1. Chapter 14
Overcoming Speech Apprehension by
Practicing Delivery

2. Practice Presenting
Your Speech
• Public Speaking Apprehension: a type of
communication anxiety that reflects the level
of fear a person experiences when
anticipating, or actually, speaking to an
audience
– Symptoms and causes
– Managing your apprehension

3. Symptoms and Causes
• 1. Signs and symptoms vary from person to
person
• 2. Symptoms include physical, emotional, and
cognitive reactions
• 3. Anticipation Reaction: the level of anxiety
level you feel as you begin your speech
• 4. Confrontation Reaction: the surge in your
anxiety level you feel as you begin your
speech

4. Symptoms and Causes
(Cont.)
• 5. Adaptation Reaction: the gradual decline
of your anxiety level that begins about one
minute into the presentation
• 6. Negative reinforcement from the past may
increase apprehension
• 7. Many of us may become nervous because
of underdeveloped skills

5. Managing Your Apprehension
• 1. Nervousness isn’t necessarily negative
• 2. Techniques for reducing apprehension
– A. Communication Orientation Motivation (COM)
– B. Visualization
– C. Systematic Desensitization
– D. Cognitive Restructuring: systematically
replacing negative self-talk with positive self-talk
– E. Public Speaking Skills Training

6. Characteristics of an Effective
Delivery Style
• 1. Use a conversational style: an informal
style of presenting a speech so that your
audience feels you are talking with them, not
at them
• 2. Be animated

7. Effective Use of your Voice
• 1. Qualities of Voice
– Pitch, volume, rate, quality (tone)
• 2. Speak intelligibly: be sure listeners can
understand you
– Articulation, pronunciation, accent
• 3. Use vocal expressiveness: using a variety
of pitch, rate, volume, emphasis, and pause
– Avoid monotone
– Use pauses effectively

8. Effective Use of Your Body
• 1. Facial Expressions
• 2. Gestures
• 3. Movement
• 4. Eye contact
• 5. Posture
• 6. Poise
• 7. Appearance

9. Delivery Methods
• 1. Impromptu: speeches that are delivered with
only seconds or minutes of advance notice
• 2. Scripted: speeches that are prepared by
creating a complete written manuscript and
delivered by rote memory or by reading a written
copy
• 3. Extemporaneous: speeches that are
researched and planned ahead of time, although
the exact working is not scripted and will vary
from presentation to presentation

10. Rehearsal of Speech
• 1. Prepare speaking notes on note cards with
words or phrases
• 2. Practice with visual aids before speech
• 3. Record, analyze, and refine speech delivery
– Tape yourself giving speech
– Time yourself
– Watch/listen to your speech practice
– Consider changes to improve speech

11. Criteria for Evaluating Speech
• 1. CONTENT: speech goal, high-quality
information, variety of developmental
material, appropriate visual aids
• 2. ORGANIZATION: introduction, conclusions,
meaningful points, clear transitions
• 3. PRESENTATION: language clarity, vividness,
emphasis, enthusiasm, vocal expressiveness,
fluency, eye contact, pronunciation,
articulation, poise, posture, gestures

12. YOU CAN DO IT!!!
“If I have the belief that I can do it, I shall surely
acquire the capacity to do it even if I may not
have it at the beginning.”
• Mahatma Gandhi