage : voiced cultural considerations, including tone, language, and even accent.
  • Kinesics : body movements and gestures that may include facial expressions. Often part of a person’s subconscious, kinesics can be interpreted in various ways by members of different cultures. Body language can include posture, facial expressions (smiling or frowning), and even displays of affection.
  • Proxemics : interpersonal space that regulates intimacy. Proxemics might indicate how close to an audience a speaker is located, whether the speaker moves around, and even how the speaker greets the audience.
  • Chronemics : use of time. Chronemics refers to the duration of a script.
  • Appearance : clothing and physical appearance. The presentation of appearance is a subtle form of communication that can indicate the speaker’s identity and can be specific to cultures.

Stage Directions

You can think proactively about ways to enhance the delivery of your script, including vocal techniques, body awareness, and cultural considerations. Within the draft of your script, create stage directions . An integral part of performances such as plays and films, stage directions can be as simple as writing in a pause for dramatic effect or as complicated as describing where and how to walk, what facial expressions to make, or how to react to audience feedback.

Look at this example from the beginning of the student sample. Stage directions are enclosed in parentheses and bolded.

student sample text Several years ago, I sat in the waiting area of a major airport, trying to ignore the constant yapping of a small dog cuddled on the lap of a fellow passenger. An airline rep approached the woman and asked the only two questions allowed by law. (high-pitched voice with a formal tone) “Is that a service animal? (pause) What service does it provide for you?” end student sample text

student sample text (bold, defiant, self-righteous tone) “Yes. It keeps me from having panic attacks,” the woman said defiantly, and the airline employee retreated. (move two steps to the left for emphasis) end student sample text

student sample text Shortly after that, another passenger arrived at the gate. (spoken with authority) She gripped the high, stiff handle on the harness of a Labrador retriever that wore a vest emblazoned with the words “The Seeing Eye.” (speed up speech and dynamic of voice for dramatic effect) Without warning, the smaller dog launched itself from its owner’s lap, snarling and snapping at the guide dog. (move two steps back to indicate transition) end student sample text

Now it’s your turn. Using the principle illustrated above, create stage directions for your script. Then, practice using them by presenting your script to a peer reviewer, such as a friend, family member, or classmate. Also consider recording yourself practicing your script. Listen to the recording to evaluate it for delivery, fluency, and vocal fillers. Remember that writing is recursive: you can make changes based on what works and what doesn’t after you implement your stage directions. You can even ask your audience for feedback to improve your delivery.

Podcast Publication

If possible, work with your instructor and classmates to put together a single podcast or a series of podcasts according to the subject areas of the presentations. The purpose of these podcasts should be to invite and encourage other students to get involved in important causes. Work with relevant student organizations on campus to produce and publicize the podcasts for maximum impact. There are many free resources for creating podcasts, including Apple’s GarageBand and Audacity .

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Access for free at https://openstax.org/books/writing-guide/pages/1-unit-introduction
  • Authors: Michelle Bachelor Robinson, Maria Jerskey, featuring Toby Fulwiler
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  • Book title: Writing Guide with Handbook
  • Publication date: Dec 21, 2021
  • Location: Houston, Texas
  • Book URL: https://openstax.org/books/writing-guide/pages/1-unit-introduction
  • Section URL: https://openstax.org/books/writing-guide/pages/19-7-spotlight-on-delivery-public-speaking

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KD Studio

Stage Presence: What it Means, Why it Matters, and How to Improve it

give the effective speech writing focusing on stage presence

Does it Matter?

Stage presence can, quite simply, be a defining factor in an actor’s success. Of course, it’s not everything; an actor can still be considered talented at their craft without exceptional stage presence, and all the stage presence in the world won’t help an untalented or undisciplined actor succeed. However, when combined with skill, experience and hard work, stage presence can create a combination that turns “good” actors into stars.

Stage presence is more than the ability to recite your lines, hit your marks, and sing the right notes. Essentially, a good stage presence pulls the audience into the performance. It’s the ability to make the audience connect with the performer and envelop them in the story being told, and in turn to express what the audience feels.

How Can You Improve It?

  • Relax! Coming across as stiff or robotic makes your acting seem unnatural and forced, making it more difficult for the audience to find your performance believable – unless, of course, this type of movement is appropriate for your character! The more natural and uncalculated your movement, expressions and speech are, the more likely the audience is to feel captivated by your performance.
  • Practice . The more comfortable you feel on stage, the better you will be able to truly get into your character’s mind, helping you give a better, more convincing performance. This comfort level can only come with feeling completely confident in your ability to nail every line, hit every note, and know your role inside and out. To reach this level, of course, requires as much practice as possible. Become as comfortable as possible with not only every element of your performance, but with simply performing in front of an audience as well.
  • Study . To polish your stage presence, study the work of those who exhibit skill in the area. Find actors – or other performers – who captivate you, and study how they act and behave. Enrolling in acting school or musical theatre classes can help you gain insights and tips from industry experts. Not only will they share their expertise, but will be able to work with you one-on-one to fine tune your performances, helping you to develop techniques for a better stage presence. If possible, finding a mentor in the industry to work closely with will also help you learn to develop your skills, including a more highly effective stage presence.

Still Have More Questions?

KD Conservatory has acting, musical theatre, and film production programs to help prepare students for careers in the entertainment industry. Contact us with any of your questions, or check us out on Facebook for ongoing updates and information!

What does “stage presence” mean to you? Tell us in the comments!

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14.4 Practicing for Successful Speech Delivery

Learning objectives.

  • Explain why having a strong conversational quality is important for effective public speaking.
  • Explain the importance of eye contact in public speaking.
  • Define vocalics and differentiate among the different factors of vocalics.
  • Explain effective physical manipulation during a speech.
  • Understand how to practice effectively for good speech delivery.

M Christian Pierret giving a speech

Christian Pierret – Speech – CC BY 2.0.

There is no foolproof recipe for good delivery. Each of us is unique, and we each embody different experiences and interests. This means each person has an approach, or a style, that is effective for her or him. This further means that anxiety can accompany even the most carefully researched and interesting message. Even when we know our messages are strong and well-articulated on paper, it is difficult to know for sure that our presentation will also be good.

We are still obligated to do our best out of respect for the audience and their needs. Fortunately, there are some tools that can be helpful to you even the very first time you present a speech. You will continue developing your skills each time you put them to use and can experiment to find out which combination of delivery elements is most effective for you.

What Is Good Delivery?

The more you care about your topic, the greater your motivation to present it well. Good delivery is a process of presenting a clear, coherent message in an interesting way. Communication scholar Stephen E. Lucas tells us:

Good delivery…conveys the speaker’s ideas clearly, interestingly, and without distracting the audience. Most audiences prefer delivery that combines a certain degree of formality with the best attributes of good conversation—directness, spontaneity, animation, vocal and facial expressiveness, and a lively sense of communication (Lucas, 2009).

Many writers on the nonverbal aspects of delivery have cited the findings of psychologist Albert Mehrabian, asserting that the bulk of an audience’s understanding of your message is based on nonverbal communication. Specifically, Mehrabian is often credited with finding that when audiences decoded a speaker’s meaning, the speaker’s face conveyed 55 percent of the information, the vocalics conveyed 38 percent, and the words conveyed just 7 percent (Mehrabian, 1972). Although numerous scholars, including Mehrabian himself, have stated that his findings are often misinterpreted (Mitchell), scholars and speech instructors do agree that nonverbal communication and speech delivery are extremely important to effective public speaking.

In this section of the chapter, we will explain six elements of good delivery: conversational style, conversational quality, eye contact, vocalics, physical manipulation, and variety. And since delivery is only as good as the practice that goes into it, we conclude with some tips for effective use of your practice time.

Conversational Style

Conversational style is a speaker’s ability to sound expressive and to be perceived by the audience as natural. It’s a style that approaches the way you normally express yourself in a much smaller group than your classroom audience. This means that you want to avoid having your presentation come across as didactic or overly exaggerated. You might not feel natural while you’re using a conversational style, but for the sake of audience preference and receptiveness, you should do your best to appear natural. It might be helpful to remember that the two most important elements of the speech are the message and the audience. You are the conduit with the important role of putting the two together in an effective way. Your audience should be thinking about the message, not the delivery.

Stephen E. Lucas defines conversational quality as the idea that “no matter how many times a speech has been rehearsed, it still sounds spontaneous” [emphasis in original] (Lucas, 2009). No one wants to hear a speech that is so well rehearsed that it sounds fake or robotic. One of the hardest parts of public speaking is rehearsing to the point where it can appear to your audience that the thoughts are magically coming to you while you’re speaking, but in reality you’ve spent a great deal of time thinking through each idea. When you can sound conversational, people pay attention.

Eye Contact

Eye contact is a speaker’s ability to have visual contact with everyone in the audience. Your audience should feel that you’re speaking to them, not simply uttering main and supporting points. If you are new to public speaking, you may find it intimidating to look audience members in the eye, but if you think about speakers you have seen who did not maintain eye contact, you’ll realize why this aspect of speech delivery is important. Without eye contact, the audience begins to feel invisible and unimportant, as if the speaker is just speaking to hear her or his own voice. Eye contact lets your audience feel that your attention is on them, not solely on the cards in front of you.

Sustained eye contact with your audience is one of the most important tools toward effective delivery. O’Hair, Stewart, and Rubenstein note that eye contact is mandatory for speakers to establish a good relationship with an audience (O’Hair, Stewart, & Rubenstein, 2001). Whether a speaker is speaking before a group of five or five hundred, the appearance of eye contact is an important way to bring an audience into your speech.

Eye contact can be a powerful tool. It is not simply a sign of sincerity, a sign of being well prepared and knowledgeable, or a sign of confidence; it also has the power to convey meanings. Arthur Koch tells us that all facial expressions “can communicate a wide range of emotions, including sadness, compassion, concern, anger, annoyance, fear, joy, and happiness” (Koch, 2010).

If you find the gaze of your audience too intimidating, you might feel tempted to resort to “faking” eye contact with them by looking at the wall just above their heads or by sweeping your gaze around the room instead of making actual eye contact with individuals in your audience until it becomes easier to provide real contact. The problem with fake eye contact is that it tends to look mechanical. Another problem with fake attention is that you lose the opportunity to assess the audience’s understanding of your message. Still, fake eye contact is somewhat better than gripping your cards and staring at them and only occasionally glancing quickly and shallowly at the audience.

This is not to say that you may never look at your notecards. On the contrary, one of the skills in extemporaneous speaking is the ability to alternate one’s gaze between the audience and one’s notes. Rehearsing your presentation in front of a few friends should help you develop the ability to maintain eye contact with your audience while referring to your notes. When you are giving a speech that is well prepared and well rehearsed, you will only need to look at your notes occasionally. This is an ability that will develop even further with practice. Your public speaking course is your best chance to get that practice.

Effective Use of Vocalics

Vocalics , also known as paralanguage, is the subfield of nonverbal communication that examines how we use our voices to communicate orally. This means that you speak loudly enough for all audience members (even those in the back of the room) to hear you clearly, and that you enunciate clearly enough to be understood by all audience members (even those who may have a hearing impairment or who may be English-language learners). If you tend to be soft-spoken, you will need to practice using a louder volume level that may feel unnatural to you at first. For all speakers, good vocalic technique is best achieved by facing the audience with your chin up and your eyes away from your notecards and by setting your voice at a moderate speed. Effective use of vocalics also means that you make use of appropriate pitch, pauses, vocal variety, and correct pronunciation.

If you are an English-language learner and feel apprehensive about giving a speech in English, there are two things to remember: first, you can meet with a reference librarian to learn the correct pronunciations of any English words you are unsure of; and second, the fact that you have an accent means you speak more languages than most Americans, which is an accomplishment to be proud of.

If you are one of the many people with a stutter or other speech challenge, you undoubtedly already know that there are numerous techniques for reducing stuttering and improving speech fluency and that there is no one agreed-upon “cure.” The Academy Award–winning movie The King’s Speech did much to increase public awareness of what a person with a stutter goes through when it comes to public speaking. It also prompted some well-known individuals who stutter, such as television news reporter John Stossel, to go public about their stuttering (Stossel, 2011). If you have decided to study public speaking in spite of a speech challenge, we commend you for your efforts and encourage you to work with your speech instructor to make whatever adaptations work best for you.

Volume refers to the loudness or softness of a speaker’s voice. As mentioned, public speakers need to speak loudly enough to be heard by everyone in the audience. In addition, volume is often needed to overcome ambient noise, such as the hum of an air conditioner or the dull roar of traffic passing by. In addition, you can use volume strategically to emphasize the most important points in your speech. Select these points carefully; if you emphasize everything, nothing will seem important. You also want to be sure to adjust your volume to the physical setting of the presentation. If you are in a large auditorium and your audience is several yards away, you will need to speak louder. If you are in a smaller space, with the audience a few feet away, you want to avoid overwhelming your audience with shouting or speaking too loudly.

Rate is the speed at which a person speaks. To keep your speech delivery interesting, your rate should vary. If you are speaking extemporaneously, your rate will naturally fluctuate. If you’re reading, your delivery is less likely to vary. Because rate is an important tool in enhancing the meanings in your speech, you do not want to give a monotone drone or a rapid “machine-gun” style delivery. Your rate should be appropriate for your topic and your points. A rapid, lively rate can communicate such meanings as enthusiasm, urgency, or humor. A slower, moderated rate can convey respect, seriousness, or careful reasoning. By varying rapid and slower rates within a single speech, you can emphasize your main points and keep your audience interested.

Pitch refers to the highness or lowness of a speaker’s voice. Some speakers have deep voices and others have high voices. As with one’s singing voice range, the pitch of one’s speaking voice is determined to a large extent by physiology (specifically, the length of one’s vocal folds, or cords, and the size of one’s vocal tract). We all have a normal speaking pitch where our voice is naturally settled, the pitch where we are most comfortable speaking, and most teachers advise speaking at the pitch that feels natural to you.

While our voices may be generally comfortable at a specific pitch level, we all have the ability to modulate, or move, our pitch up or down. In fact, we do this all the time. When we change the pitch of our voices, we are using inflections . Just as you can use volume strategically, you can also use pitch inflections to make your delivery more interesting and emphatic. If you ordinarily speak with a soprano voice, you may want to drop your voice to a slightly lower range to call attention to a particular point. How we use inflections can even change the entire meaning of what we are saying. For example, try saying the sentence “I love public speaking” with a higher pitch on one of the words—first raise the pitch on “I,” then say it again with the pitch raised on “love,” and so on. “ I love public speaking” conveys a different meaning from “I love public speaking,” doesn’t it?

There are some speakers who don’t change their pitch at all while speaking, which is called monotone . While very few people are completely monotone, some speakers slip into monotone patterns because of nerves. One way to ascertain whether you sound monotone is to record your voice and see how you sound. If you notice that your voice doesn’t fluctuate very much, you will need to be intentional in altering your pitch to ensure that the emphasis of your speech isn’t completely lost on your audience.

Finally, resist the habit of pitching your voice “up” at the ends of sentences. It makes them sound like questions instead of statements. This habit can be disorienting and distracting, interfering with the audience’s ability to focus entirely on the message. The speaker sounds uncertain or sounds as though he or she is seeking the understanding or approval of the listener. It hurts the speaker’s credibility and it needs to be avoided.

The effective use of pitch is one of the keys to an interesting delivery that will hold your audience’s attention.

Pauses are brief breaks in a speaker’s delivery that can show emphasis and enhance the clarity of a message. In terms of timing, the effective use of pauses is one of the most important skills to develop. Some speakers become uncomfortable very quickly with the “dead air” that the pause causes. And if the speaker is uncomfortable, the discomfort can transmit itself to the audience. That doesn’t mean you should avoid using pauses; your ability to use them confidently will increase with practice. Some of the best comedians use the well-timed pause to powerful and hilarious effect. Although your speech will not be a comedy routine, pauses are still useful for emphasis, especially when combined with a lowered pitch and rate to emphasize the important point you do not want your audience to miss.

Vocal Variety

Vocal variety has to do with changes in the vocalics we have just discussed: volume, pitch, rate, and pauses. No one wants to hear the same volume, pitch, rate, or use of pauses over and over again in a speech. Your audience should never be able to detect that you’re about to slow down or your voice is going to get deeper because you’re making an important point. When you think about how you sound in a normal conversation, your use of volume, pitch, rate, and pauses are all done spontaneously. If you try to overrehearse your vocalics, your speech will end up sounding artificial. Vocal variety should flow naturally from your wish to speak with expression. In that way, it will animate your speech and invite your listeners to understand your topic the way you do.

Pronunciation

The last major category related to vocalics is pronunciation , or the conventional patterns of speech used to form a word. Word pronunciation is important for two reasons: first, mispronouncing a word your audience is familiar with will harm your credibility as a speaker; and second, mispronouncing a word they are unfamiliar with can confuse and even misinform them. If there is any possibility at all that you don’t know the correct pronunciation of a word, find out. Many online dictionaries, such as the Wiktionary ( http://wiktionary.org ), provide free sound files illustrating the pronunciation of words.

Many have commented on the mispronunciation of words such as “nuclear” and “cavalry” by highly educated public speakers, including US presidents. There have been classroom examples as well. For instance, a student giving a speech on the Greek philosopher Socrates mispronounced his name at least eight times during her speech. This mispronunciation created a situation of great awkwardness and anxiety for the audience. Everyone felt embarrassed and the teacher, opting not to humiliate the student in front of the class, could not say anything out loud, instead providing a private written comment at the end of class.

One important aspect of pronunciation is articulation , or the ability to clearly pronounce each of a succession of syllables used to make up a word. Some people have difficulty articulating because of physiological problems that can be treated by trained speech therapists, but other people have articulation problems because they come from a cultural milieu where a dialect other than standard American English is the norm. Speech therapists, who generally guide their clients toward standard American English, use the acronym SODA when helping people learn how to more effectively articulate: substitutions , omissions , distortions , and additions .

  • Substitutions occur when a speaker replaces one consonant or vowel with another consonant ( water becomes wudda ; ask becomes ax ; mouth becomes mouf ).
  • Omissions occur when a speaker drops a consonant or vowel within a word ( Internet becomes Innet ; mesmerized becomes memerized ; probably becomes prolly ).
  • Distortions occur when a speaker articulates a word with nasal or slurring sounds ( pencil sounds like mencil ; precipitation sounds like persination ; second sounds like slecond ).
  • Additions occur when a speaker adds consonants or vowels to words that are not there ( anyway becomes anyways ; athletic becomes athaletic ; black becomes buhlack ; interpret becomes interpretate ).

Another aspect of pronunciation in public speaking is avoiding the use of verbal surrogates or “filler” words used as placeholders for actual words (like er , um , uh , etc.). You might be able to get away with saying “um” as many as two or three times in your speech before it becomes distracting, but the same cannot be said of “like.” We know of a student who trained herself to avoid saying “like.” As soon as the first speech was assigned, she began wearing a rubber band on her left wrist. Each time she caught herself saying “like,” she snapped herself with the rubber band. It hurt. Very quickly, she found that she could stop inflicting the snap on herself, and she had successfully confronted an unprofessional verbal habit.

Effective Physical Manipulation

In addition to using our voices effectively, a key to effective public speaking is physical manipulation , or the use of the body to emphasize meanings or convey meanings during a speech. While we will not attempt to give an entire discourse on nonverbal communication, we will discuss a few basic aspects of physical manipulation: posture, body movement, facial expressions, and dress. These aspects add up to the overall physical dimension of your speech, which we call self-presentation.

“Stand up tall!” I’m sure we’ve all heard this statement from a parent or a teacher at some point in our lives. The fact is, posture is actually quite important. When you stand up straight, you communicate to your audience, without saying a word, that you hold a position of power and take your position seriously. If however, you are slouching, hunched over, or leaning on something, you could be perceived as ill prepared, anxious, lacking in credibility, or not serious about your responsibilities as a speaker. While speakers often assume more casual posture as a presentation continues (especially if it is a long one, such as a ninety-minute class lecture), it is always wise to start by standing up straight and putting your best foot forward. Remember, you only get one shot at making a first impression, and your body’s orientation is one of the first pieces of information audiences use to make that impression.

Body Movement

Unless you are stuck behind a podium because of the need to use a nonmovable microphone, you should never stand in one place during a speech. However, movement during a speech should also not resemble pacing. One of our authors once saw a speaker who would walk around a small table where her speaking notes were located. She would walk around the table once, toss her chalk twice, and then repeat the process. Instead of listening to what the speaker was saying, everyone became transfixed by her walk-and-chalk-toss pattern. As speakers, we must be mindful of how we go about moving while speaking. One common method for easily integrating some movement into your speech is to take a few steps any time you transition from one idea to the next. By only moving at transition points, not only do you help focus your audience’s attention on the transition from one idea to the next, but you also are able to increase your nonverbal immediacy by getting closer to different segments of your audience.

Body movement also includes gestures. These should be neither overdramatic nor subdued. At one extreme, arm-waving and fist-pounding will distract from your message and reduce your credibility. At the other extreme, refraining from the use of gestures is the waste of an opportunity to suggest emphasis, enthusiasm, or other personal connection with your topic.

There are many ways to use gestures. The most obvious are hand gestures, which should be used in moderation at carefully selected times in the speech. If you overuse gestures, they lose meaning. Many late-night comedy parodies of political leaders include patterned, overused gestures or other delivery habits associated with a particular speaker. However, the well-placed use of simple, natural gestures to indicate emphasis, direction, size is usually effective. Normally, a gesture with one hand is enough. Rather than trying to have a gesture for every sentence, use just a few well-planned gestures. It is often more effective to make a gesture and hold it for a few moments than to begin waving your hands and arms around in a series of gestures.

Finally, just as you should avoid pacing, you will also want to avoid other distracting movements when you are speaking. Many speakers have unconscious mannerisms such as twirling their hair, putting their hands in and out of their pockets, jingling their keys, licking their lips, or clicking a pen while speaking. As with other aspects of speech delivery, practicing in front of others will help you become conscious of such distractions and plan ways to avoid doing them.

Facial Expressions

Faces are amazing things and convey so much information. As speakers, we must be acutely aware of what our face looks like while speaking. While many of us do not look forward to seeing ourselves on videotape, often the only way you can critically evaluate what your face is doing while you are speaking is to watch a recording of your speech. If video is not available, you can practice speaking in front of a mirror.

There are two extremes you want to avoid: no facial expression and overanimated facial expressions. First, you do not want to have a completely blank face while speaking. Some people just do not show much emotion with their faces naturally, but this blankness is often increased when the speaker is nervous. Audiences will react negatively to the message of such a speaker because they will sense that something is amiss. If a speaker is talking about the joys of Disney World and his face doesn’t show any excitement, the audience is going to be turned off to the speaker and his message. On the other extreme end is the speaker whose face looks like that of an exaggerated cartoon character. Instead, your goal is to show a variety of appropriate facial expressions while speaking.

Like vocalics and gestures, facial expression can be used strategically to enhance meaning. A smile or pleasant facial expression is generally appropriate at the beginning of a speech to indicate your wish for a good transaction with your audience. However, you should not smile throughout a speech on drug addiction, poverty, or the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. An inappropriate smile creates confusion about your meaning and may make your audience feel uncomfortable. On the other hand, a serious scowl might look hostile or threatening to audience members and become a distraction from the message. If you keep the meaning of your speech foremost in your mind, you will more readily find the balance in facial expression.

Another common problem some new speakers have is showing only one expression. One of our coauthors competed in speech in college. After one of his speeches (about how people die on amusement park rides), one of his judges pulled him aside and informed him that his speech was “creepy.” Apparently, while speaking about death, our coauthor smiled the entire time. The incongruity between the speech on death and dying and the coauthor’s smile just left the judge a little creeped out. If you are excited in a part of your speech, you should show excitement on your face. On the other hand, if you are at a serious part of your speech, your facial expressions should be serious.

While there are no clear-cut guidelines for how you should dress for every speech you’ll give, dress is still a very important part of how others will perceive you (again, it’s all about the first impression). If you want to be taken seriously, you must present yourself seriously. While we do not advocate dressing up in a suit every time you give a speech, there are definitely times when wearing a suit is appropriate.

One general rule you can use for determining dress is the “step-above rule,” which states that you should dress one step above your audience. If your audience is going to be dressed casually in shorts and jeans, then wear nice casual clothing such as a pair of neatly pressed slacks and a collared shirt or blouse. If, however, your audience is going to be wearing “business casual” attire, then you should probably wear a sport coat, a dress, or a suit. The goal of the step-above rule is to establish yourself as someone to be taken seriously. On the other hand, if you dress two steps above your audience, you may put too much distance between yourself and your audience, coming across as overly formal or even arrogant.

Another general rule for dressing is to avoid distractions in your appearance. Overly tight or revealing garments, over-the-top hairstyles or makeup, jangling jewelry, or a display of tattoos and piercings can serve to draw your audience’s attention away from your speech. Remembering that your message is the most important aspect of your speech, keep that message in mind when you choose your clothing and accessories.

Self-Presentation

When you present your speech, you are also presenting yourself. Self-presentation, sometimes also referred to as poise or stage presence, is determined by how you look, how you stand, how you walk to the lectern, and how you use your voice and gestures. Your self-presentation can either enhance your message or detract from it. Worse, a poor self-presentation can turn a good, well-prepared speech into a forgettable waste of time. You want your self-presentation to support your credibility and improve the likelihood that the audience will listen with interest.

Your personal appearance should reflect the careful preparation of your speech. Your personal appearance is the first thing your audience will see, and from it, they will make inferences about the speech you’re about to present.

One of the biggest mistakes novice public speakers make is to use the same gesture over and over again during a speech. While you don’t want your gestures to look fake, you should be careful to include a variety of different nonverbal components while speaking. You should make sure that your face, body, and words are all working in conjunction with each other to support your message.

Practice Effectively

You might get away with presenting a hastily practiced speech, but the speech will not be as good as it could be. In order to develop your best speech delivery, you need to practice—and use your practice time effectively. Practicing does not mean reading over your notes, mentally running through your speech, or even speaking your speech aloud over and over. Instead, you need to practice with the goal of identifying the weaknesses in your delivery, improving upon them, and building good speech delivery habits.

When you practice your speech, place both your feet in full, firm contact with the floor to keep your body from swaying side to side. Some new public speakers find that they don’t know what to do with their hands during the speech. Your practice sessions should help you get comfortable. When you’re not gesturing, you can rest your free hand lightly on a lectern or simply allow it to hang at your side. Since this is not a familiar posture for most people, it might feel awkward, but in your practice sessions, you can begin getting used to it.

Seek Input from Others

Because we can’t see ourselves as others see us, one of the best ways to improve your delivery is to seek constructive criticism from others. This, of course, is an aspect of your public speaking course, as you will receive evaluations from your instructor and possibly from your fellow students. However, by practicing in front of others before it is time to present your speech, you can anticipate and correct problems so that you can receive a better evaluation when you give the speech “for real.”

Ask your practice observers to be honest about the aspects of your delivery that could be better. Sometimes students create study groups just for this purpose. When you create a study group of classroom peers, everyone has an understanding of the entire creative process, and their feedback will thus be more useful to you than the feedback you might get from someone who has never taken the course or given a speech.

If your practice observers seem reluctant to offer useful criticisms, ask questions. How was your eye contact? Could they hear you? Was your voice well modulated? Did you mispronounce any words? How was your posture? Were your gestures effective? Did you have any mannerisms that you should learn to avoid? Because peers are sometimes reluctant to say things that could sound critical, direct questions are often a useful way to help them speak up.

If you learn from these practice sessions that your voice tends to drop at the ends of sentences, make a conscious effort to support your voice as you conclude each main point. If you learn that you have a habit of clicking a pen, make sure you don’t have a pen with you when you speak or that you keep it in your pocket. If your practice observers mention that you tend to hide your hands in the sleeves of your shirt or jacket, next time wear short sleeves or roll your sleeves up before beginning your speech. If you learn through practice that you tend to sway or rock while you speak, you can consciously practice and build the habit of not swaying.

When it is your turn to give feedback to others in your group, assume that they are as interested in doing well as you are. Give feedback in the spirit of helping their speeches be as good as possible.

Use Audio and/or Video to Record Yourself

Technology has made it easier than ever to record yourself and others using the proliferation of electronic devices people are likely to own. Video, of course, allows you the advantage of being able to see yourself as others see you, while audio allows you to concentrate on the audible aspects of your delivery. As we mentioned earlier in the chapter, if neither video nor audio is available, you can always observe yourself by practicing your delivery in front of a mirror.

After you have recorded yourself, it may seem obvious that you should watch and listen to the recording. This can be intimidating, as you may fear that your performance anxiety will be so obvious that everyone will notice it in the recording. But students are often pleasantly surprised when they watch and listen to their recordings, as even students with very high anxiety may find out that they “come across” in a speech much better than they expected.

A recording can also be a very effective diagnostic device. Sometimes students believe they are making strong contact with their audiences, but their cards contain so many notes that they succumb to the temptation of reading. By finding out from the video that you misjudged your eye contact, you can be motivated to rewrite your notecards in a way that doesn’t provide the opportunity to do so much reading.

It is most likely that in viewing your recording, you will benefit from discovering your strengths and finding weak areas you can strengthen.

Good Delivery Is a Habit

Luckily, public speaking is an activity that, when done conscientiously, strengthens with practice. As you become aware of the areas where your delivery has room for improvement, you will begin developing a keen sense of what “works” and what audiences respond to.

It is advisable to practice out loud in front of other people several times, spreading your rehearsals out over several days. To do this kind of practice, of course, you need to have your speech be finalized well ahead of the date when you are going to give it. During these practice sessions, you can time your speech to make sure it lasts the appropriate length of time. A friend of ours was the second student on the program in an event where each student’s presentation was to last thirty to forty-five minutes. After the first student had been speaking for seventy-five minutes, the professor in charge asked, “Can we speed this up?” The student said yes, and proceeded to continue speaking for another seventy-five minutes before finally concluding his portion of the program. Although we might fault the professor for not “pulling the plug,” clearly the student had not timed his speech in advance.

Your practice sessions will also enable you to make adjustments to your notecards to make them more effective in supporting your contact with your audience. This kind of practice is not just a strategy for beginners; it is practiced by many highly placed public figures with extensive experience in public speaking.

Your public speaking course is one of the best opportunities you will have to manage your performance anxiety, build your confidence in speaking extemporaneously, develop your vocal skills, and become adept at self-presentation. The habits you can develop through targeted practice are to build continuously on your strengths and to challenge yourself to find new areas for improving your delivery. By taking advantage of these opportunities, you will gain the ability to present a speech effectively whenever you may be called upon to speak publicly.

Key Takeaways

  • Conversational style is a speaker’s ability to sound expressive while being perceived by the audience as natural. Conversational quality is a speaker’s ability to prepare a speech and rehearse a speech but still sound spontaneous when delivering it.
  • Eye contact helps capture and maintain an audience’s interest while contributing to the speaker’s credibility.
  • Vocalics are the nonverbal components of the verbal message. There are six important vocalic components for a speaker to be aware of: volume (loudness or softness), pitch (highness or lowness), rate (fastness or slowness), pauses (use of breaks to add emphasis), vocal variety (use of a range of vocalic strategies), and pronunciation (using conventional patterns of speech formation).
  • Physical manipulation is the use of one’s body to add meaning and emphasis to a speech. As such, excessive or nonexistent physical manipulation can detract from a speaker’s speech.
  • Good delivery is a habit that is built through effective practice.
  • Find a speech online and examine the speaker’s overall presentation. How good was the speaker’s delivery? Make a list of the aspects of delivery in this chapter and evaluate the speaker according to the list. In what areas might the speaker improve?
  • Record a practice session of your speech. Write a self-critique, answering the following questions: What surprised you the most? What is an area of strength upon which you can build? What is one area for improvement?

Koch, A. (2010). Speaking with a purpose (8th ed.). Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon, p. 233.

Lucas, S. E. (2009). The art of public speaking (9th ed.). Boston, MA: McGraw-Hill, p. 244.

Mehrabian, A. (1972). Nonverbal communication . Chicago, IL: Aldine-Atherton.

Mitchell, O. (n.d.). Mehrabian and nonverbal communication [Web log post]. Retrieved from http://www.speakingaboutpresenting.com/presentation-myths/mehrabian-nonverbal-communication-research

O’Hair, D., Stewart, R., & Rubenstein, H. (2001). A speaker’s guidebook: Text and reference. Boston, MA: Bedford/St. Martin’s.

Stossel, J. (2011, March 2). An Academy Award–winning movie, stuttering and me [Web log post]. Retrieved from http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=42081

Stand up, Speak out Copyright © 2016 by University of Minnesota is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License , except where otherwise noted.

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Principles of Speech Delivery

Think of a speaker that one has heard and seen. State the reasons for liking this speaker? Is it his/her confidence, appearance, mastery of the language? All these answers are correct. A good speaker has to have a clear voice and uses words that are understandable. A good Speaker also uses the right facial expressions and appropriate gestures. Moreover, speakers are liked when they talk directly to the audience, maintaining eye contact with the listeners. These speakers also move on the stage with confidence, showing mastery of public communication.

A speaker’s message has to be imparted to the listeners. This is the second half of speech communication: the delivery of the speech. How does one deliver a speech effectively? There are several principles to be followed. These are as follows:

First Principle: Articulation

When the Speaker’s words cannot be understood because of poor articulation, the Speech might as well not have been delivered at all. Word choice and grammatical correctness are necessary in writing the Speech, but it is articulateness in pronouncing the words and speaking with clear diction that effectively transmits the Message of the Speaker. It is highly important to know the correct way of saying a word, whether they are familiar or unfamiliar. Proper breathing techniques together with the correct molding of sounds that make up words contribute to efficient articulation.

(Were the Speakers in the video/film articulate in their Speech? Were they understandable?)

Second Principle: Modulation

There are pleasant-sounding voices, quite soothing to the ears, just as there are unpleasant voices that sound flat, are high pitched, or screeching. People like to listen to voices that are well-modulated, meaning the capability to adjust or manipulate the resonance and timbre of the vocal tone. A microphone requires even more modulation as the amplifiers will resonate voices further. But with or without a microphone, voices should not bombard our eardrums. If the Speaker’s voice is modulated, Listeners will pay attention. The Speaker’s words will be heard clearly and the Message of the Speech will be sent and received.

(Were the Speakers’ voices modulated? Was it easy to listen to them?)

Third Principle: Stage Presence

The ability to “own” the stage, of the Speaker being able to fill the space and project his/ her personality to the Audience—that is stage presence. The opposite of stage presence is stage fright, which is considered by many as the topmost fear in the world of public speaking! But instead of trying to get rid of stage fright (which cannot be done anyway), all that energy that is making one feel shaky and nervous should be used to make the Speaker become an interesting, enthusiastic speaker capable of being heard and able to move about on stage. No one is immune from stage fright. Other people just manage it better and create what we see as stage presence.

(Did the Speakers show stage presence? Cite what contributed to that.)

Fourth Principle: Facial Expressions, Gestures, and Movement

It is not just the choice of words and their proper pronunciation that make for an effective Speech delivery. The Message of any speech is reinforced, clarified, and complemented by Nonverbal Communication such as facial expressions, gestures, and movement. Without these nonverbal elements, the Speaker may be judged as boring, with flat delivery and an unemotional voice. Facial expressions should change with the content of the Speech. Gestures should emphasize only certain points. Movement should allow the Speaker to carry the Speech around, forward, and to the Audience, metaphorically speaking. It should also direct the Audience to follow the Speaker and keep them hanging on to his/her every word.

(Did the Speakers use Nonverbal Communication? Was it too much or too little?) 

Fifth Principle: Audience Rapport

It was pointed out previously that the most important aid in establishing a connection with the Listeners is an Audience Analysis. Using this data, one is able to write a Speech that would appeal to the Audience. Also because of the same data, one will know how to deliver the Message to the Audience and connect with them at a deeper level.

(How did the Speakers establish rapport with their Audience? Did it work?) 

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What is Stage Presence & How to Master It

If you’ve ever been to a concert, comedy show, or any stage performance you have witnessed the best stage presence . The degree of quality varies depending on who you watched, but chances are the performances you loved most had outstanding stage presence.

Why is strong stage presence important? The music industry creates star power when band members have great stage presence, which translates to more ticket sales. The best performers have their own style that sets them apart and can be tracked throughout their music career. The power of stage presence leaves the live audience waiting in anticipation for the next song.

Stage presence is both seen and unseen. It encapsulates how the coolest person on stage projects him or herself to the audience with body language, voice, how they move around the whole stage, and a lot more. It’s true that some individuals are naturals when it comes to great stage presence, but for most of us mortals, it’s a skill we can learn with practice.

When people generally talk about stage presence they reference entertainment performers; however, the same principles apply when you’re speaking in public . One of the most important and little talked about keys to an unforgettable speech or presentation is – you guessed it – stage presence.

In this article, we’re going to peel away the layers of what stage presence really is, and what you can do to improve stage presence.

What is Stage Presence? How to Know if You Have Good Stage Presence How to Develop Better Stage Presence How Does Stage Presence Compare to Executive Presence? How Can I Improve My Stage Presence in a Speech?

Why is Presentation Structure so Important?

why is stage presence important

When it comes to public speaking, stage presence means connecting with your audience in such a way that they feel like they must watch and listen to you.

We have an audience every time we speak to anyone. You don’t even need a stage to have it. You can have great presence in a boardroom meeting or even on a video conference call.

A myth about stage presence persists, and we’d like to dispel this myth in this article. Most people when asked will acknowledge that stage presence is something that exists, but think it’s something you’re born with.

The truth is while few people are more naturally inclined to have it, the reality is it’s a skill. And just like any other skill it can be learned and continuously improved.

Most adults have either seen a motivational speaker in person or online. Do you remember how their stage presence looked? They likely navigated the stage with same energy, took meaningful pauses, and varied their intonation signaling importance to the audience. Great motivational speakers are masters of stage performance.

Unless you’re living off the grid you’ve likely seen a TedTalk or two in your lifetime. TedTalks are a great resource for studying stage presence. They are public speaking at its best, and although not every TedTalk presenter has equal stage presence skills, most have a solid foundation worth studying.

How to tell your story so the audience feels it’s their story.

How to Know if You Have Good Stage Presence

what is stage presence

There is no “best” presentation structure, but there are proven structures that have passed the test of time. It’s important to stick with what’s worked, especially when starting out. You must first master the rules before you can break them. The traditional structure of effective presentations should first be mastered before you deviate.

Opening Sequence

How do your audience members appear throughout your presentation – interested and engaged? Are they laughing or reacting when you want them to? Are they paying attention to you or checking their phones? What kind of feedback did you get once your presentation was over?

Staying Power

Another useful metric to look at is the short or long-term impact of your presentation. Did you notice your audience talking about your presentation immediately after it ended? Are they sharing their unique experience with friends, family, and colleagues? Were there memorable quotes or anecdotes in your speech that the audience keeps referencing days or weeks later?

Your Own Experience

Although we don’t always have a clear view of our own performance, most of the time we know if we did well or not. Ask yourself how well you think it went. Did you feel like you executed the presentation you prepared for? How did you feel on stage? What went well or better than expected? What part or parts fell flat or didn’t receive the reaction you hoped for?

These are all important questions to think about when accessing if you have stage presence. The answers can help you understand what’s working, what needs improvement, and what you can cut from your presentation.

How to Develop Better Stage Presence

how to have stage presence

Remember that stage presence doesn’t only happen on big stage. Everything from communicating with colleagues to presenting big ideas to decision-makers involves the elements of strong stage presence so your message is heard.

Practice, Practice, and Practice Some More

Yes, as much as we’d like it not to be true sometimes, it is – practice makes perfect. The most important thing practice does is calm your nerves. If you practice like you play as the saying goes your body feels like it’s been there before and you’re able to better relax. When you’re not nervous, you can focus on what’s important and perform more effectively.

Practicing for a speech or presentation allows you to nail down your main points, feel how the delivery sounds, and give you room to discover areas that can be improved.

Use Strategic Visuals

If you’re not a naturally high-energy type A personality that’s going to bounce around the stage that’s okay. Enhancing your stage presence can be done in many ways. One way is by using engaging visuals. You should always remain the main focus of your presentation, however, the right visual aids can support your message.

Considering that over 65% of the population are visual learners, visual content helps reinforce your message. Using slides can evoke emotions in your audience, keep them engaged, and strengthen your key points.

Invite Your Audience into Your Presentation

Whether you’re using an anecdote, an analogy, or a rhetorical question, creatively drawing your audience into your performance is one of the best ways to make them feel valued and keep them engaged.

You’ll notice your audience’s body language change when they feel like they’re active participants. If your presentation allows for it, you can create camaraderie and rapport with your audience by bringing them into it.

Improve Every Performance

What do the best presenters in the world have in common? They’re always looking for ways to improve. There is always room for improvement, and when you take this attitude every speech and presentation you give will get better over time.

Always try to record your presentations so you can review them later and look at areas you could have done better. Watch yourself and track how the audience is reacting throughout your speech. What did they like or dislike? When did they start losing interest?

After reviewing your speech you might realize your anecdote wasn’t quite right for the point you were trying to make. Notes like this can help you continually refine your presentation and make sure it gets better every time.

BE AN EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATOR Suasive Presentation Coaching

Use the Stage

Whether on stage, in the boardroom, or on a video conference call, utilize all the room you have. Work the stage as the saying goes – but do so with purpose. This is especially important if you’re presenting to a large audience. Make sure to engage with each section of the audience.

Staying still in one place can feel dull for your audience. Moving around purposefully forces your audience to stay active and follow you. Remember they’re likely sitting in one place and need some help from you to keep them active despite being stationary.

Aside from helping your audience, moving helps you elevate your energy level and alleviate nerves. Try to pay attention to what kind of movements and body language your audience responds to most.

Take Advantage of the Pause

Getting comfortable with silence is one the most powerful things you can do to create strong stage presence. The masters use the pause to build momentum and anticipation for what is coming next. A confident well-placed pause shows the audience that you’re comfortable, self-assured, and in control. It also gets their attention.

Speaking too fast without breaks and pauses is just as bad as speaking too slowly and in a monotone voice. Vary your volume and cadence, and use dramatic pauses in the right spots between phrases to build interest and capture the audience’s attention.

Dress to Impress

Your audience will judge you on how you look both consciously and subconsciously. It’s important that you dress the part. Make sure to wear something you feel comfortable in that aligns with the context of your presentation.

Since you will most likely want to be perceived as the expert, dress one level above the audience. Note that there’s a fine line here here: dress to differentiate yourself as the presenter while still “fitting in.” While you most likely wouldn’t under-dress, don’t over-dress either. If you’re giving a presentation to a group outside your organization, take the time to find out how the audience will dress, and then dress subtly better. If you’re giving a presentation within your organization, i.e., you’re a Director speaking to a group of VPs, and you hope to be promoted to VP – then dress like a VP (or, dress to be promoted!).

Don’t Let Mistakes Derail You

Huge part of connecting with your audience is looking human. Making mistakes is a defining feature of the human experience. Although you’re not aiming to make a mistake, how you handle it will make all the huge difference during your presentation.

A lot of things can go wrong during a presentation. You can forget a key point, stumble over words, lose your train of thought, or have technical difficulties. When these things happen your reaction can actually strengthen your presentation. Don’t panic and look frustrated. Acknowledge that that mistake is happening and find some humor in it. Your audience will appreciate how calm and cool you’re staying in what should be a stressful situation. It shows you’re not bigger than the moment. When you’re able to remain confident and when things go wrong it builds trust and confidence in your audience.

Check Your Equipment First

One great way to avoid equipment failure is with a test run. As much as it’s important to stay confident when things go wrong, it’s better that nothing goes wrong at all.

Whether you’re presenting in a conference room, on a physical stage, or virtually, make sure everything you need is working properly before you go live. Check microphones, screens, cameras, lighting, and all other technology.

Even when you’re presenting virtually your stage presence will be noticed. It’s critical that you master the equipment and technology you’ll be using. Not knowing how to un-mute yourself or share your screen can derail your momentum and audience confidence.

Know how to read the chats in a chat box, break participants into discussion groups, run polls, and ensure your internet connection is strong. Keep your background simple and ensure your lighting is complimentary.

Respect Your Audience

Nobody likes to wait. You must always respect your audience’s time. This means starting and ending on time. You can do this by making sure all your equipment works before you start. Know how long your presentation will take without interruptions and make time for greetings and departures.

If you’re going to have Q&A after the presentation make sure to factor in that time. If you’re doing Q&A throughout the presentation you’ll need to manage your time effectively so you can complete all of your content.

How Does Stage Presence Compare to Executive Presence?

stage presence examples

Stage presence and executive presence are inseparable. You can’t have one without the other. If you look at what makes a strong executive, you’ll notice that many of the attributes apply to stage presence.

  • Stage presence and executive presence both require frequent practice to gain confidence.
  • Eye contact is an important element for connecting with audience members non-verbally.
  • Movements and gestures are vital to maintaining both speaker and audience enthusiasm.
  • Move with purpose, and use body language to emphasize important points.
  • Be aware of your space and obstacles on the stage like wires.
  • Clear articulation and vocal variety are important to establish authority and credibility.
  • Never speak in monotone, use a variety of vocal expressions.

COMMUNICATION WITH PURPOSE

How Can I Improve My Stage Presence in a Speech?

stage presence in speech

You know what stage presence is and why it’s important and now you’re ready for some practical on-the-stage strategy so you can own the stage and make the impact you want during your next presentation or speech.

Most people spend the majority of their time developing their story. However, your presentation success also depends on your body language. The way you command your use of space signals your perceptions and mindsets. For example, if you enter the stage and go directly behind the podium stand this can signal to the audience that you feel nervous or closed off.

On the other hand, if you enter the stage with no notes, open body language, and work the entire space, it signals to your audience that you feel comfortable and, in turn, the audience mirrors your comfort. They trust that you’re comfortable and confident, and thus let their guard down to become more open to what you’re about to say.

Make a Stage Action Plan

Just like you plan your speech you should make a detailed plan on how to use your entire stage. Start by taking note of what you have to work with.

Will you be entering on steps or from backstage? From stage left or right?

Determine where you will first come into view from the audience’s perspective. Know where you will stand as you deliver your introduction. When you know where you’re heading your entrance will look purposeful and confident.

If you can visit the stage and map it out before your presentation this is ideal. If not, arrive early and make a plan then. Not only does utilizing the stage space make you look more in control to your audience, you can use the stage as transition points to remind yourself what’s next in your speech or presentation.

How to Create a Virtual Stage Presence

If you’re giving a webinar or making an online speech or presentation it becomes even more difficult to capture and hold your audience’s attention.

Nevertheless, there are ways to do it, and in today’s remote world it pays off.

Choose the Right Background

The first thing your audience will notice when they enter a virtual room is your background. Whether you’re speaking in a virtual conference, going on a livestream podcast, or having a virtual session with a client, it’s important to look professional and interesting.

If you can design your background in a way that matches your brand, that’s ideal as long as it doesn’t detract from the presenter.

Optimize Your Lighting

You don’t have to spend thousands of dollars on a professional light kit, but lighting can and often does make all the difference. Even the best cameras will not make you look good if they don’t have the right lighting. If your space is filled with natural light just adding a simple key light should be enough.

Dress Like You’re on a Real Stage

Many people are tempted to keep it casual because they’re at home. This is a mistake. You need to look just as professional on camera as you would in person. You can typically get away with dressing down below the waist – yes you can wear sweatpants with your sports coat if you like. However, psychologically you feel the way you dress, so dress up and it will show through with your energy.

Check Your Tech

Make sure your camera, lighting, microphone, and internet connection are working as should. The biggest pitfalls of online presentations are technical difficulties which can be overcome with test runs and familiarity.

Practice Makes Perfect

Just like you’d practice for an in-person speech practice for your virtual speeches and presentations. Get the camera rolling and record yourself. You can play it back and see what’s working.

Finally, if you can stand up during your virtual presentation, do it. It will give you more energy and make every audience member feel like you’re engaged and doing everything you can to connect. Sitting always looks low energy. Make sure your virtual stage presence looks strong.

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Suasive, Inc . is a Silicon Valley-based communication consulting company that offers stage presence for organizations and individuals. To date, we’ve coached over 600 CEOs and helped individuals in some of the world’s biggest companies including Netflix , eBay , Sonos , Lyft , and Freshworks .

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5 Acting Techniques for Greater Stage Presence in Public Speaking

Acting techniques for business communication lead to effective presentations.

Acting techniques are powerful tools for business communication. Here are 5 ways to achieve presence and charisma in all of your public speaking.

You're about to give an important presentation. You want to be good—really good. So where can you find the best techniques for engaging, entertaining, and moving your audience? As an actor, my answer is biased, but I believe it's the right one: consider the world of acting.  

When I founded The Genard Method of performance-based public speaking training in 2001, my goal was to bring theatrical techniques to the world of business. What was true then remains so today: an acting-based approach is the fastest route to becoming a more accomplished speaker who can move audiences — any audiences .

Need to speak as a leader on behalf of your team or organization? Go beyond simply delivering information to boost your credibility, authority, and influence with stakeholders! Learn how to shape your message and power up your platform skills. Download my essential cheat sheet , "Leadership Skills: 5 Essential Speaking Techniques." 

Below are five ways you can use the skills of an actor to improve the impact and influence of your own speaking.

Theater-based techniques for developing presence in public speaking.

How to Command a Stage for Business Presentations

1. Learn the Art of Speaking with Presence.  This means developing “audience sense”—an awareness of how your audience is responding. Naturally, actors cultivate this attribute until it's a finely-tuned instrument. But you can benefit from awakening this awareness in yourself.

How can you do so? Practice the ability to present information while sensing how that information is received. You may find this challenging at first, since as speakers we're used to conveying content to the exclusion of almost all else. Instead, pay close attention to how your listeners are responding, for that's when you'll be truly present.  Here's more on the  theater-based techniques that can make you a more exciting speaker . 

2. Learn How to Use Body Language in Performance.  You already know that body language is a powerful tool of communication. But how can you use it productively in public speaking, going beyond gestures to truly have an impact on an audience? Here are  6 skills building exercises for effective body language  you can use, as well as these suggestions:

First, learn how to use space. Try to  decrease  the distance between you and your listeners, for instance. And think about how your position in your “performance space” can be linked to your content. — Can your stage position be tied to the item you're talking about at the moment? Something as simple as moving to one place for each talking point can help. Most important, ask yourself this question: “ How can I find physical expression of what I’m saying?”  It’s at this point that you will truly begin to use body language effectively.

3. Learn How to Use Your Voice.   Is your voice fully expressive? It needs to be, if you’re going to convey the subtle meanings of the points you're making. To get to that level, learn and practice my  5 key tools of vocal expressiveness .

To practice vocal improvement, record your presentations in audio only. That way, you'll be 100% mindful of your voice and nothing else. Work on one vocal tool at a time, isolating each until you hear improvement. Then go on to the next, and so on. Finally, practice your selections using  all  of the tools, since that’s how you speak when you're fully invested in what you're saying. And don’t stay in the world of business—fiction and poetry offer the best material for stretching your vocal apparatus until it's fully at your command.

4. Learn How to Lead Your Audience’s Response.   Wrap yourself too much in the cocoon of your content and you may as well be speaking to an empty room. Think of it this way: Your content is actually one of the two engines of an audience's  response.  (The other is you.) So you should be constructing your message not only so that the audience can follow it, but in a way that allows them to respond in the right way, at the right time.

Here’s an example: I recently coached a client who had to tell his team about a directive that had just "come down from corporate." New accounting procedures were being implemented that his team had to follow. He was ready to dive right into details. But I pointed out that he really needed to land hard on the “we-have-to-do-this-guys” aspect of his message at the start. Then  the details could follow, because his team's response had to be: “I guess we’d better pay attention to this.” It was the audience response he needed at just that point in his remarks.

Speaking with charisma and presence means relishing the spotlight.

5. Discover the Spotlight for Speaking with Charisma.   Every actor knows the expression “Find your light.” It means that if you're in the dark on stage, step into the light source so you can be seen. Audiences find it hard to pay attention to actors they can’t see!

Let’s tweak that idea slightly, and say this: When you present, you need to become comfortable being squarely in the spotlight. It means accepting your central role and the exposure that comes with it as a speaker. Some presenters are uncomfortable with that level of scrutiny, and it shows. But public speaking is  performance.  If you don’t like it—if you don’t learn to love it—you’ll never achieve the influence you’re capable of.

Now, go out there and light up your performance space.

You should follow me on Twitter  here .

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Tags: public speaking training , presentation skills , body language , Voice and Speech Improvement , influence , business communication , charisma , presence , leadership , acting techniques , The Genard Method , Dr. Gary Genard

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At the end of this module, I can use the principles of effective speech delivery focusing on articulation; modulation; stage presence; facial expressions, gestures, and movements; rapport with the audience; and appropriate use of audiovisual aids.

Having written a relevant and well-organized speech is not enough; you must also be able to deliver it well for it to be effective. Otherwise, your well-written speech will be for naught. A speech is best delivered with clear and correct articulation and well-enunciated words in a properly modulated voice. A good delivery also requires a good command of the stage through appropriate clothing, gestures, body movement, and other nonverbal cues. In addition, a good delivery makes use of appropriate audiovisual aids to facilitate comprehension, appreciation, and retention of information. Finally, a good delivery calls for rapport with the audience.

Keep in mind the following principles of effective speech delivery: articulation; modulation; stage presence; facial expressions, gestures, and movements; rapport with the audience; and appropriate use of audiovisual aids.

Sometimes, faulty microphones, poor facilities, and a noisy environment make the speech hard to understand. But being able to pronounce your statements properly helps you to be understood by your audience.

Moreover, articulation can also mean being able to articulate your ideas properly on a discourse level. This means that, aside from the microlevel of pronunciation or the manner in which you enunciate sounds in every syllable, you should also be able to translate your ideas into words, sentences, and paragraphs that are coherently arranged to make a point. The patterns of organization, which were discussed in the previous module, can help you articulate your ideas properly.

Proper delivery starts with confidence. However, you must bear in mind that confidence is different from rude boldness.

Reflect Upon

How is proper articulation helpful in effective communication?

Do you notice how hosts of radio programs have well-modulated voices? They have to hone their skill of inflecting their voice pitch or tone so that they can pronounce words more clearly and sound good to their listeners. No one likes to listen at length to a high-pitched, shrill, or squeaky voice as this hurts the ears. Practice will make your voice sound better. Listen to good examples of modulated voices to learn the difference and start inflecting your own voice and pitch to sound better.

Try some tongue twisters to practice pronunciation. Vocal calisthenics can also help in articulation and modulation.

Some people seem to command attention by just showing up onstage. They are good-looking or physically imposing so people cannot help but notice them. Even if you do not possess these physical traits, you can still command attention and have stage presence by grooming, dressing up, and, most importantly, speaking well. You can develop an impressive style of speaking so that your audience cannot help but listen to you. Your voice should sound good and your command of the language must be excellent. Your knowledge of the topic should be credible and extensive. These are but a few of the things that you can enhance in order to have a strong stage presence.

Practice in front of a mirror to establish your stage presence. Study your facial expressions and use them to build rapport with your listeners. Try to avoid doing your mannerisms.

Just like facial expressions, gestures can communicate more than your words do. Use gestures and body movements to call attention to ideas, to emphasize words, and to highlight a point, among others. However, too many gestures and body movements, might be seen as theatrical and insincere and could even distract your audience from understanding your message.

As part of the audience, how would you feel if the speaker standing onstage has poor posture and seems timid?

What Have I Learned So Far?

What facial expressions, gestures, modulation, and articulation are appropriate when delivering the following lines? Demonstrate them in class. You can search the lines online to understand the context of each one.

Cannon to left of them,

Cannon in front of them

Volleyed and thundered;” (from “Charge of the Light Brigade” by Alfred, Lord Tennyson)

Here are some ways to establish rapport with the audience:

Rapport is important even in other communication situations and contexts. It is always advisable to make your first impression last.

Identify the principle of speech delivery to which the following elements belong.

Beyond Walls 17.1 Go Online

Declamation pieces are helpful to practice speech delivery. Go to https://www.scribd.com/doc/175697010/Ballad-of-a-Mother-s-Heart-Verse-Choir-Piece for a copy of “Ballad of a Mother’s Heart.” Memorize the piece and prepare to present your declamation in front of the class. Apply the principles of speech delivery in your performance.

Which is more important, a well-written speech or a well-delivered one? Why do you think so?

Beyond Walls 17.2 Apply It in Real Life

Track: Academic

As an expert anthropologist from the top university of the country, you are always invited in TV shows to share your expert opinion about different phenomena related to the Filipino ways of life. After seeing you on TV, teachers from your alma mater invited you to share your expertise to the students of your former high school. They asked you to deliver a speech about cognitive dissonance among Filipinos in time for the Media Literacy Month. Using the speech that you have written about the given topic, prepare to deliver it. Make sure to be critical of how you can apply the principles of speech delivery in your public speaking engagement so that you can communicate effectively with your young audience.

Evaluate the speech delivery of one of your classmates based on the principles of speech delivery. Write comments or constructive criticisms. Your comments will be evaluated based on your understanding of the principles.

Name of Speaker:                 

Extend Your Knowledge

Visual aids are very important in both informative and persuasive speeches. Visit the following websites to know how experts, like the late Steve Jobs, successfully used visuals to sell his products.

Essential Learning

To give justice to a well-written speech, you must clearly and accurately articulate your message by pronouncing words clearly and correctly in a well-modulated voice. As you speak, it helps to ensure that your facial expressions, gestures, and body movements complement and enhance your verbal message. With good grooming and appropriate clothing, your use of voice, language, and nonverbal communication skills would help you command a stage presence that demonstrates confidence in your credibility and your message. You should also aim to develop good rapport with your audience not only to encourage them to listen to your message but also to ensure a pleasant and lively experience with them. To achieve such an experience, draw your audience into your speech by talking to them sincerely, good-naturedly, and politely, rather than simply stating your message. Finally, deliver your message with appropriate and well-prepared audiovisual aids to help your audience easily grasp, appreciate, and retain the content of your speech.

Practicing articulation and enhancing your communication skills will always be useful in your endeavors in life that require social interaction, whether minimal or extensive. If you speak clearly, fluently, and engagingly in whatever language you choose to communicating, more opportunities will come your way in the form of jobs and successful social relations.

Oral Communication in Context Module: Principles of Speech Delivery

This Self-Learning Module (SLM) is prepared so that you, our dear learners, can continue your studies and learn while at home. Activities, questions, directions, exercises, and discussions are carefully stated for you to understand each lesson.

Each SLM is composed of different parts. Each part shall guide you step-by-step as you discover and understand the lesson prepared for you.

Pre-tests are provided to measure your prior knowledge on lessons in each SLM. This will tell you if you need to proceed on completing this module or if you need to ask your facilitator or your teacher’s assistance for better understanding of the lesson.

After learning the different principles, techniques and process in writing, setting a very clear objective you should have in your writing speech, using the principles of effective speech writing and exhibiting appropriate verbal and non – verbal behavior in a given speech context, you are now ready to deliver an effective speech.

Think of a speaker that one has heard and seen. Why do you think the audience would like speech? Is it the speaker’s confidence, articulation or pronunciation of words, appearance, or mastery of the language? All these answers are definitely correct. A good speaker has to have a clear voice and utter words understandably with the audience. The speaker also uses the right facial expressions and appropriate gestures. However, a great speaker talked directly to the audience with a convincing proposition and eye to eye contact. The speaker also moves with confidence on stage showing mastery of Public Communication. In this module, the learners are expected to understand wholeheartedly the principles of speech delivery.

After going through this module, you are expected to:

1. practice articulation, modulation, stage presence, facial expressions, gestures and movements and rapport with the audience; and

2. deliver a speech in an audience observing the principles of effective speech delivery learned.

Oral Communication in Context Quarter 2 Self-Learning Module: Principles of Speech Delivery

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  1. Stage Presence: What is It & How to Master It

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  2. INFOGRAPHIC: 7 Ways to Have Great Stage Presence

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  3. seven principles of effective speech writing

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  4. How to deliver an effective speech and master public speaking

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  5. seven principles of effective speech writing

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  6. 13 Stage Presence Rules That Capture & Enrapture Your Audience

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  6. INTRODUCTORY SPEECH PRESENTATION

COMMENTS

  1. 10 Tips to Help You Master Stage Presence

    Having a good stage presence is very important when delivering a speech or presentation. The best speakers have a very captivating stage presence - they are able to capture the audience's full attention and keep them interested throughout the entirety of their speech.

  2. DLP 4

    Class: Grade 11 -Micah A. Content Standard The learner realizes the rigors of crafting one's speech. B. Performance Standard The learner proficiently delivers various speeches using the principles of effective speech delivery. C. Learning Competencies

  3. Stage Presence: How to Improve Your Own And Win the Crowd

    Action Step: Keep the audience awake with your movement. And don't be afraid to work it! Your speech or presentation isn't limited to one spot on stage. It's about the entire room, so be sure to work all angles and areas. The Stage is Your Foundation

  4. Use principles of effective speech writing focusing on ...

    Articulation, Modulation, Stage Presence, Facial Expressions, Gestures and Movem... Use principles of effective speech writing focusing on: EN11/12OC-IIcj-26 a.

  5. Stage Presence: Mastering the Art of Performance for Public Speaking

    Element #1: Public Speaking Is a Reflection of Who You Are What often gets us into trouble where public speaking is concerned is the idea that it's something special —an out-of-the-ordinary event, in which we need to rise above our ordinary competencies.

  6. 13 Stage Presence Rules That Capture & Enrapture Your Audience

    What is Stage Presence? Stage presence is the ability of a performer to capture and command the attention of an audience, directing and controlling that attention by being impressive in one's visual appearance, body language, charismatic speech, and general mannerisms.

  7. Why You Need to Learn Stage Presence for Your Speeches and Presentations

    Mar 20, 2022 by Gary Genard Want to inject some magic into your public speaking? Here's why you need to learn stage presence for your speeches and presentations. How are your performances in meetings, pitches, and presentations stacking up these days? Are they closer to the everyday or the magical? Can you really achieve the latter? I think so!

  8. How to Improve Your Stage Presence for Public Speaking

    Lesson #1: Focus on Just Talking to People Before we can discuss any of the specifics of stage presence, we need to understand that America has a problem that collectively, we need to do something about. It has to do with how we're taught—or not taught—public speaking.

  9. 19.7 Spotlight on … Delivery/Public Speaking

    Learning Outcomes. Implement various technologies effectively to address an audience, matching the capacities of each to the rhetorical situation. Apply conventions of speech delivery, such as voice control, gestures, and posture. Identify and show awareness of cultural considerations. Think of a speech you have seen or heard, either in person ...

  10. Stage Presence: What it Means, Why it Matters, and How to Improve it

    Stage presence is more than the ability to recite your lines, hit your marks, and sing the right notes. Essentially, a good stage presence pulls the audience into the performance. It's the ability to make the audience connect with the performer and envelop them in the story being told, and in turn to express what the audience feels.

  11. 14.4 Practicing for Successful Speech Delivery

    Explain why having a strong conversational quality is important for effective public speaking. Explain the importance of eye contact in public speaking. Define vocalics and differentiate among the different factors of vocalics. Explain effective physical manipulation during a speech. Understand how to practice effectively for good speech delivery.

  12. Principles of Speech Delivery

    Third Principle: Stage Presence The ability to "own" the stage, of the Speaker being able to fill the space and project his/ her personality to the Audience—that is stage presence. The opposite of stage presence is stage fright, which is considered by many as the topmost fear in the world of public speaking!

  13. The Key To Successful Speech Writing

    Here are eight steps you can use to compose an effective speech for any situation: Choose an important topic. Consider your audience. Prepare a structure. Begin with a strong point. Use concrete details and visual aids. Include a personal element. Consider rhetorical devices. End memorably.

  14. Oral Com Q2 Module 3 1

    Lesson 1: Principles of Effective Speech Writing Lesson 2: Principles of Speech Delivery. After going through this module, you are expected to: discuss the principles of effective speech writing; analyze the importance of Audience Profile, Logical Organization, Duration, Word Choice and Grammatical correctness) in writing a speech;

  15. What is Stage Presence & How to Master It

    Why is Presentation Structure so Important? When it comes to public speaking, stage presence means connecting with your audience in such a way that they feel like they must watch and listen to you. We have an audience every time we speak to anyone. You don't even need a stage to have it.

  16. 5 Acting Techniques for Greater Stage Presence in Public Speaking

    How to Command a Stage for Business Presentations. 1. Learn the Art of Speaking with Presence. This means developing "audience sense"—an awareness of how your audience is responding. Naturally, actors cultivate this attribute until it's a finely-tuned instrument. But you can benefit from awakening this awareness in yourself.

  17. Oral Communication in Context ed 2

    1. Articulation - According to Merriam-Webster Dictionary, articulation is "an act, process, or means of putting something into words" or "the clear and accurate pronunciation of words especially in public speaking.". Sometimes, faulty microphones, poor facilities, and a noisy environment make the speech hard to understand. But being able to pronounce your statements properly helps ...

  18. PDF Oral Communication in Context

    1. practice articulation, modulation, stage presence, facial expressions, gestures and movements and rapport with the audience; and 2. deliver a speech in an audience observing the principles of effective speech delivery learned. What I Know Directions: Below are the links of two speakers we have invited for today. Let's watch

  19. Q2 MODULE3 4 ORAL COM Sunshine

    Use principles of effective speech writing focusing on ( EN11/12OC-IIcj- 24 ) : a) Audience profile b) Logical organization c) Duration d) Word choice e) Grammatical correctness f) Articulation g) Modulation h) Stage Presence i) Facial Expressions, Gestures and Movements j) Rapport with the audience Have you ever written a speech?

  20. OCC11 Q2 Mod7 Principles-of-Speech-Writing Version3 PDF

    7. Creating the body involves writing explanations, examples and details about. the topic you have chosen. Be sure to focus on the main idea. 8. Your introduction must catch the attention of your audience and present the. subject or topic of your speech. 9. The conclusion restates the main point of your speech.

  21. 35.4 Uses principles of effective speech writing focusing on facial

    Instructional Planning (iPlan) (With inclusion of the provisions of D.O. No. 8, s. 2015 and D.O. 42, s. 2016) Detailed Lesson Plan (DLP) Format

  22. USES PRINCIPLES OF EFFECTIVE SPEECH WRITING

    5 Ways to Improve the Use of Effective Word Choice in Writing. Information is the foundation of knowledge; knowledge is the basis of wisdom. 1. Watch out for Words that Sound the Same. Information - The category of information includes facts, figures, and concepts taken from primary and secondary texts. 2.

  23. Oral Communication in Context Module: Principles of Speech Delivery

    1. practice articulation, modulation, stage presence, facial expressions, gestures and movements and rapport with the audience; and 2. deliver a speech in an audience observing the principles of effective speech delivery learned. Oral Communication in Context Quarter 2 Self-Learning Module: Principles of Speech Delivery