PUBLIC SPEAKING: PARTS AND TYPES OF GESTURES

Types of Gestures
1. Head: Most young speakers do not avail themselves of the opportunity to express meaning
through head gestures. When we think of gestures, we usually think of the hands, but a moment's
reflection will show you how important the affirmative and negative movements of the head are in
conveying thought.
2. Face: Facial expressions are important in conveying emotions. Personal non-verbal messages are
transmitted mainly through the face. A face may indicate a mood or a reaction. A set mouth, raised
eyebrow, or wrinkled forehead may be worth a thousand words. The most expressive part of the face
is a person's eyes. Misty, dancing, dreamy, sad, hurt, wild, laughing, anxious, hard, cruel, shifty,
demanding, playful, curious, teasing - these are just some of the ways of describing messages eyes
can give.
How do you feel when you are talking to people and they are looking past you or around you? How
does an audience respond to a speaker who looks at the ceiling or who assumes a poker face of a
"dead pan" expression in public speaking?
3. Hands: These are effective tools of making ideas emphatic, meaningful, and forceful. Hands can be
as expressive as the face if you have them under control. For this reason, use your hands whenever
necessary in making your ideas forceful and meaningful. But, when there is no need of using them,
put your hands at rest by the sides of your body.
Hand gestures are of different kinds and here are the common kinds used by many speakers in
action: the open hand called the giving gesture; the hand prone or the restraining gesture; the
pointing index finger called the pointing-out gesture; the closed fist or emphatic gesture; and both
hands for accentuating a movement or direction, or for supplication.
In the open hand gesture, the thumb is away from the rest of the hand. The fingers are extended but
relaxed. The fingers touch slightly but are not held rigidly together. The index-finger gesture is made
by extending the index finger and making a ring with the thumb and second finger. The fist gesture is
made by closing the fingers and binding them tightly together with the thumb.
When in action, the hand gestures follow a certain pattern. Usually, in gesturing with the hands, the
elbows should be held a few inches away from the body. The gesture travels away from the center of
the body, and, except in gestures of precision, the gestures move usually in a circle away from the
body. The wrist leads in the approach for every gesture.
Here is an excellent exercise which will help secure a relaxed hand: move the hands back and forth
across the body, keeping the wrists ahead of the fingers, i.e., letting the fingers trail along. Or vary
this exercise by raising or lowering the arms, always letting the wrists precede.
The Parts of the Gestures
There are three parts in every hand gesture: the approach, the stroke and the return.
In the approach, the wrist usually leads the way. The approach may sometimes be swift or sometimes
deliberate, its timing being dependent on the intensity of the thought.
In the stroke, the hand is raised and is brought down upon the accented thought. The stroke
precedes the word emphasized by the fraction of a second. The stroke can be vehement or gentle,
depending on the nature of the thought it is helping to portray.
The return consists of bringing back the hands to lie at rest by the sides of the body. The return must
be made as inconspicuous as possible.
For graceful and purposeful gesturing with the hands, practice this exercise. Count either to five or to
seven as you execute the approach, the stroke, and the return.

THE PHYSICAL ASPECT OF SPEECH DELIVERY
The physical aspect of delivery consists of the following factors:
Posture - It is stance or shape and bearing of the body caused by the relative positions of muscular
tones in the chest, head, arms, hips, and other bodily agents. Posture is essential to good and
effective delivery of speech. It is through posture that a speaker may make forceful appeals to his
audience and may elicit favorable responses from them. For this reason, a speaker must practice
good and proper posture necessary to effective speech delivery. For good posture expresses vitality,
physical control, courage, and belief in a worthy purpose.
To achieve good posture, you must remember these pointers:
Slightly raise your chin, poise your chest and balance centrally the upper part of your body over the
hips and the arches of the feet. In this way, you can maintain a stable stance that will permit you to
slightly lean forward, or to step to one side and to return to the original position, thereby giving a
good impression to your audience and force to your ideas.
Practice standing with the feet firmly planted on the ground in a V-formation so that you do not only
distribute all the weight of your body equally but you also feel comfortable and secure even in
movements of bodily movements.
Practice standing with the right foot forward or the left foot forward so as to give the effect of an
arrested walk. In this stance, the weight of the body is placed on the forward foot as it is taken off the
foot that is held back. In this posture, you develop ease and naturalness of gestures either with the
right side or left side of your body, aside from the fact that you give the impression of stability and
gracefulness of bodily movements.
Avoid slouching, i.e., putting the weight only on one leg or assuming an awkward body position, as
this poor type of posture destroys the impression of confidence and vitality of speech delivery and
leads to poor gestural patterns.
Walking - Your manner of walking is the first thing noticed by your audience. For this reason, practice
walking gracefully without any of the awkwardness which frequently accompanies self-consciousness.
Since your manner of walking indicates your attitude toward life and your fellow being and is
expressive of your personality, you must bear in mind these pointers:
In stepping forward, raise the body weight slightly on the ball of one foot while the other leg swings
forward. This use of the ball of the foot to raise the body and to propel it forward produces smooth
walking without swaying or scraping foot noises.
Do not approach your audience on tip-toe as this manner of walking will surely put your audience on
guard and will signal speaker's feeling of fear, tension, nervousness, insecurity, etc., thereby creating
unfavorable reactions from the audience. Nor should you rush at an audience for such a mode of
walking will suggest lack of poise and uncertainty on the part of the speaker who may suggest an
attitude that he does not know exactly what to do with his audience.
Walk normally, in free easy but slower strides that will suggest composure, gracefulness of body, and
deliberateness of purpose in the moment of exchange of ideas. In this way, you will not only elicit the
admiration of your audience but you will also win their spontaneous response as they will have
confidence in your ability to communicate effectively your ideas to them.
The physical aspect of delivery consists of the following factors:
The Shoulders - are important to delivery because they connote a variety of attitudes of the speaker.
By drawing your shoulders together, you express pain; by shrugging them you indicate incredulity, by
rotating them, you indicate impatience, by moving them, you show eagerness, and, by nudging the
object with them, you demonstrate familiarity with it.
Here are some pointers you must remember about the shoulders as physical aspect of delivery:
See to it that your shoulders are relaxed except when they are active in the expression of an idea.
They should be neither stiff nor drooping.
Tension in the shoulders has a direct, harmful influence on the muscles of the neck and the larynx;
hence, it will affect your manner of delivery and your attitude towards your audience.
Arms and Hands - are parts of the body you must consider when you deliver a speech. In your
moment of speaking, you must see to it that your arms and hands rest at the sides. This is a neutral
position from which your hands and arms may move later in gestures that are graceful and purposive.
Avoid putting your hands in the pocket or placing them behind in a clasp, for this will surely lead to
awkward and ugly gestures. As soon as you have completed a gesture, you must immediately return
your hand to the sides of the body.
Eyes - during delivery, the speaker must look directly into the eyes of his audience in order to
establish mental union with them. The eyes must be directed toward the audience for closer and
effective thought communication. To maintain a continuous contact with your audience as you create
ideas and understanding of them in your audience's mind, you must not allow your eyes to wander
around as this action is indicative of fear and lack of confidence in your ability to communicate. Also,
it may be interpreted as lack of regard for your audience.
Sitting on the platform - If we have given some consideration to walking, let us also pay attention to
your manner sitting on a platform.
How will you sit down in your chair while you are on stage? Remember that the members of the
audience will watch how you sit. For this reason, bear in mind these pointers:
Sit with your back resting against the back of the chair, your arms resting on its arms and your legs
uncrossed in order to look comfortable.
Do not sit too stiffly in the chair nor slide down too lazily into it. Sitting stiffly will give your audience
the impression that you are a novice in the art of effective public speaking while sliding down lazily
into your chair will indicate your taking the situation too casually; for this reason, your audiences will
develop unfavorable attitudes toward you as they may take it that you have no regard nor respect for
their dignity as a listening group.


TEN WAYS TO WOW YOUR AUDIENCE
1. Know your audience. Be sure to check before giving any type of talk to find out the level of your
audience's previous knowledge, their familiarity with the topic, and their likely interests. If you do
your homework ahead of time, you'll have a few insights that will help you prepare your talk. But you
won't rely only on the background work because you will---
2. Check in with your audience. Start by asking audience members a few simple questions that
require them to raise their hands. First, this gets their blood flowing into their limbs, but second and
more important, this allows you to find out whether you need to adjust what you were going to say
to accommodate their interests. If you're asked to speak to a high school class on career day, for
example, ascertain how many of them might actually be interested in the career you're there to talk
about.
3. Keep your eyes focused on your audience. Charismatic speakers make liberal use of eye contact.
They pick people out of the audience (more than one, so as not to appear creepy) and look right in
their eyes. "I'm talking to you!" is the message you communicate when you take this approach.
Audience members feel immediately connected to you because they believe that you value their
attention. It's especially important for you to look at people in the back of the audience as well, or at
least seem to be looking at them even if you can't see them. Draw everyone in the room into your
circle. They won't want to look away because they feel drawn in by the connection you're making to
them.
4. Use PowerPoint wisely. Like any tool, PowerPoint can be used or abused. The best PowerPoint
slides are crisp, clean, and short. As a bonus, they also have good graphics that illustrate the concepts
on the slide without being overly cluttered or cute. The biggest mistake that people make when using
PowerPoint is to cram too much information in one slide. The second biggest mistake they make is
reading the information directly off the slide. Bullet points should be three to four words, and there
shouldn't be more than three to four per slide. If you put a quote on a slide, don't read it out loud. It's
on the slide for your audience, not you, to read.
5. Don't just read your speech. Some speakers feel a tremendous need to read every word they have
carefully crafted on the page. The biggest problem with this approach is that audience members are
bound to think to themselves that they could be a lot more comfortable and save a lot of time if you
just sent them your talk and they didn't have to go to hear you give it. They are there to hear you give
your own unique spin on the topic and they are there to hear you give it in person. Make it worth
their time and effort. As an example, think of the Academy Award acceptance speeches that truly
moved you. Chances are those speeches were spoken, not read. You can't look your audience in the
eye when your eye is glued to your written speech.
6. Allow any humorous remarks to flow organically from your talk rather than forcing them. Many
people are at their funniest not when they read or rattle off a well-worn joke but instead when they
react to the situation as it is happening in the moment. For example, self-deprecating remarks about
slips of the tongue or typos are bound to draw snickers as long as they are not pre-scripted. You can
also elicit smiles from your audience if you react to a situation in the room such as a noise in the
hallway or a comment by someone in the audience that is truly funny. Never, though, NEVER draw
a laugh at the expense of someone in the audience who you treat sarcastically or with disrespect.
You're not a stand-up comic and so heckling isn't appropriate (unless you are a stand-up comic, in
which case you better be good at this part of your act).
7. Stay focused on what is happening in the moment. Humorous situations are much more
humorous when they evolve. Similarly, you will be a much better speaker if you truly focus on what
you are saying and how your audience is reacting. You will also be less nervous if you dig down into
the content of what you're presenting rather than thinking about how nervous you are or how much
you'd like to get out of there. Experts advise people with performance anxiety in music or sports to
get into the "flow" and the same is true of public speaking. It's also helpful to find your
maximum level of arousal so that you're not too scared, but not too laid-back either. Similarly, don't
allow yourself to suffer from "imposter syndrome" in which you convince yourself that you don't
know enough to be up there talking. No one would have asked you to speak if they didn't think you
had something worthwhile to say.
8. Decide how much you can fit into the time allowed, and then cut your talk by half. How many
times have you listened to speakers who announce that they'd have more to say but they've run out
of time? How many times have you committed this error yourself? (don't tell me, I've done it too).
The only cure for not going over the time you have is to cut way back into your prepared remarks
(notes, not a written speech, as above). Then, you can have a few "disposable" topics to add back in
should you have some bonus time at the end. However, the chances are that your audience will
appreciate your ending a little early, especially if they want to ask you questions. Don't feel that
you're short-changing them if you do so. I promise you that they would much rather have that extra
time at the end. One way to build in a safety net for yourself is to use the so-called "Presenter" mode
in PowerPoint. I won't go into details here, but there are ways for you to see all your slides, including
those you're skipping, so that your audience can't. In fact, you can even have your email open while
you're giving a talk using this mode, though obviously I wouldn't advise it.
9. Give yourself some time points to hit during your talk. If you know you have 30 minutes for your
presentation, decide where you need to be at 15, 20, and 25 minutes into it. Work backward, if you
like, from the ending, and then see when you want to be at the midpoint. Whatever your method, it's
important for you to construct a detailed timeline that allows you to pace yourself. If someone
shoves a card under your nose signaling 5 minutes left (which is what happens in many conference
settings), you won't panic if you already planned where you wanted to be at that point. By pacing
yourself out you gain the additional value of being able to slow down your rate of speech enough so
that you can add emphasis instead of racing through. You want to avoid motor mouth, one of the
occupational hazards in speakers who don't learn how to use their time wisely.
10. Practice, practice, practice. If you're not a natural entertainer and feel overwhelmed at the
thought of public speaking, you can buy yourself a great deal of extra confidence by going over your
talk in front of a sympathetic audience of people who you trust. Allow yourself to accept their
feedback, which I'm sure they will do very gently if they truly care about you. If you want to go the
extra distance, make a video of yourself, and then force yourself to watch the video. If you don't like
the first attempt, do it over. You don't want to make yourself too self-conscious, so I wouldn't advise
obsessing over every imperfection. However, you might find yourself pleasantly surprised when you
realize you did a pretty darn good job

PSYCHOGRAPHICS OF A GIVEN AUDIENCE
The demographics of the audience gives the speaker one type of picture based on variables such as
age, gender, sexual orientation, religion, culture, race, and ethnicity; however, there is another
equally important picture based on the overall psychological make-up of the audience, or the
psychographics of the audience. Psychographics can be used to describe and develop a profile of the
individuals in a given audience. Speakers can also use psychographics to select an audience that
meets a certain profile, and then tailor a message specifically to that profile.
Psychology is commonly defined as the science of behavior and mental processes. The speaker can
look at the psychology of the individual audience members to determine how they might respond as
a group to his or her ideas. The speaker wants to look at the current state of values, beliefs, attitudes,
and needs, and not consider how the person developed them.
What is the current disposition of the audience toward the speech's topic and purpose? If the
speaker is attempting to persuade the audience to accept a particular idea or take an action, it is
important to understand the starting point. What are the dominant values, beliefs, attitudes, and
needs of the audience? The speaker must know how to use that knowledge to tailor the speech to
the audience. Consider values, beliefs, attitudes, and needs as factors in the psychological make-up of
the audience.
Values
Values can be defined as broad preferences concerning appropriate courses of action or outcomes.
As such, values reflect a person's sense of right and wrong or what "ought" to be. "Equal rights for
all", "Excellence deserves admiration", and "People should be treated with respect and dignity" are
statements of values. Values tend to influence attitudes and behavior. For example, if someone who
values equal rights for all goes to work for an organization that treats its managers much better than
it does its workers, he or she may form the attitude that the company is an unfair place to work;
consequently, this person may not produce well or may perhaps leave the company. It is likely that if
the company had a more egalitarian policy, his or her attitude and behaviors would have been more
positive.
Something that the speaker perceives as good may not be perceived as very good by members of the
audience. Something that the speaker perceives as beautiful may not appear the same to the
audience. A course of action that the speaker believes is right may not be endorsed by the audience.
It is important to consider what the audience values as part of the overall psychological make up of
the audience.
Beliefs
The speaker should consider how close the audience's beliefs in something or someone or about the
world, both physical and spiritual, are to his or her own beliefs. Members of the audience may
believe that certain things exist or certain ideas are true. The speaker should attempt to identify and
build upon shared beliefs to get the audience to consider or accept a particular belief which may be
different from the ones they hold. The speaker can often build upon shared beliefs to establish
common ground with the audience before advancing a new idea.
Attitudes
Attitudes can play a very important role in speech preparation. An attitude is a positive or negative
evaluation of people, objects, event, activities, ideas, or just about anything in the environment. If the
speaker knows the audience's attitude toward the topic or thesis before the speech, he or she can
make sure to address these attitudes during the speech preparation. Some ways to find out the
audience's attitude beforehand include rating scales or direct statements from audience members.
Needs
If members of the audience need certain things either physically or psychologically, the speaker
should consider how to satisfy those needs. One classical breakdown of needs is Maslow's hierarchy
of needs . If the speak understands where the members of the audience are on Maslow's hierarchy,
he or she can show how his or her ideas help the audience satisfy those needs.

IMPROMPTU SPEECH

An impromptu speech is given with little or no preparation, yet almost always with some advance
knowledge on the topic. When called to speak "off the cuff" on the "spur of the moment," is is usually
because the speaker is quite knowledgeable about the subject. For example, if called on to speak in
class, a student might give a short impromptu speech about a topic that was in the assigned readings.
Business meetings also use a "check in" to tell everyone else about a current project. In small
informal meetings, the audience will interrupt an impromptu speech and ask questions, which helps
guide the speech and the information that is presented. When campaigning, politicians sometimes
respond to reporters or voters almost anywhere and at any time.

Advantages
Remember that you are generally in control of the content you are presenting, so you can include
topics that you want to talk about. Additionally, you can use personal examples from experience to
support what you are saying. Since you are an authority on the topic, you want to speak with
conviction like you really mean it. Your delivery will naturally be more conversational and
spontaneous. Since you are not prepared with pages of notes, you are more likely to speak directly to
the audience just like if you were speaking to another person in a conversation.
Disadvantages
Since you are not well-prepared, you may have difficulty thinking of what to say or formulating the
ideas once you get up to speak. Although you are familiar with the topic, your speech may lack details
and supporting information. If the audience is passive and does not ask questions to guide you, you
may overlook some significant content. Hopefully, someone in the audience will ask questions so you
can fill in gaps. Additionally, impromptu speaking is rarely appropriate for occasions which require
more reasoned discourse with supporting ideas or more formal events.
Tips for the Speaker (Impromptu Preparation)
What do you do if you are asked to speak at the last minute? It is best to become familiar with
common organization patterns so you can apply them in any situation and then also consider what
you have been asked to speak about. Are you presenting your opinion? State your opinion, the
reasons why you support that opinion, and conclude. Is it something that happened? Retell the event
from beginning to end (first, next, then, etc.). Is it a demonstration? Explain each step in
the process from first to last.
Make sure to plan an introduction and a conclusion. If possible, take a few moments to think about
what you want to say to introduce the topic and have some way of concluding.
Make a few notes for yourself on a card, phone, or iPad. Or, text yourself a few single words to
remind yourself of the important ideas.
Consider the simple three part outline of an Introduction, Body, and Conclusion, and fit your ideas
into that pattern.
Do not try to remember a detailed outline for your entire speech; just remember the order of
important points.
Be sure to stop when you have made your points.
If you do not know what to say next, you can summarize and paraphrase what you have just said, and
then will probably be ready to move on to the next topic.
Remember that, in most situations, you will know more about the subject than the audience. Usually
you will not be called up to speak impromptu about something you know nothing about, so you have
probably spoken about the general topic before or you probably have knowledge to share with
others.
Talk like you mean it. In other words speak with conviction. You are explaining your ideas or
knowledge and you are an authority.
Relax!

EXTEMPORANEOUS SPEECH
Extemporaneous speaking is one of the most natural methods for delivering a prepared speech. You
can use an extemporaneous speech to achieve a more natural tone, flow and style with the audience.
First, think about your topics and anticipate the audience's reception to your speech. You can develop
speech notes based on this preparation and use them to aid you during the presentation.
Preparing Speech Notes
There are two popular methods for creating a graphical representation for notes: outlining, and mind
or concept mapping.
An outline is a list of items with each item divided into additional sub-items. Each level in an outline
has at least two subcategories. There are three basic types of outlines:
1. Sentence outline - Each complete sentence includes a heading or single sentence about the subject of
the outline.
2. Topic outline - Each topic is listed and functions as a subtopic of the outline's subject.
3. Phrase outline - Each short phrase entry is a subtopic of the aforementioned main entry.
Speaking notes, topic outlines, and phrase outlines have an advantage over sentence outlines. For
example, you can easily look at your notes for reference and as a personal reminder of which topics
to discuss as you're speaking.
Mind Mapping and Concept Mapping
Mind mapping and concept mapping are visual representations of ideas and concepts. A mind map is
a diagram which starts with a single word and then branches out from the central node, with lesser
categories as sub-branches of the larger branches. Concept maps are more free-form, since multiple
hubs and clusters can be created. Unlike mind maps, concept maps do not fix on a single conceptual
center.
Practice and Rehearsal Guidelines
The following guidelines are best practices on how to practice and rehearse an extemporaneous
speech:
Speak in a conversational style by pretending you are with your audience.
Rehearse with your graphics and coordinate them with your talk.
Display your graphics only when you are talking about them.
Rehearse in front of others and solicit feedback.
Record and listen to your timed practice speech.
Prepare for interruptions and questions at the end.
Although extemporaneous speaking may not require memorization and manuscript speaking,
organize and prepare your content and notes ahead of time to deliver a speech that will be well
received by your audience .

ORATION
An oratorical piece may be a stirring speech, a funny story, or a discourse meant to call the listener to
action. Before giving an oration, the speaker needs to fully understand the purpose of the piece so he
can use the proper tone of voice to portray his intent.
Types of Oratorical Pieces
An oration is defined as a speech that is given at a special celebration. Orations can include longer,
more formal speeches such as eulogies, graduation speeches, and inaugural addresses. Orations can
also include short, less formal speeches such as toasts.
Ideas for Short Oratorical Toasts
A toast is one example of an oratorical piece that is often short. At a wedding, for example, there may
be several toasts or short oratorical speeches that go something like this:
Good evening, everyone. I would like to offer a toast for the happy couple. May their days be
filled with love and laughter.
Ive know John since we were in kindergarten. I could not possibly imagine a better person for
him than Maria. I know you both will be ecstatically happy for a very long time.
I raise my glass to my daughter and her husband. She has found her Prince Charming who will
make all her dreams come true. Join me in wishing them a happy life together filled with much
joy and love.
Graduation Toasts
Toasts are common at graduations as well as weddings. Some short oratorical toasts you may offer at
a graduation include:
To all who have graduated, may you now get educated.
May you go on to do great things, but never lose touch with each other.
Here's to your future.
Graduation is a major milestone and we're all very proud of what you have accomplished.
May you always follow your heart in your future endeavors.
To the graduate, who is in a class by himself.
We wish you a bright future filled with the promise of a wonderful life.
Birthday Toasts
Although another year has past, you're no older than the last.
Wishing you great joy on your birthday and through the whole year.
May you live all the years of your life - Jonathan Swift
Think of it this way - you are only one day older than you were yesterday.
You know you are over the hill when your back goes out more than you do!
We're so grateful to be celebrating this wonderful day with you and we wish you many more
happy and healthy birthdays to come.
Retirement Parties
Retirement is a time of great celebration and it is often commemorated with a party. If you are called
upon to give toasts at that party, here are some ideas:
We don't know what we'll do without you at work, but I guess we're about to find out.
May you have even more fun at retirement than you do at work.
Always remember, a bad day fishing is better than the best day at work.
Here's to your retirement. May you enjoy your golden years in great health.
You will be missed.
Going Away Parties
A trip abroad or to another location is yet another great reason to celebrate - and to give a toast.
Here are some great toasts for going away parties:
Hurry back soon, we'll be missing you.
May we always part with regret and meet again with pleasure.
The pain of parting is nothing compared with the joy of meeting again. - Charles Dickens.
A bon voyage toast to a successful trip!
Enjoy your trip, but don't forget to write.
Famous Short Oratorical Speech
One example of a formal oration is John F. Kennedys speech about sending a man to the moon,
delivered at Rice University in 1962.
Here is an excerpt from the narration and the conclusion:
But if I were to say, my fellow citizens, that we shall send to the moon, 240,000 miles away from the
control station in Houston, a giant rocket more than 300 feet tall, the length of this football field,
made of new metal alloys, some of which have not yet been invented, capable of standing heat and
stresses several times more than have ever been experienced, fitted together with a precision better
than the finest watch, carrying all the equipment needed for propulsion, guidance, control,
communications, food and survival, on an untried mission, to an unknown celestial body, and then
return it safely to earth, re-entering the atmosphere at speeds of over 25,000 miles per hour, causing
heat about half that of the temperature of the sun--almost as hot as it is here today--and do all this,
and do it right, and do it first before this decade is out--then we must be bold.
Formats of Short Oratorical Pieces
Orations are often used to make a case in support of or against something.
These types of orations start with an introduction that will get the attention of the audience.
Then the narration will consist of facts that support the opinion of the speaker. It is made clear
what facts the speaker supports and opposes.
Facts that the speaker agrees with will be proved and arguments of his opponents will be
refuted.
The oration will be summarized with a conclusion and sometimes a call to action, such as
supporting a nomination or legislation.
Less formal orations, such as eulogies or toasts, will also have an introduction, narrative, and
conclusion. The body of this type of oration may contain personal information, accomplishments,
amusing anecdotes, shared memories, or a chronological listing of major events.

I N T E R P R E T I V E O R D R A MA T I C R E A D I N G

Basically the reader is sharing an interpretation of an author
with an audience, literally read and not memorized.
Selections include stories, essays, speeches, raps, plays and scenes of plays.
The reader communicates meaning and emotions to the listener,
relying only on the spoken word through reading,
without props, costumes, lighting or sound effects, or other devices including digital
presentations, or wandering about a stage
The reader assumes the identity of a character and portrays the dramatic, physical and
emotional aspects of this character or of the situation
External music or sound effects are to be avoided unless critical to the piece
Stools and podiums for scripts may be used
If there are several characters,
each is identified through voice changes, gestures, and posture
If there are more than one reader,
there is no physical or eye contact between readers as in a play

Interpretive reading begins with a good understanding of the material
The selection is focused and not too complex that the audience can identify with and
understand it in one presentation
The piece stands on its own: does it sound right? Will it be understood?
What is the (your) emotional connection;
how does it affect your reading and interpretation?

Once a reading is selected, analyze and study its sequence of thought:
Summarize the general theme, or dominant meaning, you wish to convey
Visualize or imagine a word picture that will help you relate
your experience with the reading

What will be your introduction?
Capture the audience's attention, and set the stage for
the reading, point of view, context, etc.
From what work is this selection taken? What is the title? Who is the author?
What is the context, and role of any character?
If two or more pieces are read,
transitions should set the stage and connect the pieces


Practice reading aloud for continuity and smoothness:
Keep your mind on the connected thought as you read
Do the sequences of sentences build the theme or story?
Practice reading the story out loud to a trial audience

Format your oral presentation to the audience's ability to identify with, understand and enjoy the
piece.

Create an atmosphere or context with your voice:
expressive reading uses many vocal tools. Vocal qualities show differences in characters,
development of the action, and indications of emotions
Rhythm, pace and cadence include pauses and effective spacing for words
Pronunciation of words pays attention to the enunciation of sounds.
Practice difficult words and their sounds as vowels and consonants,
especially leading and ending sounds.

Emphasize prominent words or groups of words
in order to make the meaning clear. Enunciate the final word in sentences
Pay attention to punctuation (comma, question, exclamation, etc.) and expressions
Inflection: raising and lowering pitch, as loudness and softness
For example, a rising inflection is used in asking a question and expressing happiness, an
expression of joyousness and life. A falling inflection expresses seriousness, completing a
thought, or an indirect question.

One strategy can be to read the sentences but in place of words use only a sound as mmm or
ahhhh.
Use facial expressions and gestures, and timely,
effective eye contact with the audience
Bring out the music of the rhythm, but avoid sing-song reading.
Adjust your voice in order to interpret the "music" and thought of the reading
Deliberate or fast reading can convey emotion

DECLAMATION SPEECH
- What they are, how to choose a piece and deliver it
A declamation speech is the term used to describe the re-giving of an important or famous speech. It
could be a political, graduation or commencement speech, a eulogy, or a sermon. The speaker re-
interprets the original, reproducing its power afresh.
Often this exercise will be set as part of studying public speaking skills. The purpose is to have the
student directly experience the power of masterfully crafted language. Through their interpretation
the techniques and skills of the original orator are learned.
Choosing a declamation speech
What you choose is critical. Firstly, you must like it. There's no good to be gained from choosing
something because you think it will please or impress your teacher and likewise, judges. You're going
to work on this piece to make it your own. Therefore it needs to genuinely reflect you in theme and
message.
And secondly it needs a combination of the qualities listed in the following areas:-
Style of language: Elevated, inspirational, elegant, poetic, masterful - the speech should be
an example of 'beautiful' language and construction.
Structure: Look for unity of purpose. The piece needs to be structurally coherent - have a
beginning, development and close. It is not a loose ramble or collection of impressions
without form.
Theme: The message or theme running through it should be worthy of its oratorical
treatment, ie. the style of language specified above. It must be important and applicable
beyond the time it was first delivered. For example, Martin Luther King's 'I Had a
Dream' speech has carried its theme down the years without any loss of potency or
relevance. (But be warned - choose carefully. A famous speech such as King's will have been
heard and heard again. You need something of similar impact but with considerably less
profile.)
Impact: The speech must have reached and grabbed the hearts and minds of its listeners. It
will have persuasively challenged and changed the way people thought and acted, uniting
and inspiring them toward a common goal or course of action.