15.3 Managing Your Speech Delivery
Step 4: Rehearse isn’t just about the delivery mode you will use. Practicing your delivery will help you feel more comfortable and confident, fostering a sense of closeness with your listeners and gaining their respect.
As founder of Girls Who Code, an organization that aims to close the gender gap in computing fields, Reshma Saujani gives speeches to inspire young girls to pursue careers in computer science as well as to gain financial support for her nonprofit. It’s not an easy message to deliver in a career field dominated by men. But Saujani commands attention by building connections with listeners and projecting confidence every time she speaks.
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Saujani (2013) delivers speeches extemporaneously, maintaining steady eye contact with her listeners as she cites statistics showing that women are underrepresented in computer science careers. Her voice expresses genuine concern when she talks about women being “pushed away” from careers in science and math. Moving physically closer to her listeners, Saujani’s facial expressions become animated as she tells stories about young girls whose lives have been transformed by Girls Who Code. Through a confident, poised, and engaging delivery, Saujani leaves listeners with a sense that she is addressing each of them individually—
As founder of Girls Who Code, an organization that aims to close the gender gap in computing fields, lawyer and politician Reshma Saujani often speaks to groups large and small about the causes she believes in. Whether she is informing her audience about issues related to women in software development or persuading donors to fund her nonprofit, Saujani uses consistent eye contact to connect with her audience and project confidence.
Audiences are motivated to listen closely when Saujani gives presentations because of two key elements in her delivery: immediacy and a powerful speech style. Immediacy is a sense of closeness that an audience feels toward a speaker (Mehrabian, 1972). You create immediacy by using everyday language and engaging nonverbal behaviors (e.g., eye contact or gestures). Communicators who show immediacy are often described as warm and approachable (Richmond, McCroskey, & Johnson, 2003). The other important element in speech delivery is the ability to present yourself and your message confidently. Known as a powerful speech style, these verbal and nonverbal behaviors gain the respect of your listeners (Fragale, 2006; Hosman, Huebner, & Siltanen, 2002). Because Saujani projects confidence and warmth in her delivery, audience members listen intently and trust what she says. To achieve the kind of positive impact Saujani does in her speeches, you will need to adopt an oral language style and learn the subtleties of language and nonverbal behaviors that give your language power.