Manner is how you present your speech.
Manner includes:
Manner involves using vocal expression and body language to help communicate with your audience.
How a speech is presented or delivered will depend on its purpose as well as the personality of the speaker.
As you read about manner on the following pages, consider how you can use some of these techniques to effectively deliver a speech.
Eye contact is when you look another person in the eyes as they look at your eyes.
Eye contact is an important part of communicating when talking and listening to other people.
As you give your speech, maintain eye contact with different sections of the audience to engage everyone.
Some cultures consider maintaining eye contact is not appropriate when speaking to others. Always consider the audience you are speaking to when presenting your speech.
Vary your voice as you speak to add meaning and express emotion, making a more effective speech.
Consider varying these aspects:
Pace: how quickly or slowly you speak
Rhythm: the pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables (also includes elements of pace and pause)
Pitch: the highness or lowness of your voice
Volume: the loudness or softness of your voice
Pause: a short or momentary break in delivery of your speech.
Gesture refers to the movements you make with your hands or arms as you speak.
Gestures can help to stress a point or add life to your speech. For example:
Don't over use gestures or use them inappropriately.
Avoid nervous movements such as repeatedly brushing your hair back.
Being relaxed and natural in your stance lets the audience know you are confident about what you will say.
Choose a comfortable stance such as standing with your feet slightly apart.
Try not to move around as you speak as this can distract an audience.
You may like to change your stance slightly to help convey the content of your speech.
For example, you might:
Palm cards are small pieces of cardboard on which you can write the key points of your speech. You can refer to them while you speak.
Don't try to read your speech from the cards. Look at them as little as possible so that you are able to maintain eye contact with your audience.
Hold your palm cards in one hand so that you are also able to use gestures when appropriate.
Read these tips about 'manner'. They will help you make an effective speech, including in public speaking competitions.
Follow these tips: