01/31/2022

When Presenting, Strong Delivery Makes All the Difference

Even the best speeches will suffer if delivered poorly

In a previous post, I talked about 5 common errors that speakers make when focusing on the content of their speeches. But a speech is always embodied, meaning that someone has to deliver it to an audience, in order to fulfill the criteria of the genre. And just as weak speeches can be made stronger with brilliant delivery, the reverse is also true. Great speeches that exist on the page can be ruined with a weak delivery. So, what are the 5 most common mistakes speakers make on the delivery side of the speaking conundrum?

They fail to rehearse the speech enough. I've often heard speakers tell me that they don't want to get "stale" with a speech, fearing that too much rehearsal could mean that they get bored during the actual delivery. Here's where I get to call "BS" on that dodge. It's actually because they are perfectionists or control freaks who are afraid of appearing less than stellar on a stage – even if only one or two people like me are watching. Professional speakers usually jump at the chance to rehearse, because they know that the process gives them a chance to commit the speech to their muscle memory. And a speech that you know in your body is one that you can deliver with conviction and even passion.

Once you've got past the simple mistakes and technical issues, rehearsal allows you to hone your speech to a fine polish. Don't miss the chance out of fear.

Please select this link to read the complete article from Public Words.