Acknowledging sources need not interrupt the flow of your speech. On the contrary, audience members will welcome information that adds backing to your assertions. The key is to avoid a formulaic, or mechanical, delivery. Audience members expect a natural style of delivery of your speech, and this includes delivery of speech sources.

Vary the Wording

One way to avoid a rote delivery of sources is to vary your wording. For example, if you introduce one source with the phrase “According to . . . ,” switch to another construction (“As reported by . . . ,”) for the next. Alternating introductory phrases, such as “In the words of . . . ,” “Baltimore Sun reporter Jonathan X writes that . . . ,” and so forth contributes to a natural delivery and provides the necessary variety listeners need.

Lead with the Claim

Another means of introducing variety in how you cite sources is to discuss the issue and present the evidence first and then reveal the source(s). For example, you might state the claim, “Caffeine can cause actual intoxication” and provide evidence to back it up before revealing the source(s) of it. For example, “A chief source for this argument is a report in the July 5th, 2014, issue of the New England Journal of Medicine. . .”