the manuscript presentation

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14.1 Four Methods of Delivery

Learning objectives.

• Differentiate among the four methods of speech delivery.
• Understand when to use each of the four methods of speech delivery.

Maryland GovPics – House of Ruth Luncheon – CC BY 2.0.

The easiest approach to speech delivery is not always the best. Substantial work goes into the careful preparation of an interesting and ethical message, so it is understandable that students may have the impulse to avoid “messing it up” by simply reading it word for word. But students who do this miss out on one of the major reasons for studying public speaking: to learn ways to “connect” with one’s audience and to increase one’s confidence in doing so. You already know how to read, and you already know how to talk. But public speaking is neither reading nor talking.

Speaking in public has more formality than talking. During a speech, you should present yourself professionally. This doesn’t mean you must wear a suit or “dress up” (unless your instructor asks you to), but it does mean making yourself presentable by being well groomed and wearing clean, appropriate clothes. It also means being prepared to use language correctly and appropriately for the audience and the topic, to make eye contact with your audience, and to look like you know your topic very well.

While speaking has more formality than talking, it has less formality than reading. Speaking allows for meaningful pauses, eye contact, small changes in word order, and vocal emphasis. Reading is a more or less exact replication of words on paper without the use of any nonverbal interpretation. Speaking, as you will realize if you think about excellent speakers you have seen and heard, provides a more animated message.

The next sections introduce four methods of delivery that can help you balance between too much and too little formality when giving a public speech.

Impromptu Speaking

Impromptu speaking is the presentation of a short message without advance preparation. Impromptu speeches often occur when someone is asked to “say a few words” or give a toast on a special occasion. You have probably done impromptu speaking many times in informal, conversational settings. Self-introductions in group settings are examples of impromptu speaking: “Hi, my name is Steve, and I’m a volunteer with the Homes for the Brave program.” Another example of impromptu speaking occurs when you answer a question such as, “What did you think of the documentary?”

The advantage of this kind of speaking is that it’s spontaneous and responsive in an animated group context. The disadvantage is that the speaker is given little or no time to contemplate the central theme of his or her message. As a result, the message may be disorganized and difficult for listeners to follow.

Here is a step-by-step guide that may be useful if you are called upon to give an impromptu speech in public.

• Take a moment to collect your thoughts and plan the main point you want to make.
• Thank the person for inviting you to speak.
• Deliver your message, making your main point as briefly as you can while still covering it adequately and at a pace your listeners can follow.
• Thank the person again for the opportunity to speak.
• Stop talking.

As you can see, impromptu speeches are generally most successful when they are brief and focus on a single point.

Extemporaneous Speaking

Extemporaneous speaking is the presentation of a carefully planned and rehearsed speech, spoken in a conversational manner using brief notes. By using notes rather than a full manuscript, the extemporaneous speaker can establish and maintain eye contact with the audience and assess how well they are understanding the speech as it progresses. The opportunity to assess is also an opportunity to restate more clearly any idea or concept that the audience seems to have trouble grasping.

For instance, suppose you are speaking about workplace safety and you use the term “sleep deprivation.” If you notice your audience’s eyes glazing over, this might not be a result of their own sleep deprivation, but rather an indication of their uncertainty about what you mean. If this happens, you can add a short explanation; for example, “sleep deprivation is sleep loss serious enough to threaten one’s cognition, hand-to-eye coordination, judgment, and emotional health.” You might also (or instead) provide a concrete example to illustrate the idea. Then you can resume your message, having clarified an important concept.

Speaking extemporaneously has some advantages. It promotes the likelihood that you, the speaker, will be perceived as knowledgeable and credible. In addition, your audience is likely to pay better attention to the message because it is engaging both verbally and nonverbally. The disadvantage of extemporaneous speaking is that it requires a great deal of preparation for both the verbal and the nonverbal components of the speech. Adequate preparation cannot be achieved the day before you’re scheduled to speak.

Because extemporaneous speaking is the style used in the great majority of public speaking situations, most of the information in this chapter is targeted to this kind of speaking.

Speaking from a Manuscript

Manuscript speaking is the word-for-word iteration of a written message. In a manuscript speech, the speaker maintains his or her attention on the printed page except when using visual aids.

The advantage to reading from a manuscript is the exact repetition of original words. As we mentioned at the beginning of this chapter, in some circumstances this can be extremely important. For example, reading a statement about your organization’s legal responsibilities to customers may require that the original words be exact. In reading one word at a time, in order, the only errors would typically be mispronunciation of a word or stumbling over complex sentence structure.

However, there are costs involved in manuscript speaking. First, it’s typically an uninteresting way to present. Unless the speaker has rehearsed the reading as a complete performance animated with vocal expression and gestures (as poets do in a poetry slam and actors do in a reader’s theater), the presentation tends to be dull. Keeping one’s eyes glued to the script precludes eye contact with the audience. For this kind of “straight” manuscript speech to hold audience attention, the audience must be already interested in the message before the delivery begins.

It is worth noting that professional speakers, actors, news reporters, and politicians often read from an autocue device, such as a TelePrompTer, especially when appearing on television, where eye contact with the camera is crucial. With practice, a speaker can achieve a conversational tone and give the impression of speaking extemporaneously while using an autocue device. However, success in this medium depends on two factors: (1) the speaker is already an accomplished public speaker who has learned to use a conversational tone while delivering a prepared script, and (2) the speech is written in a style that sounds conversational.

Speaking from Memory

Memorized speaking is the rote recitation of a written message that the speaker has committed to memory. Actors, of course, recite from memory whenever they perform from a script in a stage play, television program, or movie scene. When it comes to speeches, memorization can be useful when the message needs to be exact and the speaker doesn’t want to be confined by notes.

The advantage to memorization is that it enables the speaker to maintain eye contact with the audience throughout the speech. Being free of notes means that you can move freely around the stage and use your hands to make gestures. If your speech uses visual aids, this freedom is even more of an advantage. However, there are some real and potential costs. First, unless you also plan and memorize every vocal cue (the subtle but meaningful variations in speech delivery, which can include the use of pitch, tone, volume, and pace), gesture, and facial expression, your presentation will be flat and uninteresting, and even the most fascinating topic will suffer. You might end up speaking in a monotone or a sing-song repetitive delivery pattern. You might also present your speech in a rapid “machine-gun” style that fails to emphasize the most important points. Second, if you lose your place and start trying to ad lib, the contrast in your style of delivery will alert your audience that something is wrong. More frighteningly, if you go completely blank during the presentation, it will be extremely difficult to find your place and keep going.

Key Takeaways

• There are four main kinds of speech delivery: impromptu, extemporaneous, manuscript, and memorized.
• Impromptu speaking involves delivering a message on the spur of the moment, as when someone is asked to “say a few words.”
• Extemporaneous speaking consists of delivering a speech in a conversational fashion using notes. This is the style most speeches call for.
• Manuscript speaking consists of reading a fully scripted speech. It is useful when a message needs to be delivered in precise words.
• Memorized speaking consists of reciting a scripted speech from memory. Memorization allows the speaker to be free of notes.
• Find a short newspaper story. Read it out loud to a classroom partner. Then, using only one notecard, tell the classroom partner in your own words what the story said. Listen to your partner’s observations about the differences in your delivery.
• In a group of four or five students, ask each student to give a one-minute impromptu speech answering the question, “What is the most important personal quality for academic success?”
• Watch the evening news. Observe the differences between news anchors using a TelePrompTer and interviewees who are using no notes of any kind. What differences do you observe?

Stand up, Speak out Copyright © 2016 by University of Minnesota is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License , except where otherwise noted.

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Social Mettle

Manuscript Speech: Definition, Examples, and Presentation Tips

A manuscript speech implies reading a pre-written speech word by word. Go through this SocialMettle write-up to find out its meaning, some examples, along with useful tips on how to present a manuscript speech.

Tip! While preparing the manuscript, consider who your audience is, so as to make it effectual.

Making a speech comes to us as a ‘task’ sometimes. Be it in school, for a meeting, or at a function; unless you are at ease with public speaking, speeches may not be everyone’s cup of tea. A flawless and well-structured delivery is always welcome though. Memories of delivering and listening to a variety of speeches are refreshed when confronted with preparing for one.

Being the most effective way of communication, a speech is also a powerful medium of addressing controversial issues in a peaceful manner. There are four types of speeches: impromptu, extemporaneous, manuscript, and memorized. Each has its purpose, style, and utility. We have definitely heard all of them, but may not be able to easily differentiate between them. Let’s understand what the manuscript type is actually like.

Definition of Manuscript Speech

This is when a speaker reads a pre-written speech word by word to an audience.

It is when an already prepared script is read verbatim. The speaker makes the entire speech by referring to the printed document, or as seen on the teleprompter. It is basically an easy method of oral communication.

Manuscript speaking is generally employed during official meetings, conferences, and in instances where the subject matter of the speech needs to be recorded. It is used especially when there is time constraint, and the content of the talk is of prime importance. Conveying precise and succinct messages is the inherent purpose of this speech. Public officials speaking at conferences, and their speech being telecast, is a pertinent example.

There can be various occasions where this style of speech is used. It depends on the context of the address, the purpose of communication, the target audience, and the intended impact of the speech. Even if it is understood to be a verbatim, manuscript speaking requires immense effort on the part of the speaker. Precision in the delivery comes not just with exact reading of the text, but with a complete understanding of the content, and the aim of the talk. We have witnessed this through many examples of eloquence, like the ones listed below.

• A speech given by a Congressman on a legislative bill under consideration.
• A report read out by a Chief Engineer at an Annual General Meeting. 
• A President’s or Prime Minister’s address to the Parliament of a foreign nation. 
• A televised news report (given using a teleprompter) seen on television. 
• A speech given at a wedding by a best man, or during a funeral. 
• A religious proclamation issued by any religious leader. 
• A speech in honor of a well-known and revered person. 
• Oral report of a given chapter in American history, presented as a high school assignment. 

Advantages and Disadvantages

✔ Precision in the text or the speech helps catch the focus of the audience.

✔ It proves very effective when you have to put forth an important point in less time.

✔ Concise and accurate information is conveyed, especially when talking about contentious issues.

✘ If you are not clear in your speech and cannot read out well, it may not attract any attention of the audience.

✘ As compared to a direct speech, in a manuscript that is read, the natural flow of the speaker is lost. So is the relaxed, enthusiastic, interactive, and expressive tone of the speech lost.

✘ A manuscript speech can become boring if read out plainly, without any effort of non-verbal communication with the audience.

Tips for an Appealing Manuscript Speech

❶ Use a light pastel paper in place of white paper to lessen the glare from lights.

❷ Make sure that the printed or written speech is in a bigger font size than normal, so that you can comfortably see what you are reading, which would naturally keep you calm.

❸ Mark the pauses in your speech with a slash, and highlight the important points.

❹ You can even increase the spacing between words for easier reading (by double or triple spacing the text).

❺ Highlight in bold the first word of a new section or first sentence of a paragraph to help you find the correct line faster.

❻ Don’t try to memorize the text, highlights, or the pauses. Let it come in the flow of things.

❼ Practice reading it out aloud several times, or as many times as you can.

❽ Try keeping a smile on your face while reading.

❾ Keep in mind that a manuscript speech does not mean ‘mere reading out’. Maintaining frequent eye contact with the audience helps involving them into the subject matter.

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Further insights.

Privacy Overview

Manuscript Speech or Presentation: How to Deliver One

Not all presentations and public speeches are the same, as you may have learned already from our long series of fourteen types of speeches . What you need to know other than the different types of speeches is now the different styles or methods of speeches, and for today’s discussion, we will look at MANUSCRIPT SPEECH.

The entire speech has to be referred to the printed document, which means that we as the speakers don’t necessarily need to read all of it, but to have a certain domain with the subject we are presenting.

The 4 Types of Speech Delivery

The manuscript speech style can occur or be used in several situations, such as:

Nevertheless, the manuscript speech is still a form of presentation, and to be remembered and memorable, it has to be versatile and engaging to the audience, so before we get into details about how to deliver a manuscript speech, here is a list of what to do:

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An easy guide to all 15 types of speech.

We keep learning that there are three types of speeches, informative speeches, persuasive speeches and special occasion speeches. However, I believe and know that there are many more such as debates, motivational speeches, forensic speeches, impromptu speeches, eulogy, and so on. Here’s a growing list of over 13 types of speech and tips on how…

How to Deliver a Memorable Manuscript Speech

Since we will not have an actual conversation with the audience, which means they will not have the Q&A sessions to clear any doubts, much less ask for their opinion, it is important to use a conversational tone.

Talking non-stop for more than 15 minutes can make our audience mentally tired, and that leads them not to listen to what we have to say.

The other point is referring to the clearness of the content. Bringing up concepts that will make them struggle to understand can get frustrating to the audience, as the message will not be relatable to them.

Eye contact is very important for the connection we want to build with the audience because they can feel and see how authentic and concerning is the speech we are delivering.

To avoid losing ourselves when delivering a manuscript speech we could:

How receptive the audience feels towards a subject or a problem that we present, depend only on us as the speakers.

Making the content interesting, besides knowing how to use body language that will transmit confidence, developing a connection with the audience, is also all about showing how useful that information we are giving can be for that audience in a certain stage or area of day to day life.

Now you know that planning and delivering a manuscript speech is not just about having a paper and reading it to the audience, they can tell if we own the presentation or not, which depends on how we create and present the content.

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Novel writing ,

How to present a manuscript.

By Harry Bingham

The Art And Craft Of Beautiful Manuscript Presentation

Manuscript presentation makes a big difference to the way literary agents receive your work. Yes, sure, agents are looking for wonderful writing above all, so in that sense the way you format your manuscript is secondary . . . but getting an agent is hard , so you may as well make sure that first impression is a good one.

And of course remember this: literary agents aren’t mostly looking to accept a manuscript . They’re looking for early warning signs that say this author hasn’t taken enough care to be worth reading further. So the lousy presentation of your book’s cover page can screw up your chances of success before your book has really given itself a chance.

Sounds scary?

It doesn’t need to be. Follow the tips below and you’ll be fine.

What Is A Manuscript?

There’s a difference between a manuscript and a book, and it’s much the same as the difference between a writer and an author. A writer is anyone at all who writes. An author is a writer whose work has been published.

The same thing is basically true of manuscripts / books, so a reasonable definition of the word ‘manuscript’ would be:

A manuscript is the text of your novel (or work of nonfiction), before  that text has been turned into the finished book.

In the old days, when the industry still worked with paper, the manuscript was literally the stuff you printed off on your home printer. When I sent my first manuscript out to literary agents, the damn thing ran to more than 180,000 words and it was  enormous . Over 600 pages of printed paper, as I recall.

These days, your manuscript may well never be printed off at all, anywhere.

Quite likely, you will work away at your manuscript on a laptop. You’ll send it to an agent by email. Any editorial work will be conducted by email and an e-copy of your manuscript. When the thing is ready to go out to publishers, it’ll go as a computer file, only.

It’s referred to as a  manuscript  though: it’ll only become an actual book once it’s been typeset and bound (and becomes an actual hard copy, dead-tree book), or once it’s been formatted and packaged up as an ebook. (As a matter of fact, I think some of the kudos that still attaches to trad publishing as opposed to self-publishing has to do with the way it marks out that transition.)

Format Your Manuscript Professionally:

• Use double or 1.5 line spacing
• Use a standard font
• Make sure to use font size 12
• Use standard margins
• Chapter breaks should be marked by page breaks
• Insert page numbers
• Indent paragraphs
• Don’t overuse the ellipsis… Or, exclamation marks!
• Title pages should also include your name, contact info, and wordcount

Manuscript Basics

So your manuscript is basically just a computer file that lives (for now) on your home computer only, but may in time come to sit on the e-reader of your literary agent and (you hope) a whole bunch of editors too.

While the manuscript remains on your laptop and nowhere else, then you can format it just as you please. There are no rules at all. No one will see. No one will care.

I know one (really good) literary author who has poor eyesight and weirdly bad spelling. So he types in a huge font size – Arial, size 16, often all bold – and just ignores the spelling errors.

If he sent out his work out like that, it would make a terrible first impression on anyone reading it. But he doesn’t. That’s just the way he works.

So manuscript formatting rules only apply when you’re ready to go out to agents . . . and even then, you need to realise that there are no  rules , exactly. There’s no standard manuscript format. No required novel template that you have to follow, or else . . .

So the only real rule of manuscript presentation is a simple, ordinary one:

Your manuscript should look like a clean, professional document.

If you obey that one single rule, you’ll be just fine. That said, there’s a follow-up quasi-rule, which can be expressed as:

You probably want to set out your manuscript in a way that is most helpful to a literary agent.

Those guys read a lot of new manuscript submissions, so if you make their life harder, you are – even if just in a small way – acting against your own best interests.

Ways you can make an agent’s life easier include:

Helpful choice of filenames

Maybe the file on your computer is called novel.doc, because you hadn’t settled on a title when you started to write. That’s fine – plenty of my novels have started out that way too. But remember that an agent may be looking at your submission alongside 50 others. So don’t call your documents novel.doc / synopsis.doc / query.doc – you’ll confuse the agent almost instantly. Best practice would be to name your file something like  The Great Gatsby, Scott Fitzgerald, first three chapters.doc . [Except I think that title might already have been taken . . .]

Clean, clear title page

I’ll give more detail on that in a second

No unnecessary additional text

Your manuscript is just a working document, that has – prior to publication or the offer of a book deal – no special status in life. So don’t write dedications in here. Or Author’s Notes. Or long acknowledgements. If there”s a really compelling reason why you need to do these things, then OK. But in most cases, all that stuff can wait.

Easy readability for the main text itself

More on that shortly as well!

Oh yes, and I should probably also say that in the screenwriting trade, there  are  fierce and important rules about formatting. They matter because of an equation like this: length of screenplay = run time = production costs. That equation does not apply if you’re writing a novel or nonfiction book, and the result is that the publishing industry requirements about format are much looser. And quite right too!

How To Format Book Title Pages

Applies both to novels and non-fiction books.

Your title page should contain:

• The book’s title in a large font
• A subtitle, if the book has one. Most novels won’t.
• A quick genre specifier, if you want it. “A crime thriller”, for example. I’ve added “A novel” to the page below, only because this page was prepared for the American market where “a novel” is quite often used as a kind of subtitle.
• The book’s rough word count, rounded to the nearest 1,000 or 5,000 words
• Your contact info (Email, phone, address) in the bottom right hand corner, or otherwise somewhat secondary

It doesn’t need anything else. It doesn’t need and shouldn’t have a copyright notice. (See an example of the title page for one of my novels.)

Oh, and NO ARTWORK. Unless you are a professional illustrator, say, you just want to keep the front cover bare of anything except text. Remember that the publisher, not you, will decide what the final book looks like, so sticking your own imagery on the book will, in most cases, look a awkwardly amateurish.

Epigraphs , dedications, acknowledgements and all that kind of stuff can be left for when your book makes it into print. At this stage, you really don’t need that kind of thing. If you really must put in an epigraph, you can certainly do so on the second page or (probably italicised) on the cover itself.

Your cover page would ideally not have any page number on it but, as you can see from the image, I didn’t bother eliminating the number from my title page. It’s no big deal.

Manuscript Text Formatting Guidelines

Follow this broad template, and you’ll have a happy literary agent . . .

The following guidelines will mean that you deliver the kind of manuscript that any literary agent will instantly consider professional and easy to navigate. If you want to deviate from any of these exact strictures, you probably can.

The golden rule is to deliver something that looks like any normal, professional document AND one that is laid out like a book, not a business letter. (ie: indented paragraphs not line breaks in between.) And even that rule about indenting the paragraphs is often not followed by first time writers.

But are literary agents going to turn down great work just because they don’t love the paragraph formatting? Of course not. So don’t worry too much.

OK, enough preamble. For a nice looking manuscript, you want to present it in something like the following way:

• Make sure to use double or 1.5 line spacing.
• Use a nice ordinary font. (Times New Roman, Garamond, or Georgia are all good choices. Arial is quite common, but maybe better avoided as sans serif text is just  harder to read at length .)
• Ensure that you use a font size no smaller than 12, and no larger than 14.
• Use standard margins. Your existing defaults are probably fine, but check.
• Chapter breaks should be marked by page breaks, so each new chapter starts on a clean sheet.
• You can mark each new chapter with a number, if you care to. Or anything at all, really, just so long as it’s clear what’s going on. (If you’re worried about how long your chapters are, or how many pages are in a novel, then  read this  and put your mind at ease).
• Don’t forget to insert page numbers (though, truth be told, all that matters less now that everything happens in e-form. It’s still a nice touch.)
• Indent paragraphs (using the tab key or the paragraph formatting menu – don’t rely on the space bar). Do not leave a double space between paragraphs except as a section break.
• Oh, and don’t overuse the ellipsis (“…”) or the exclamation mark. Professional authors use those things very sparingly.

This page shows my own choices: a nice looking chapter header (but mine is a lot fancier than you need.) Modest paragraph indentation, I like 0.3″. A personal, but not wacky font. (I usually use Garamond, though I’m not quite sure what I used in this example!) Line spacing that’s clear, but not too spacey. (I generally use 1.5 line spacing, though you can go as low as 1.25 if you really want.) Plus a nice neat page number, of course.

It would be good practice to include your name and the title of the book in a header or footer, though I haven’t done so in this image.

Oh, and did you notice that the very first paragraph in that page was  not  indented? That’s technically correct and looks quite classy . . . but don’t worry if you haven’t done it. At that level, no one will care. (And that’s one big thing to remember about manuscript presentation. You need your work to look clean, professional and literate. If you check those boxes, then you’re fine. Really, truly, nothing else matters – except the quality of your actual book, which needs to be amazing.)

Manuscript Format: Dialogue Presentation

This isn’t a full guide to dialogue format, so  do check more complete sources  if you need, but for a quick refresher:

• Dialogue counts as new paragraphs, so it should be indented.
• When speech by one character is interrupted by a descriptive line, and then the speech continues, this all counts as one paragraph. Begin the next paragraph with the next speaker.
• Use single quotation marks for dialogue. When dialogue is followed by ‘said X’ or ‘chortled Y’ you should not capitalise either the  s  of  said  or the  c  of  chortled.  This is true even if the dialogue ends with an exclamation mark or a question mark.
• If the speaker quotes someone else within dialogue, you show that inner quotation with double inverted commas. Like this, for example:  ‘No,’ said Hugh patiently. ‘What Sophie actually said was, “Go to hell, you bloody idiot!” Words to that effect anyway.’
• For more help on writing dialogue in the first place, then  nip over here .

Again, though, that rule about quotations within dialogue is hardly ever going to matter . . . and no one at all will care if you get it wrong. It’s your novel or non-fiction which matters!

Dialogue Format: An Example

   ‘This manuscript is nicely presented,’ said the agent.    ‘Indeed it is,’ said the publisher. She paused briefly, to strike off a few zeros from an author’s royalty statement. ‘It is well presented. And intelligent. And beautifully written.’    ‘But Oprah won’t like it.’    ‘No, indeed. Nor the Chief Buyer at Walmart.’    ‘So we’ll reject it!’ they chorused, laughing wildly.    Their limousine swept on through the rainy streets, leaving a faint aroma of cigar smoke and Chanel no. 5 lingering on the mild springtime air.

Use the example above for guidance – or, if in doubt, open any paperback book. The way it’s laid out is the way yours should be.

Manuscript Presentation: Punctuation Basics

Your presented manuscript needs flawless punctuation. A few last tips.

• There is one general rule for punctuation. It is there to help avoid ambiguity.
• Commas are tricky, but often missed out before names. Get into the habit of putting them in and you will avoid absurdities like the ones noted by Lynn Truss in  Eats, Shoots and Leaves .
• Hyphens are an endangered species, and only the writer can save them. Again, it is vital to avoid ambiguities and absurdities – for instance,  the white toothed whale . Is it the whale or the teeth that are white?
• It is a good rule to avoid lists of adjectives but, when you have them, check to see if any should be hyphenated. You can have a dining room, but a table there becomes a  dining-room table .
• Semi-colons are also endangered, yet can bring a deal of subtlety to a writer’s style. A semi-colon links two related sentences; the second often elaborates or adds context to the first. A semi-colon is stronger than a comma, but not as strong as a full-stop.
• Colons are used where one sentence introduces another. The rule is simple: use the colon when one sentence introduces the next.

The three mistakes that  our editorial team  sees most commonly are these:

1. Not Enough Use Of Commas

Commas are like a tiny pause within a sentence and they can divide sentences into little blocks of meaning. They can make (especially) long sentences much easier to parse and comprehend. And commas are free. Use them!

2. Use Of Commas Instead Of Fullstops/Periods

Yes, we like commas, but commas aren’t there to divide one sentence from another, if you use commas where you mean to use fullstops (periods), you will end up with sentences that never seem to end, writing of this sort will drive your editor mad, punctuation-related homicides are rising sharply as a result. (*)

3. Misuse Of Apostrophes

The mistake which will have most agents screaming has to do with apostrophes. These are simple, so get them right. (‘It’s’ means ‘it is’,  It’s raining , for example. ‘Its’ means the thing belonging to it,  The mouse gnawed its cheese , for example – and ‘its’ is correct. No apostrophes are added to other possessive pronouns like his or hers, either.) If you’re unsure, look these things up.

* – Oh and if you wanted to know how that sentence ought to look, it’s like this:

Yes, we like commas, but commas aren’t there to divide one sentence from another. If you use commas where you mean to use fullstops (periods), you will end up with sentences that never seem to end. Writing of this sort will drive your editor mad. Punctuation-related homicides are rising sharply as a result.

If you wanted a semi-colon instead of a period after “mad”, that would be very elegant and your editor would probably want to give you a kiss. Instead of shooting you. Which has gotta be a win, right?

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you prepare a manuscript for submission.

There are many things to consider when preparing your manuscript for submission as manuscripts have to be formatted quite specifically. The first and most essential thing is to ensure that your manuscript has been thoroughly edited and is as well-written as possible. Manuscripts tend to be written in Times New Roman font in a size 12 and are double spaced with no separation between paragraphs (though each paragraph other than the very first should be indented). The most important thing is that the text itself, and the formatting, are clear and readable, and you have provided all the necessary information somewhere within the manuscript.

What Is The Proper Format For A Manuscript?

A well-formatted manuscript will feature A4 pages, should have a font size of 12, be written in a legible font (such as Times New Roman), have regular margins, indented paragraphs, and be double spaced. Manuscripts also include a title page, a header, and page numbers and each line of dialogue should be indented and should start on its own line.

How Many Pages Should A Manuscript Be?

The number of pages in, and the general length of, a manuscript varies considerably in terms of genre, topic, readership, and many other important factors. Most manuscripts tend to be around 70,000-120,000 words long, which equates to around 250-450 pages. But children’s books are generally far shorter (especially ones written for infants!) while certain books, such as fantasy and historical fiction, are much longer than that.

Writing a book is hard. Getting an agent is hard. Getting published – well, that’s still harder.

And getting well published? Actually making a career out of this thing? That’s never been even remotely easy, and (if you’re talking about traditional publication) may be harder than it’s been for decades.

So get help. Don’t start spending crazy money, but get help.

If you’re eager to polish your manuscript, but aren’t sure where to start, get help from an experienced professional editor with our Manuscript Assessment Service .

About the author

Harry has written a variety of books over the years, notching up multiple six-figure deals and relationships with each of the world’s three largest trade publishers. His work has been critically acclaimed across the globe, has been adapted for TV, and is currently the subject of a major new screen deal. He’s also written non-fiction, short stories, and has worked as ghost/editor on a number of exciting projects. Harry also self-publishes some of his work, and loves doing so. His Fiona Griffiths series in particular has done really well in the US, where it’s been self-published since 2015. View his website , his Amazon profile , his Twitter . He's been reviewed in Kirkus, the Boston Globe , USA Today , The Seattle Times , The Washington Post , Library Journal , Publishers Weekly , CulturMag (Germany), Frankfurter Allgemeine , The Daily Mail , The Sunday Times , The Daily Telegraph , The Guardian , and many other places besides. His work has appeared on TV, via Bonafide . And go take a look at what he thinks about Blick Rothenberg . You might also want to watch our " Blick Rothenberg - The Truth " video, if you want to know how badly an accountancy firm can behave.

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How to Write an Effective Manuscript Speech in 5 Steps

If your public speaking course requires you to give a manuscript speech, you might be feeling a little overwhelmed. How do you put together a speech that’s effective and engaging? Not to worry – with a few simple steps, you’ll be prepared to pull off a manuscript speech that’s both impactful and polished. In this post, we’ll walk through the 5 steps you need to follow to craft an effective manuscript speech that’ll leave your audience impressed. So let’s get started!

Quick Overview of Key Question

A manuscript speech involves writing down your entire speech word-for-word and memorizing it before delivering it. To begin, start by writing down your introduction , main points, and conclusion. Once you have written your speech, practice reading it out loud to get used to the phrasing and memorize each part .

Preparing a Manuscript Speech

When preparing for your manuscript speech, it is essential to consider both the content of your speech and the format in which you will deliver the speech. It is important to identify any key points or topics that you would like to cover in order to ensure that your manuscript is properly organized and succinct. Additionally, when selecting the style of delivery, be sure to choose one that best fits with your specific message and goals . One style of delivery includes utilizing a conversational tone in order to engage with your audience and help foster an interactive environment . When using this delivery style, be sure to use clear and concise language as well as humor and anecdotes throughout your speech . In addition, select a pacing that allows for flexibility with audience responses without detracting from the overall structure or flow of your text. Alternatively, another style of delivery involves reading directly from the manuscript without deviating from the text. This method works best when coupled with visual aids or props that support the information being relayed. Additionally, it is important to remember to practice reading the manuscript aloud several times prior to its delivery in order to ensure quality content and an acceptable rate of speed. No matter which delivery style you decide upon, careful preparation and rehearsal are essential components of delivering an effective manuscript speech. After deciding on a style of delivery and organizing the content of your speech accordingly, you can move on to formatting your document correctly in order to ensure a professional presentation during its delivery.

Document Format and Outline Structure

Before you dive into the content research and development stages of crafting your manuscript speech, it is important to consider the structure that your specific delivery will take. The format of your document can be varied depending on preferences and requirements, but always remember to keep it consistent throughout. When formatting your document, choose a universal style such as APA or MLA that may be easily recognisable to readers and familiar to most academics. Not only should this ensure your work meets some basic standards, but it will also make sure any information sources are appropriately cited for future reference. Additionally, you should provide visibility for headings to break up topics when needed, whilst keeping the language succinct and easy to understand. Creating an outline is integral in effectively structuring both a written piece of work and delivering a speech from paper. Use a hierarchical system of divisional points starting with a central concept, followed by additional details divided into sub sections where necessary and ending with a conclusion. This overview will act as a roadmap during the writing process—keeping track of ideas, identifying gaps in the presentation structure, and helping ensure clarity when presenting your points live on stage. It may be best practice to include a few statements or questions at the end of each key point to challenge thought in your audience and keep them engaged in the conversation. This could prompt new ideas or encourage defined discussion or debate amongst viewers. Depending on the topic itself, introducing two sides of an argument can allow an all-encompassing view point from which all members of an audience can draw their conclusions from majority opinion. Once you’ve established a full document format and outlined its corresponding structure for delivery, you’re ready for the next step: carefully developing comprehensive content along with appropriate ideas behind each sentence, word choice , and syntax used in every phrase. With these vital pieces in place, you are one step closer to creating an effective manuscript speech!

Content, Ideas and Language

The content, ideas, and language you use in your manuscript speech should be tailored to the audience you are addressing. It is important to consider the scope of the audience’s knowledge, level of interest in the topic and any special needs or cultural sensitivities. The most obvious way of doing this is by understanding who will be listening to the speech. You can also research the subject matter thoroughly to ensure you have a well-rounded perspective on the issue and that your opinion is well-informed.

While incorporating facts and personal experiences can help make any point stronger, ensure all ideas included in the speech have a relevancy to the main argument. Finally, avoid using difficult words or jargons as they may detract from any points being made. In terms of language, it’s recommended to use an active voice and write plainly while maintaining interesting visuals. This will help keep listeners engaged and make it easy for them to understand what’s being said. Additionally, focus on using appropriate vocabulary that will sound classy and create a good impression on your audience. Use simpler terms instead of long-winded ones, as regularly as possible, so that your message integrates easier with listeners. Now that you’ve considered content ideas and language for your manuscript speech, it’s time to go forward with writing and practicing it.

Writing and Practicing a Manuscript Speech

When writing a manuscript speech, it’s important to choose a central topic and clearly define the message you want to convey. Start by doing some research to ensure that your facts are accurate and up-to-date. Take notes and begin to organize your points into a logical flow. Once the first draft of your speech is complete, read it over multiple times, checking for grammar and typos. Also consider ways to effectively utilize visuals, such as photos or diagrams, as props within your speech if they will add value to your content. It is essential to practice delivering your speech using the manuscript long before you stand in front of an audience. Time yourself during practice sessions so that you can get comfortable staying within the parameters provided for the speech. Achieving a perfect blend of speaking out loud and reading word-by-word from the script is a vague area that speakers must strike a balance between in order to engage their audience without appearing overly rehearsed or overly off-the-cuff. Finally, look for opportunities to get feedback on your manuscript speech as you progress through writing and practicing it. Ask family members or friends who are familiar with public speaking for their input, or join an organization like Toastmasters International – an organization dedicated to improving public speaking skills – for more constructive criticism from experienced professionals. Crafting a powerful story should be the next step in preparing for an effective manuscript speech. Rather than delivering cold data points, use storytelling techniques to illustrate your point: Describe how others felt when faced with a challenge, what strategies they used to overcome it, and how their lives changed as a result. Telling stories makes data memorable, entertaining and inspiring – all qualities which should be considered when writing an engaging manuscript speech.

Crafting a Powerful Story

A powerful story is one of the most important elements of a successful manuscript speech. It is the main ingredient to make your speech memorable to the audience and help it stand out from all the other speeches. When crafting a story, there are a few things you should consider: 1) Choose an Appropriate Topic: The topic of your story should be appropriate for the type of speech you will be giving. If you are giving a motivational speech , for example, ensure your story has an uplifting message or theme that listeners can take away from it. Additionally, avoid topics that are too controversial so as not to offend any members of the audience. 2) Relay Your Experience: You could also use your own experience to create powerful stories in your manuscript speech. This gives listeners an authentic perspective of the topic and makes them feel connected to you and your message. Besides personal experiences, you may also draw stories from current events and movies/books which listeners can relate to depending on their age group. 3) Be Animated: As you deliver your story, be sure to convey emotions with proper tone and gestures in order to keep the audience engaged and increase its resonance. Using props and visual aids can also complement the delivery of your story by making it more experiential for listeners. Finally, before moving on to writing the rest of the manuscript speech, ensure that you have developed a powerful story that captures the hearts of those who hear it. With a great story to start off with, listeners will become more invested in what is about to come next in this speech – some tips for delivery!

Key Points to Remember

Writing a powerful story is essential to creating a successful manuscript speech. When selecting topics and stories, it’s important to consider the type of speech, the message, and making sure it’s appropriate and isn’t offensive. Drawing from personal experience and current events can enhance the audience’s connection with the topic, while being animated with tone and gestures will make it more engaging. Visual aids and props can complement this as well. Introducing a great story will draw people to your speech and help them get invested in what comes next.

Tips for Delivery of a Manuscript Speech

Delivering a manuscript speech effectively is essential for making sure your message gets across to your audience. While it may seem daunting, by following a few simple tips, you can ensure that you present your speech in the most professional manner possible. Before you start delivering your speech, be sure to practice it several times in advance. This will help you become comfortable with your words so that they don’t come out stilted while presenting. It is also important to emphasize vocal variety by changing the tone and intensity of your voice to keep the audience’s focus; boring monotone voices are often difficult to listen to. Remember to slow down or speed up depending on the importance of what you’re saying; never read word-for-word from your script – instead, aim for an engaging, conversational delivery. When delivering a manuscript speech, hand gestures can prove particularly useful for emphasizing key points. You can use arm movements and body language to convey the emotions behind your words without them feeling forced or unnatural. Again, practice helps here as well; make yourself aware of your posture and make subtle adjustments throughout until you feel comfortable speaking while moving around confidently on stage. Eye contact is another key element of effective presentation . Make sure to look into the eyes of every member of your audience at least once during your presentation – this will help them feel like they are interacting with you directly and make them more receptive to your ideas. Feel free to break away from traditional powerpoint slides if they aren’t necessary – take advantage of the natural lighting in the room and navigate through the visible space instead. Finally, remember that how you conclude the speech is just as important as how you began it, so aim for a powerful ending that leaves those listening with a lasting impression of what was discussed and learned throughout your presentation. With these tips for delivery in mind, you’re almost ready to leave a lasting impression on your audience – something we’ll discuss further in the next section!

Making a Lasting Impression with Your Audience

When you first create your manuscript speech, it is of utmost importance to consider your audience. Each part of the speech must be tailored to the people who will be listening. If a speaker can connect with an audience and make an emotional impact, the work that went into crafting the document will pay off. Using a conversational tone, humor, storytelling, and analogies can help keep the audience engaged during your speech. These techniques give the listener something to connect with and remember after the presentation is over. However, be sure to balance any humorous anecdotes or stories with a professional demeanor as not to lose credibility with your audience. Considering each part of the message and its potential impression on the listeners can also help guide you in tailoring a manuscript speech. When introducing yourself, try to use language that connects with the background of your peers; focus on wanting to help others with what you have learned or experienced so they feel like you are truly talking directly to them. Conclude by summing up important points in an inspirational way and leave listeners motivated and determined to apply the advice given in their own lives. Through this manner of “closing out” an effective speech, the audience can carry away meaningful information that will stay with them long after you finish speaking. Now that you understand how essential it is for speakers to make a lasting impression on their audiences, let us move onto learning how to confidently handle questions from your listeners as part of your presentation.

How to Handle Questions from Your Audience

When writing a manuscript speech, there are certain things you should consider when handling questions from your audience. This is an essential part of giving a successful talk to a group of people. The best way to handle questions is to take notes and make sure you can answer them directly after the speech is completed. It is important to be prepared with responses to any potential questions that may arise during your presentation. This will show your audience that you have taken the time and effort towards understanding their concerns and addressing them accordingly.

Additionally, it is also beneficial to anticipate possible areas of criticism or disagreement among members of your audience, as this allows you to provide evidence or offer an alternate route for them to consider when questioning the points made in your presentation. It is also important to remain courteous and professional when answering questions , even if someone challenges your views or speaks unkindly about your topic. It is always best practice to remain composed and ensure everyone in the room feels respected. Furthermore, having an open discussion with your audience following a well-prepared manuscript speech can add value by expanding on topics outlined. It also presents an opportunity for further clarifications and understanding beyond just getting out the message. This can be done by asking the participants what they thought of the presentation, what points they found most interesting, and other general feedback they might offer. If handled correctly, these moments can be used as learning opportunities for both yourself and others. Ultimately, handling questions from your audience confidently and gracefully is an important component of delivering a successful manuscript speech. By taking the time to prepare a response tailored towards each inquiry, even if it involves debate, you show respect towards those who took their time out of their day to attend your talk.

Additionally, it presents an opportunity to expand on topics covered while allowing meaningful dialogue between participants. With that said, it’s now time turn our focus onto crafting an effective conclusion for our manuscripts speeches – one which can bring our ideas full circle and leave our audience with memorable words!

Conclusion and Overall Manuscript Speech Strategy

The conclusion of any speech is an important part of the process and should not be taken lightly. Regardless of the structure or content of the speech, the conclusion can help drive home the points you have made throughout your speech. It also serves to leave a lasting impression on the listener. The conclusion should not be too long or drawn-out, but it should be meaningful and relevant to your topic and overall message. When writing your conclusion, consider recapping some of the key points made in the body of your speech. This will help to reinforce those ideas that you want to stick with the listener most. Additionally, make sure to emphasize how what has been addressed in your speech translates into real-world solutions or recommendations. This can help ensure that you have conveyed an actionable and tangible impact with your speech. One way to approach crafting an effective manuscript for a speech is to take note of the overall theme or objective that you wish to convey. From there, think about how best to organize your information into manageable sections, ensuring that each one accurately reflects your main points from both a visual and verbal standpoint. Consider what visuals or other tools could be used to further illustrate or clarify any complex concepts brought up in the main body of your speech. Finally, be sure to craft an appropriate conclusion that brings together all of these points into a cohesive whole, leaving your listeners with powerful words that underscore the importance and significance of what you have said. Overall, successful manuscript speeches depend on clear and deliberate preparation. Spending time outlining, writing, and editing your speech will ensure that you are able to effectively communicate its message within a set timeframe and leave a lasting impact on those who heard it. By following this process carefully, you can craft manuscripts that will inform and inspire audiences while driving home key talking points effectively every time.

Frequently Asked Questions and Their Answers

What are the benefits of giving a manuscript speech.

Giving a manuscript speech has many benefits. First, it allows the speaker to deliver a well-researched and thought-out message that is generally consistent each time. Since the speaker has prepared their speech in advance, they can use rehearsals to perfect their delivery and make sure their message is clear and concise.

Additionally, having a manuscript allows the speaker the freedom to focus on engaging the audience instead of trying to remember what to say next. Having a written script also helps remove the fear of forgetting important points or getting sidetracked on tangents during the presentation. Finally, with a manuscript, it’s possible to easily modify content from performance to performance as needed. This can help ensure that every version of the speech remains as relevant, meaningful, and effective as possible for each audience.

How does one prepare a manuscript speech?

Preparing a manuscript speech requires careful planning and attention to detail. Here are the five steps to help you write a successful manuscript speech: 1. Research: Take the time to do your research and gather all the facts you need. This should be done well in advance so that you can prepare your speech carefully. 2. Outline: Lay out an outline of the major points you want to make in your speech and make sure each point builds logically on the one preceding it. 3. Draft: Once you have an outline, begin to flesh it out into a first draft of your manuscript speech. Be sure to include transitions between key points as well as fleshing out any examples or anecdotes that may help illustrate your points. 4. Edit: Once you have a first draft, edit it down multiple times. This isn’t where detailed editing comes in; this is more about making sure all the big picture elements work logically together, ensuring smooth transitions between ideas, and ensuring your words are chosen precisely to best convey their meaning. 5. Practice: The last step is perhaps the most important – practice! Rehearse your manuscript speech until you know it like the back of your hand, so that when it’s time for delivery, you can be confident of success.

What are some tips for delivering a successful manuscript speech?

1. Prepare in advance: Draft a script and practice it several times before delivering it. This will allow you to be comfortable with your material and avoid any awkward pauses when you are presenting your speech. 2. Speak clearly: Make sure that you speak loudly and clearly enough for everyone in the room to hear you. It is also important to enunciate your words properly so that your message can easily be understood by your audience. 3. Engage with the audience: Use eye contact when addressing your audience, ask questions and wait for responses, and pause to allow people time to mull over your points. These techniques help to ensure that everyone is engaged and interested in what you are saying. 4. Create visual aids: Create slides or other visuals that augment the material in your manuscript speech. This can help to keep the audience focused on what they are hearing as well as providing a reference point for them after your speech is finished. 5. Rehearse: Rehearse the delivery of your manuscript speech at least once prior to giving it so that you feel confident about how it will sound when presented in front of an audience. Identify any areas where improvements may be needed and focus on perfecting them before delivering the speech.

Mastering Manuscript Speech Tips and Techniques for Effective Delivery

Delivering a manuscript style speech can be a daunting task. It’s not just about reciting written words. It’s about making them come alive. Understanding what a speech manuscript involves is the first step. How you present it makes all the difference. Your audience must feel engaged, not bored. This requires finesse and a deep connection with your material.

So, what is a manuscript speech, exactly? In simple terms, it’s a speech read word-for-word from a written text. But it goes beyond mere reading. It’s about conveying emotion and intention through each sentence. Effective manuscript speech delivery requires practice and attention to detail. A strong command over the material is crucial. Only then can you inject life into it.

The format of a speech manuscript is another critical aspect. It should be easy to follow, with clear cues for emphasis. A manuscript speech should serve as a guide, not a crutch. Speaking naturally while referring to your script can be challenging. However, with the right techniques, you can ensure your presentation feels organic and dynamic. Define manuscript speech parameters clearly in your mind. This will aid in delivering it with confidence.

Avoid monotony. Break the rhythm with varied speech patterns. What is manuscript speech delivery if not a performance? It’s a fine balance between sticking to your script and engaging your audience. Think of it as a conversation, albeit a structured one. Each word has a purpose. Each pause, a significance. This is the essence of a well-delivered speech manuscript.

In conclusion, mastering the art of presenting a manuscript speech can transform your communication skills. It’s about more than definitions and formats. It’s about connecting with your audience. It’s about delivering your message with clarity and passion. With practice, anyone can excel at this. Your journey starts here.

What is a speech manuscript?

Understanding what a speech manuscript entails is crucial. It refers to the practice of delivering a speech while reading from a written document. This approach is common in situations requiring precision and accuracy. However, it’s more than just reading words off a page. The process involves a strategic blend of preparation, performance, and engagement.

• A speech manuscript should be clear and concise.
• It must capture the essence of your message.
• Use a format that enhances readability.
• Ensure the content flows naturally.

A well-crafted manuscript can be your best ally. It provides structure and keeps you on track. You can focus on delivery without worrying about memory lapses. However, it’s important to maintain a conversational tone. You must avoid sounding monotonous or robotic. This balance is achieved through practice and familiarity with the content.

• Start by understanding the manuscript speech meaning.
• Define your key points clearly.
• Practice reading aloud to gauge pacing.
• Incorporate pauses effectively to enhance impact.
• Engage with your audience through eye contact and expressions.

With a speech manuscript, your goal is to bring the words to life. Infuse emotion and emphasis where necessary. Your voice should rise and fall naturally, reflecting the nuances of your message. This level of delivery ensures your audience remains captivated and engaged. Remember, a speech manuscript is a tool, not a crutch. Use it wisely to elevate your presentation skills to new heights.

Understanding the Fundamentals

Grasping the essentials of a speech manuscript is crucial for aspiring speakers. It’s not just about reading words from a page. It’s about translating those words into a captivating verbal experience. A manuscript style speech demands precision and clarity. When delivering such speeches, you must ensure each word hits its mark. They require skill in maintaining a natural flow while sticking to the written script.

So,  what is manuscript speech ? Essentially, it involves reading a pre-written text to an audience. This approach is common in formal settings, such as political addresses or academic presentations.  A manuscript speech should  be meticulously prepared, leaving little room for improvisation. The speaker’s task is to present the material as though they are speaking effortlessly, despite the reliance on written text.

Understanding  manuscript speech meaning  also includes knowing its advantages. This method ensures consistency and accuracy. Messages are delivered precisely as intended by the author. However, it’s not without challenges. Engaging an audience while reading requires practice and a deep familiarity with your content. You might find it difficult to establish a natural connection with your listeners.

Consider the  manuscript speech format . It should be organized and easy to follow. Break it into clear sections. Include transitions and cues. Your document should guide your speech delivery seamlessly. It’s also beneficial to practice proper enunciation and vocal variety. This keeps your audience interested and attentive.

Finally, let’s  define manuscript speech  in practical terms. It’s a strategic approach to delivering formal presentations. Whether you’re addressing a large group or a small meeting, your delivery should appear confident and spontaneous. This balance between preparation and presentation is achieved through repetition and rehearsal. Remember, your ultimate goal is to communicate your message effectively while engaging your audience fully.

Identifying Target Audience

Recognizing the audience you are addressing is crucial. Without this understanding, even the most meticulously crafted script can miss its mark. Every group is unique. They have different interests, knowledge levels, and expectations. Tailoring the speech to these specifics can significantly enhance receptivity.

When you define manuscript speech for a specific audience, consider their background. Are they experts in the topic, or are they laypeople? This affects how in-depth you should go. For instance, a manuscript speech meaning for industry professionals would differ greatly from one aimed at high school students. Customization is key.

Understanding  what is a manuscript speech  involves more than just writing. It’s about delivering content that resonates. Think about the demographic details. Age, education, cultural background – all these factors influence how a speech is received. A younger audience might appreciate humor, while a more senior crowd may favor formal tones.

A manuscript speech should engage its listeners. If the audience finds the content relatable, they’re more likely to stay attentive. Utilize anecdotes and relevant examples. Ask rhetorical questions to keep them thinking. Interactive elements can work wonders in a manuscript style speech.

Remember, the process of crafting a speech includes considering how it will be delivered. Visualize the listeners. Their facial expressions, their reactions. Adjustments based on this visualization can make your speech more impactful. Aligning with the audience’s expectations ensures your message hits home.

Ultimately,  what is manuscript speech  without an audience? It’s half the equation, the other half being those who listen, understand, and react. Balancing content with the audience’s characteristics makes the speech not just heard, but felt and remembered.

Crafting a Compelling Script

Creating a compelling script is crucial for an impactful speech. Many ask, “What is a manuscript speech?” In essence, it involves reading a pre-written text to ensure accuracy and eloquence. Your script forms the backbone of the address, guiding both structure and content. To engage your audience, every word must count. Crafting it demands precision, creativity, and purpose. You must aim for clarity without sacrificing depth.

A well-crafted script begins with understanding what you want to convey. Consider the “manuscript definition speech” and the context in which you’re presenting. Are you explaining a complex concept, arguing a point, or simply narrating a story? Each goal will shape the “manuscript speech format” and influence its tone.

When you define manuscript speech, it becomes clear that it serves specific needs: accuracy, coherence, and polished delivery. A “speech manuscript” isn’t just about writing; it’s about foreseeing how it will be perceived. A strong introduction sets the stage. It should grab attention and hint at what’s to come. Use anecdotes or startling facts. Ensure your main points are clearly outlined.

“Manuscript speech meaning” revolves around delivering a message with precision. Every section should resonate with the audience. Break your script into digestible parts to maintain focus and interest. Your transitions should be smooth but noticeable, keeping listeners on track. Diversify your sentence length. This technique adds rhythm and keeps your audience engaged.

“A manuscript speech should” be practiced aloud. This helps in identifying potential stumbling blocks. Reading your script multiple times can improve fluency and confidence. Vary your tone and pace to emphasize key points, making the “manuscript style speech” dynamic and lively. Pauses can be powerful, giving your audience time to absorb information.

Finally, remember that a “manuscript speech definition” includes the written document and its oral delivery. Practice blending the two seamlessly. Your goal is not merely to read but to communicate genuinely. Understand your script deeply. This enables you to deliver it naturally and convincingly.

Let’s break down key elements in a table for better comprehension:

Engagement Techniques

In delivering a manuscript speech, keeping the audience engaged is crucial. It goes beyond merely reading word-for-word. Instead, it demands fully capturing your listeners’ attention.

Eye contact  is key. Even with a speech manuscript, look up regularly. Connect visually. This makes the audience feel acknowledged. They are more likely to stay interested.

Next is vocal variety. A manuscript speech should not sound monotonous. Use changes in pitch, tone, and volume. It makes the speech lively. An animated voice maintains attention.

Body language also speaks volumes. Gestures can enhance your message. Don’t remain static. Move around, but purposefully. This keeps the energy high.

Interactivity is another powerful tool. Ask rhetorical questions or include actual pauses for reflection. Sometimes, a well-placed question keeps the audience curious. It’s a tactic that keeps them thinking about what is coming next in your speech manuscript.

Personal anecdotes and stories work wonders. They make your content relatable. When people see themselves in your stories, they become emotionally invested. This engagement is priceless.

Use visuals if possible. Visual aids can complement a manuscript style speech beautifully. They provide visual stimulation and serve as another layer of engagement. A picture says a thousand words, after all.

Lastly, practice is paramount. The more familiar you are with your manuscript speech format, the more naturally you can deliver it. This familiarity allows you to focus on engaging your audience rather than just reading. Remember, an engaged audience is an attentive audience. They take away more from your presentation, making your message more impactful.

Using Vocal Variety

Delivering a speech from a manuscript can feel restrictive. However, incorporating vocal variety can transform your delivery. A manuscript speech should not mean a monotonous recital. Think of it as a tool to enhance communication. Use your voice as an expressive instrument.

Vocal variety involves changes in pitch, pace, and volume. These elements can make your message more engaging. They breathe life into your words. Even with a prepared text, you can captivate your audience. Change your tone to reflect your message’s emotions.

Imagine a scene while reading aloud. This practice makes the speech manuscript more dynamic. Emphasize key points with a higher pitch or softer volume. Slow down to give weight to critical information. Speed up during lighter, less critical sections. This oscillation keeps the audience attentive.

Remember, a speech delivery isn’t just about words. It’s also about how those words are presented. The manuscript speech format provides structure. Yet, the vocal variety adds the necessary flair. Combine these elements for a compelling narrative.

Each part of your speech should have its own character. Define each section with a unique vocal style. This technique ensures clarity and maintains interest. A well-delivered manuscript, rich with vocal variety, becomes memorable. It moves beyond the manuscript definition speech to a broader communication experience.

Your voice is your most powerful tool. Even in a speech manuscript format, it holds immense potential. Use it to its fullest. Create contrasts, invoke emotions, and engage your listeners. With practice, your manuscript speech delivery will shine.

Public Speaking Without Notes | Training by Jim Kwik

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Chapter 6: Developing Presentations

39 Methods of Presentation Delivery

The importance of delivery.

Delivery is what you are probably most concerned about when it comes to giving presentations. This chapter is designed to help you give the best delivery possible and eliminate some of the nervousness you might be feeling. To do that, you should first dismiss the myth that public speaking is just reading and talking at the same time. Speaking in public has more formality than talking. During a speech, you should present yourself professionally. This doesn’t necessarily mean you must wear a suit or “dress up”, but it does mean making yourself presentable by being well groomed and wearing clean, appropriate clothes. It also means being prepared to use language correctly and appropriately for the audience and the topic, to make eye contact with your audience, and to look like you know your topic very well.

While speaking has more formality than talking, it has less formality than reading. Speaking allows for flexibility, meaningful pauses, eye contact, small changes in word order, and vocal emphasis. Reading is a more or less exact replication of words on paper without the use of any nonverbal interpretation. Speaking, as you will realize if you think about excellent speakers you have seen and heard, provides a more animated message.

Methods of Presentation Delivery

There are four methods of delivery that can help you balance between too much and too little formality when giving a presentation.

Impromptu Speaking

Impromptu speaking is the presentation of a short message without advance preparation. You have probably done impromptu speaking many times in informal, conversational settings. Self-introductions in group settings are examples of impromptu speaking: “Hi, my name is Steve, and I’m an account manager.” Another example of impromptu presenting occurs when you answer a question such as, “What did you think of the report?” Your response has not been preplanned, and you are constructing your arguments and points as you speak. Even worse, you might find yourself going into a meeting and your boss says, “I want you to talk about the last stage of the project. . . “ and you had no warning.

The advantage of this kind of speaking is that it’s spontaneous and responsive in an animated group context. The disadvantage is that the speaker is given little or no time to contemplate the central theme of his or her message. As a result, the message may be disorganized and difficult for listeners to follow.

Here is a step-by-step guide that may be useful if you are called upon to give an impromptu presentation in public:

• Take a moment to collect your thoughts and plan the main point you want to make.
• Thank the person for inviting you to speak. Avoid making comments about being unprepared, called upon at the last moment, on the spot, or feeling uneasy.
• Deliver your message, making your main point as briefly as you can while still covering it adequately and at a pace your listeners can follow.
• If you can use a structure, using numbers if possible: “Two main reasons . . .” or “Three parts of our plan. . .” or “Two side effects of this drug. . .” Timeline structures are also effective, such as “past, present, and future or East Coast, Midwest, and West Coast”.
• Thank the person again for the opportunity to speak.
• Stop talking (it is easy to “ramble on” when you don’t have something prepared). If in front of an audience, don’t keep talking as you move back to your seat.

Impromptu presentations:  the presentation of a short message without advance preparation . Impromptu presentations are generally most successful when they are brief and focus on a single point.

For additional advice on impromptu speaking, watch the following 4 minute video from Toastmasters: Impromptu Speaking

Manuscript Presentations

Manuscript presentations  are the word-for-word iteration of a written message . In a manuscript presentation, the speaker maintains their attention on the printed page except when using visual aids. The advantage of reading from a manuscript is the exact repetition of original words. In some circumstances this can be extremely important. For example, reading a statement about your organization’s legal responsibilities to customers may require that the original words be exact.

A manuscript presentation may be appropriate at a more formal affair (like a report to shareholders), when your presentation must be said exactly as written in order to convey the proper emotion or decorum the situation deserves.

However, there are costs involved in manuscript presentations. First, it’s typically an uninteresting way to present. Unless the presenter has rehearsed the reading as a complete performance animated with vocal expression and gestures, the presentation tends to be dull. Keeping one’s eyes glued to the script prevents eye contact with the audience. For this kind of “straight” manuscript presentation to hold audience attention, the audience must be already interested in the message and presenter before the delivery begins.

It is worth noting that professional speakers, actors, news reporters, and politicians often read from an autocue device, commonly called a teleprompter, especially when appearing on television, where eye contact with the camera is crucial. With practice, a presenter can achieve a conversational tone and give the impression of speaking extemporaneously and maintaining eye contact while using an autocue device. However, success in this medium depends on two factors: (1) the presenter is already an accomplished public speaker who has learned to use a conversational tone while delivering a prepared script, and (2) the presentation is written in a style that sounds conversational and in spoken rather than written, edited English.

Extemporaneous Presentations

Extemporaneous presentations  are carefully planned and rehearsed presentations, delivered in a conversational manner using brief notes . By using notes rather than a full manuscript, the extemporaneous presenter can establish and maintain eye contact with the audience and assess how well they are understanding the presentation as it progresses. Without all the words on the page to read, you have little choice but to look up and make eye contact with your audience.

Watch the following 10 minute video of a champion speaker presenting his extemporaneous speech: 2017 International Extemporaneous Speaking National Champion — Connor Rothschild Speech

Presenting extemporaneously has some advantages. It promotes the likelihood that you, the speaker, will be perceived as knowledgeable and credible since you know the speech well  enough that you don’t need to read it. In addition, your audience is likely to pay better attention to the message because it is engaging both verbally and nonverbally. It also allows flexibility; you are working from the strong foundation of an outline, but if you need to delete, add, or rephrase something at the last minute or to adapt to your audience, you can do so.

The disadvantage of extemporaneous presentations is that it in some cases it does not allow for the verbal and the nonverbal preparation that are almost always required for a good speech.

Adequate preparation cannot be achieved the day before you’re scheduled to present, so be aware that if you want to present a credibly delivered speech, you will need to practice many times. Because extemporaneous presenting is the style used in the great majority of business presentation situations, most of the information in the subsequent sections of this chapter is targeted toward this kind of speaking.

Memorized Speaking

Memorized speakin g is the recitation of a written message that the speaker has committed to memory. Actors , of course, recite from memory whenever they perform from a script in a stage play, television program, or movie scene. When it comes to speeches, memorization can be useful when the message needs to be exact and the speaker doesn’t want to be confined by notes.

The advantage to memorization is that it enables the speaker to maintain eye contact with the audience throughout the speech. Being free of notes means that you can move freely around the stage and use your hands to make gestures. If your speech uses visual aids, this freedom is even more of an advantage. However, there are some real and potential costs.

First, unless you also plan and memorize every vocal cue (the subtle but meaningful variations in speech delivery, which can include the use of pitch, tone, volume, and pace), gesture, and facial expression, your presentation will be flat and uninteresting, and even the most fascinating topic will suffer. Second, if you lose your place and start trying to ad lib, the contrast in your style of delivery will alert your audience that something is wrong. More frighteningly, if you go completely blank during the presentation, it will be extremely difficult to find your place and keep going. Obviously, memorizing a typical seven-minute presentation takes a great deal of time and effort, and if you aren’t used to memorizing, it is very difficult to pull off. Realistically, you probably will not have the time necessary to give a completely memorized speech. However, if you practice adequately, your approach will still feel like you are being extemporaneous.

Communication for Business Professionals Copyright © 2018 by eCampusOntario is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License , except where otherwise noted.

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Module 9: Beyond the Research Paper

Delivering the presentation, learning objectives.

Explain the elements of effective presentation delivery

Methods of Presenting

There are four basic methods for delivering a speech or presentation: manuscript, memorized, impromptu, and extemporaneous. Depending on the task or assignment, you may or may not have a choice of which method to use; even if the method is stipulated, it’s useful to think about the pros and cons of presenting this way.

A manuscript speech is when the presenter writes down every word they will speak during the presentation.

Speaking from a manuscript

The advantage of using a manuscript is that you have access to every word you’ve prepared in advance. There is no guesswork or memorization needed. This method comforts some speakers’ nerves as they don’t have to worry about that moment where they might freeze and forget what they’ve planned to say. When the exact wording of an idea is crucial, speakers often read from a manuscript, for instance in communicating public statements from a company.

However, the disadvantage with a manuscript is that the speakers have MANY words in front of them on the page. This prohibits one of the most important aspects of delivery, eye contact. When many words are on the page, the speakers will find themselves looking down at those words more frequently because they will need the help. If they do look up at the audience, they often cannot find their place when the eye returns to the page. Above all, the speakers should remember to rehearse with the script so that they practice looking up often.

Wedding toasts are often memorized

A memorized presentation is also fully prepared in advance and one in which the speaker does not use any notes. In the case of an occasion speech like a quick toast, a brief dedication, or a short eulogy, word-for-word memorization might make sense. Usually, though, it doesn’t involve committing each and every word to memory, Memorizing a speech isn’t like memorizing a poem where you need to remember every word exactly as written. Don’t memorize a manuscript! Work with your outline instead. Practice with the outline until you can recall the content and order of your main points without effort. Then it’s just a matter of practicing until you’re able to elaborate on your key points in a natural and seamless manner. Ideally, a memorized speech will sound like an off-the-cuff statement by someone who is a really eloquent speaker and an exceptionally organized thinker!

The advantage of a memorized presentation is that the speaker can fully face their audience and make lots of eye contact. The problem with a memorized speech is that speakers may get nervous and forget the parts they’ve memorized. Without any notes to lean on, the speaker may hesitate and leave lots of dead air in the room while trying to recall what was planned. Sometimes, the speaker can’t remember or find his or her place in the speech and are forced to go get the notes or go back to the PowerPoint in some capacity to try to trigger his or her memory. This can be an embarrassing and uncomfortable moment for the speaker and the audience, and is a moment which could be easily avoided by using a different speaking method.

When you speak up in class or in a meeting, it’s usually an impromptu speech.

An impromptu speech is one for which there is little to no preparation. There is often not a warning even that the person may be asked to speak. For example, your boss may ask you to deliver a presentation on a new initiative you’ve been working on. You may or may not be given a few minutes to organize your thoughts. What should you do? DO NOT PANIC. Even under pressure, you can create a basic speech that follows the formula of an introduction, body, and conclusion. If you have a few minutes, jot down some notes that fit into each part of the speech. (In fact, the phrase “speaking off the cuff,” which means speaking without preparation, probably refers to the idea that one would jot a few notes on one’s shirt cuff before speaking impromptu.) [1] While an impromptu speech can be challenging, the advantage is that it can also be thrilling as the speaker thinks off the cuff and says what they’re most passionate about in the moment. A speaker should not be afraid to use notes during an impromptu speech if they were given any time to organize their thoughts. The disadvantage is that there is no time for preparation, so finding research to support claims such as quotes or facts cannot be included. The lack of preparation makes some speakers more nervous and they may struggle to engage the audience due to their nerves.

Extemporaneous

Extemporaneous speaking uses notes to help keep the speaker on track.

The last method of delivery we’ll look at is extemporaneous . When speaking extemporaneously, speakers prepare some notes in advance that help trigger their memory of what they planned to say. These notes are not full sentences, but help the speakers, who turn them into a full sentence when spoken aloud. Note that if a quote is being used, listing that quote verbatim is fine.

The advantage of extemporaneous speaking is that you are able to speak in a more conversational tone by letting your notes guide you, but not dictate every word you say. This method allows you to make more eye contact with the audience. The shorter note forms also prevents you from getting lost in your words. The disadvantage of extemporaneous delivery is that you may forget what you were planning to say in connection to a given note, or lose track of your place in teh overall presentation. This problem can be avoided through rehearsal and double-checking the note order before speaking.

Many speakers consider the extemporaneous method to be the ideal speaking method because it allows them to be prepared, keeps the audience engaged, and encourages a more natural style of delivery. In academic classes, many presentations will probably be delivered extemporaneously.

Rehearsing Your Presentation

The most important element in delivering your presentation as eloquently as possible is practice. The more you rehearse, the smoother your delivery will be and the more you’ll be able to deal with unexpected interruptions or challenges. Ideally, you’ll find time to rehearse in conditions as close to the actual presentation as possible: using the same equipment and even the same space.

As you rehearse, here are some elements of speech delivery to focus on:

• Breath : Strong, sustained speaking begins with breath. Try to breath from the diaphragm, not from your shoulders.
• Articulation : Pronouncing the words so that your audience can follow the nuances of your argument.
• Pitch : Varying your pitch to avoid sounding monotonous.
• Rate : Speaking at the right rate for comprehension; not too fast and not too slow.
• Emphasis : Using emphasis to call attention to key points.
• Volume : Controlling your volume to add variety and call your listeners’ attention to the most important moments in the speech.
• Pauses : Never underestimate the power of the pause. It focuses the audience’s attention and creates anticipation. Not to mention, pauses give you time to think about what you’re going to say.
• Nonverbal aspects of delivery : Controlled body language and gestures help to reinforce your points and help the audience interpret the impact of your words.

Remember: More practice means less nervousness! Building in time to rehearse productively will make the speech far more effective and far less painful.

• As per the Oxford English Dictionary's entry for "Off the Cuff." See an extensive discussion at Mark Liberman's Language Log here: https://languagelog.ldc.upenn.edu/nll/?p=4130 ↵
• Speaking from Manuscript. Authored by : Laszlo Tuske. Located at : https://flic.kr/p/MrMLBN . License : CC BY-SA: Attribution-ShareAlike
• Toast. Authored by : Rona Proudfoot. Located at : https://flic.kr/p/6V5W9L . License : CC BY-SA: Attribution-ShareAlike
• Notes. Authored by : Travis Wise. Located at : https://flic.kr/p/rrfva1 . License : CC BY: Attribution
• Town hall. Authored by : Spc. Pollhein, Benjaman and Spc. Adams, Jordan, Pfc. Min, Min Kwon. Located at : https://flic.kr/p/EDN4Ys . License : CC BY: Attribution
• Delivering the presentation. Provided by : Lumen Learning. License : CC BY: Attribution

PRDV008: Preparing and Delivering Presentations (2020.A.01)

Speaking from a manuscript.

Read this article, which offers more insight on manuscript speaking.

Your manuscript delivery method will vary depending on whether the manuscript is your own or someone else's.

Key Takeaways

• When provided with a manuscript, you need to deliver it exactly as written. It is the original author's ideas and not your own that you are presenting to the audience.
• One important form of manuscript is a proclamation. When you read the proclamation, you create a distinct speech act that puts the statements into effect.
• After the speaker reads the manuscript and understands the meaning, he or she can practice creating a conversational delivery by emphasizing important words, creating vocal phrases with the right words together, and varying the pace and emphasis.
• If you are preparing your own manuscript for delivery, consider first the audience and write for them as if you were speaking directly to them.
• You can now use low cost personal teleprompters to help you deliver sermons, deliver speeches, and create quality audios.
• Teleprompter : A teleprompter is a display device that prompts the person speaking with an electronic visual text of a speech.
• Manuscript : A single, original copy of a book, article, or composition, written by hand or even printed.
• Proclamation : A statement which is proclaimed; a formal public announcement.

You may need to use the manuscript provided to you without adding your own thoughts or comments. However, there are other situations where you will need to prepare your own manuscript perhaps for publication in a newsletter, or to make sure you include exact wording.

When Provided with a Manuscript

You need to deliver it exactly as written. You are delivering words that were prepared by someone else; they are the original author's ideas and not your own that you are presenting to the audience. The manuscript could take many different forms. It could be a short story, a poem, or an article. You may also be provided with a special type of document, called a proclamation.

Manuscript : A medieval Latin manuscript by Aristotle with original Greek text added in the margins.

With a proclamation, the wording is exact and must be read exactly as written, as it is a distinct speech act that puts the statements into effect. If are reading a proclamation and say, "I now declare…" when you finish you have actually made it happen.

You usually have time to prepare which will allow you to fully understand the meaning that needs to conveyed to the audience. Once you understand the meaning, then it is possible to practice reading to create a conversational delivery by emphasizing important words, create vocal phrases with the right words together, and vary the pace and emphasis to convey the meaning of the original. Since you will have the document with you, you can mark it to indicate where you want to add emphasis, pause, and change volume or pitch.

Disadvantages

Of course, the obvious disadvantage is that you are speaking for someone else; you are delivering his or her thoughts and ideas and not your own. You do not have ownership of the ideas but you may be judged since you are delivering the manuscript.

When Preparing Your Own Manuscript

If you are preparing your own manuscript for delivery, consider first the audience and write for them as if you were speaking directly to them. You are not writing a book but a speech to be delivered. When you deliver the speech from the manuscript, you are challenged to make a connection with the audience rather than simply read words.

Preparing your own manuscript prevents you from saying anything you would not say in careful consideration of your topic. It does assure that you say everything you want to say and gives the impression that you are a calm, collected thinker. You have the opportunity to work with a teleprompter to help you speak directly to the audience, but you will still need to practice with its speed and placement.

There are disadvantages to the speaker preparing his or her own manuscript. It is a challenge, since the speaker will have difficulty maintaining eye contact with the audience to show warmth and sincerity. It may also be difficult for you to actually develop a conversation with the audience while reading. You want to sound natural and develop your own persona which is difficult if a person is just reading his or her words on a page. With the necessary practice, you can perfect and develop a speech and deliver it from a manuscript with careful rehearsal.

When Working with a Teleprompter

You may also work with a teleprompter to increase eye contact and presence with the audience.

Professional Teleprompters

A teleprompter (also called a telescript or an autocue) is a display device that prompts the person speaking with an electronic visual text of a speech or script. Using a teleprompter is similar to the practice of using cue cards. You can see the words on the screen in front of and usually below the camera lens of a professional video camera. The words on the screen are reflected to the eyes of the presenter using a sheet of clear glass or specially prepared beam splitter. Since you do not need to look down to consult written notes, you appear to be speaking spontaneously and can look directly into the camera lens or the audience.

Personal Teleprompters

Fortunately, there are inexpensive teleprompter software applications as well as free web-based teleprompter applications, which will allow you to use a teleprompter to help you deliver sermons, deliver speeches, and create quality audios. These entry-level products work on desktops, laptops, and even tablets.

Teleprompter in use : This teleprompter is in use for a broadcast.

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36 Speaking from a Manuscript: How to Read Without Looking Like You Are Reading

How to Write and Use Manuscripts

There will be times when reading from a manuscript is helpful. When giving a eulogy and you are likely to experience strong emotions, having your words written out and in front of you will be very helpful. Politicians often speak from manuscripts because there will be people weighing the meaning of each word. They often have speech writers who take their ideas and make them sound professional, and they likely have several people look it over for any offensive words or questionable phrases.

The advantage to speaking with a manuscript is you have your speech in front of you. This gives you an opportunity to plan interesting wordplays and to use advanced language techniques. By managing the exact wording, you can better control the emotional tone. Another advantage to using a manuscript is you can share your speech with others both for proofing and for reference. For example, many people like to have written copies of the toast given to them at a special occasion or a copy of the eulogy to the loved one.  Politically speaking, a manuscript can be helpful to help keep you on track and to help you say only the things that you mean to say.

The disadvantage to a manuscript is if not done properly, your speech may feel like an “essay with legs.” Speaking from a manuscript is a skill; I would argue that it is one of the most difficult of all types because your goal is to read without appearing to read. It can be so tempting to lock eyes on the page where it is safe and then never look up at the audience. Finally, it is very difficult for most people to gesture when reading a manuscript. Many people run their hands down the page to keep their place while others clutch the podium and never let go. These disadvantages can be overcome with practice. You can be dynamic and engaging while using a manuscript, but it does take work.

Keys to Using a Manuscript

• Always write a manuscript in manuscript format and never in essay format. (It should look like poetry).
• Practice your speech at a podium so you can figure out how to change pages smoothly.
• Learn the art of eye fixations.
• Practice with a friend so you can master eye contact.
• If you struggle with gestures, make a note on your manuscript to remind you to gesture.
• Practice, practice, practice–you should actually practice more than in a typical speech since it is a harder delivery method.

Formatting a Manuscript

• Do not start a sentence on one page and then finish it on another.
• Do not fold the manuscript–it won’t lay flat on the podium.
• Do not print on both sides of the page.
• Do not staple the manuscript
• Number your pages.
• Use a large font and then make it one size larger than you think you need.
• It should look like poetry.
• Have extra spaces between every main idea.
• Bold the first word of every main section.
• Use /// or …. to indicate pauses in your speech.
• Emphasize a word with a larger font or by making it bold.
• If you have a parallel construction where you repeat the same word, bold or underline the repeated word.
• Use an easy-to-read font.
• Make a note (SLIDE) when you need to change your slide.
• It is OK to omit punctuation.
• Do whatever formatting works best for you.

Sample manuscripts

Notice how this student formats her manuscript by making it spread out and easy to read:

Today // it is an honor for me to stand here before you at the Freedom Banquet and pay tribute to a man

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, that in his lifetime …………………………………. has touched ………………….. and changed …………………………… uncountable lives across the globe

Today /// we are here to honor ……………. a president, ……………………….. a father, ……………………………… a husband ……………………………………. and a true savior in Mr. Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela

Tribute speech by Tanica van As delivered at the University of Arkansas

Manuscript From History

Winston Churchill’s Speech in Response to German’s Invasion of Britain and Finest Hour Speech

Sometimes referred to as the Psalms format or free verse format, the speech is written like it will be spoken.

How to Present with a Manuscript

To best read a manuscript, we need to borrow some items from speed reading. When you were first learning to read, you learned to read each letter–D–O–G. You would look at the letter “D,” then your eyes would look at the letter “O, ” and finally, your eyes would move over to look at the letter “G.”  You would fixate (or rest) your eyes on three different places. Eventually, you got better at reading and better at seeing, so you would now look at “dog” in one eye fixation and your brain was able to take in the information–dog.  Now, you no longer read one letter at a time, that would be way too slow. Now you look at all three letters and see it as a word.

Over time, you learned to see bigger words–like “communication” (13 letters).   Now, consider this… the phase “The dog ran fast” contains 13 letters. Since you can see the word “communication” as one eye fixation and understand it as one thing,  in theory, your eyes should be able to see “the dog ran fast” as one eye fixation and understand it too.   We have been trained to look at each word individually with separate eye fixations. For example,  …the … dog… ran… fast… is four different eye fixations. With a little practice, you can train your eyes to see the whole phrase with one look. Here are some sentences, practice looking at each of the sentences with one eye fixation.

I ate the red apple

My car is green

My cat is moody

You tried it didn’t you? You can only learn if you try them out. If you didn’t try it, go back and look at those sentences again and try to see the whole sentence with one look.  With practice, you can look at an entire sentence as one thing (eye fixation). Your brain can understand all those words as one thought. Now, try this. Wherever you are right now, look up at the wall nearest you and then look back down.  Write down all the things you can recall about what you saw–I saw a yellow wall with brown trim, two bookcases, a clock, a printer, a bird statue.  Your brain is amazing; it can look up to a wall and in one eye fixation, it can take in all that it sees.

You can take in many sentences as well. You can actually see two sentences in one look.  Try to look down at these next two sentences in one eye fixation. Test yourself by looking down and then looking up and saying what you remember out loud.

The boy sang a song

The girl danced along

With a little practice, most people can see chunks of five words across and three lines down. Give it a try.  Once again, try to look at the three sentences as one and then look up and say them.

The happy frog leaped

off the lily pad

and into the cool water

It takes practice, but you can do it. The bonus feature of doing the practice and learning this skill is you will learn to read faster. Since a lot of college work and professional preparation relies on reading the information, it would benefit you for the rest of your life to learn this valuable skill. While researching, I came across this excellent slide presentation by Sanda Jameson on Reading for College that goes into more depth about the process. I highly recommend you review it to help you with your manuscript reading and to help you become a better reader in your college classes.

https://www.nwmissouri.edu/trio/pdf/sss/study/Reading-for-college.pdf

By now, you have figured out that using chunking and working on eye fixations is going to help you read your manuscript easier. Arranging your manuscript where you have only five to seven words on a line will make it easier to see as one fixation.  Organizing your manuscript where you can see several lines of text at once, can help you put a lot of information in one eye fixation.

Now, let’s look at a eulogy written by one of my students, Sydney Stout. She wrote this eulogy to her grandpa who loved dancing and encouraged her to do the same.  First, notice the manuscript format where it is written like it will be spoken. It is chunked into lines that are usually 5-7 words long. The list of names is written like a stair step showing the stair step in the voice when the names are spoken. Try reading this except out loud focusing on eye fixations. Try to see one whole line at a time and then read it again trying to see two lines at a time.

Dancing is a delicate art

An activity many people love and enjoy

but someone that loves dancing

more than anyone I know

is my grandfather.

You all know my grandfather

Maybe you know him as James

….. Jack

 ……… Dad

 …………. Papa Jack

      ………………… or in my case………………. . just Papa.

Papa //   you have led me through life

like any great dance partner should

And I’ve memorized the steps you’ve taught me

………………………………………. …. And they have allowed me to dance

……………………………………………………………… gracefully

………………………………………………………….. through my own life

Tribute speech by Sydney Stout delivered at the University of Arkansas

Watch this eulogy speech to Rosa Parks by Oprah Winfrey. Notice how each word is carefully chosen and how if you notice closely, you can tell that she is using a manuscript. Notice how seamlessly she turns the pages and notice how she spends most of her time looking up at the audience. Masterfully, she uses gestures to enhance the rhythmic flow o the speech and to draw the audience’s attention.

Timing Your Manuscript

Practice your manuscript at least 5 to 7 times. Trust me when I say, It is harder to speak with a manuscript than it is to give a speech with brief notes and it requires considerable more practice to get it right.

Use this chart as a general reference for the timing of your speech to the length of your manuscript.

A Speech Saved the President’s Life

Teddy Roosevelt’s life was saved when an assassin’s bullet was slowed down by his 50 paged speech manuscript. The doctor on sight determined that although the bullet didn’t puncture his lungs, he should still go to the hospital immediately. A determined Roosevelt balked and said, “You get me to that speech.” He delivered a 50-minute speech before going to the hospital.  Doctors decided it was safer to leave the bullet in his chest and declared that his speech had indeed saved his life.

More on this story from the history channel: https://www.history.com/news/shot-in-the-chest-100-years-ago-teddy-roosevelt-kept-on-talking

Please share your feedback, suggestions, corrections, and ideas.

I want to hear from you. 

Do you have an activity to include? Did you notice a typo that I should correct? Are you planning to use this as a resource and do you want me to know about it? Do you want to tell me something that really helped you?

Click here to share your feedback. 

Klein, C. (2019). When Teddy Roosevelt was shot in 1912, a speech may have saved his life. https://www.history.com/news/shot-in-the-chest-100-years-ago-teddy-roosevelt-kept-on-talking

Speech in minutes. (n.d.).  http://www.speechinminutes.com/

Stout, S. (n.d.). Eulogy to Papa with the theme of dancing. Delivered in Lynn Meade’s Advanced Public Speaking Class at the  University of Arkansas. Used with permission.

Van As, T. (n.d.) Tribute to Nelson Mandela. Delivered in Lynn Meade’s Advanced Public Speaking Class at the  University of Arkansas. Used with permission.

Winfrey, O.  (2010). Eulogy to Rosa Parks. [Video] YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5cfhtfNfIPE Standard YouTube License.

Media Attributions

• Winston Churchill’s Manuscript is licensed under a CC BY-NC-ND (Attribution NonCommercial NoDerivatives) license
• Winston Churchill’s Speech in Response to German’s Invasion of Britain
• Winston Churchill Finest Hour Speech
• Teddy’s speech © Janine Eden, Eden Pictures is licensed under a CC BY (Attribution) license

Advanced Public Speaking Copyright © 2021 by Lynn Meade is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License , except where otherwise noted.

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• Games, topic printables & more
• The 4 main speech types
• Example speeches
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• Demonstration
• Informative
• Introduction
• Student Council
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• How to write a speech
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• 4 modes of speech delivery

4 modes of speech delivery | an overview 

Which speech delivery technique is best.

By:  Susan Dugdale  

There are 4 modes (methods) or ways to deliver a speech: to read it from a manuscript word by word, to completely memorize it, as an impromptu, and to give it extemporaneously.

How do you know which mode will be most effective?

The answer depends on how much time you have available, the type of speech you’re giving and, your audience.

Let’s briefly outline each method and their advantages and disadvantages.

What's on this page

An overview of the 4 modes of speech delivery, the pros (advantages) and cons (disadvantages) of each, plus links to examples and further resources.

• extemporaneous

1. Manuscript

One of the most common ways to deliver a speech is to use a manuscript: a word by word document of everything you plan to say from beginning to end. This ensures, when you read it out loud, what you say is exactly what you intend, without deviation.

What is the best way to write a manuscript speech?

As with any type of speech, the best way to start is not with the words but with considering your topic, your audience, how much time you have to speak and the purpose of your speech.

Once you have those clear, then you are ready to begin planning a speech outline: an overview of all the material you want to cover. 

When the outline is completed you’ll use that to write your manuscript.

Click the link for more about the process of preparing a speech outline , with examples. (The page also has a free printable blank speech outline for you to download and use)

And for more about writing a speech, in particular writing oral language, words to be spoken aloud, please see how to write a speech . You’ll find a useful guide covering the principal characteristics of spoken speech. (It is very different from writing an essay!) 

Who regularly delivers a manuscript speech?

Newsreaders, TV personalities, politicians, business leaders and the President! Anybody whose speech is going to be closely scrutinized will use either a manuscript or its electronic equivalent, a teleprompter. These are speeches where the content is significant, perhaps life changing, where facts and figures must be 100% accurate, and where the tone of the language used is important.

What distinguishes a good delivery of a manuscript speech from a poor one, is practice. Some of the greatest public speakers in the world ‘read’ their speeches with so much skill they sound as if they are making up what they’re saying on the spot. The speech comes across as being completely spontaneous and is delivered flawlessly. 

Great public speakers who 'read' their speeches

A famous example is the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Sir Winston Churchill. Throughout World War Two (1939-1945) his extraordinary speeches inspired the people he led to persevere in their fight to keep the Nazis out of England in spite of the odds being stacked against them.

To find out more read Winston Churchill's Way With Words - an excellent NPR article, with audio, on how he crafted his speeches. 

And another more recent example is America’s ex-President Barack Obama. 

American Rhetoric has audio and text (pdf) links to his speeches spanning 2002 - 2014. Four are included in a list of 49 of the most important speeches in 21st century America . These are:

• 2004 Democratic National Convention Keynote Address
• Commencement Address at Knox College (2005)
• A More Perfect Union (2008)
• Speech at the 'Together We Thrive: Tucson and America' Memorial (2011)

How to deliver a manuscript speech

Print your speech out single sided. Make sure each page is numbered clearly. Use an easily read font like Arial, black ink, and size the font and space the lines so that the text may be read at a glance.

Use a lectern  adjusted for your height  to put your manuscript on. As you finish reading each page turn it over face down and move it to your left. That will help stop you from getting muddled.

Aim for at least one read through aloud before you deliver it.

The more you can practice the better your delivery will be. 

How to read aloud well

Reading aloud well is a skill. Some people are very good at it, and some are ghastly, largely because they’ve had no practice. (And sadly, many who regularly read their speech scripts don’t realize how bad they are to listen to because nobody has told them. Their presentations have been endured, rather than enjoyed for years!)

If you have to regularly read your speeches here’s how to read a speech effectively: 4 good ways to improve how you read aloud . It will help a great deal!

The pros (advantages) for a manuscript speech

The major advantage of using a script is that it ensures the speaker will deliver the right message, the one that’s been prepared, without errors. This is particularly important when presenting complex subject matter.  

Another is that when there's not enough time to rehearse or prepare thoroughly, reading may be the only real option available. Without the safety of a script you may forget large chunks of information, or misremember important material. The script keeps you on track.

A third reason could be that the mere presence of the script is reassuring for nervous or anxious speakers. Even if they do not actually need it, because they’ve prepared well, the script is calming. If they suddenly blank out, they’ll be alright, as they have the script to refer to.

And a fourth is that you can easily back track, return to a point you made several pages earlier, if you need to.

The cons (disadvantages) of manuscript speeches

The main disadvantages of using a manuscript are:

• being anchored to one place . If you are using a full script you need to remain in front of the lectern, or teleprompter in order to read it. You can not move freely as you deliver your speech.
• lack of eye contact with your audience because you need to keep your eyes on your words. When there is very little or no eye contact between a speaker and their audience, the audience switches off because they feel ignored, shut out.  The ability to look at the audience while using notes or a teleprompter helps your audience to listen better, retain more of what they hear, and feel as if they’ve gained more value from your speech. Click the link for more about the importance of using eye contact [including 5 fun activities to teach students how to use eye contact well]
• Using language that doesn’t flow easily when you say it aloud . There are major differences between writing intended for oral language - something to be spoken aloud, and writing something that is intended to be read, like a newspaper article or an essay. For more please see how to write a speech . You’ll find an infographic on the characteristics of spoken language.   Whenever possible, always read your manuscript aloud before you deliver it. It’s much nicer to find typos, missing words, vital information omissions and other glitches (such as words you are not sure how to pronounce correctly), by yourself rather than in public. Another useful thing to do is to run your manuscript through a grammar checker . It may pick up errors you've overlooked.

2. Memorized speech

A memorized speech is one delivered completely from memory. That means: no notes at all. There is just you: the speaker, the speech you recall, word for word, and your audience.

Why choose to memorize a speech?

There are three likely reasons. 

• You want the illusion of a ‘natural’ conversation between yourself and your audience. The presence of a lectern with your manuscript on it, a teleprompter, or a set of cue cards in your hand makes that impossible.
• You want to be able to ‘play’ freely with your delivery: to be able to move, to gesture, as you see fit rather than be tethered to notes.
• You want to make completely sure the words you have written are faithfully delivered to the audience, without any changes at all. That can be vital in comedy.

What type of speech is enhanced through memorization?

A personal speech, for example one sharing childhood stories, a very carefully scripted humorous speech where you absolutely must get the words in the right order for them to work, or an inspirational one prepared especially to move and motivate a particular audience. All of these can be more effective delivered without notes.

There are also declamation speeches . These are in a special category of their own. They are memorized recitations of known speeches: a task set by teachers to have their pupil's fully experience the power of carefully crafted, well delivered oratorical language.    

What type of speeches are NOT suited to memorization?

• Any presentation or speech covering critical information that people will use to make important, and often life-altering, decisions. For instance, a detailed weather report cannot be inaccurate. The information outlining the state government’s strategy for combating poverty, declining employment rates, and climate change needs to be presented in a way the audience can easily follow and be factually correct. Missing bits out or getting them wrong creates confusion.
• Presentations which include large amounts of data : for example, a roundup of a company’s annual performance figures would be very difficult to accurately memorize, as well as being very difficult for an audience to listen to and retain.   
• Lengthy presentations - speeches running over 10 or more minutes in time.     

How to memorize a speech

If you decide to memorize your entire speech, the very first thing you’ll need is lots of time to practice. This is critical. Do not be tempted to minimize how much is required.

To safely commit it to memory you have to go over and over your speech until you can easily say it out loud without hesitation, deviation or repetition. This can take weeks of regular daily practice, particularly if you’ve not done it before. If you haven’t got that time available to you, opt for an extemporized delivery. (See the notes on extemporaneous speeches below.)

Review your speech outline

Having made the decision to memorize, the next thing you need to do is carefully review your speech outline. 

These are questions you’ll want to consider: 

• Are the major points in the right order? Do you have supporting examples for each of them? Are the transitions between each of the points clear? Is there a memorable conclusion? Does the opening or introduction work as a hook to pull the audience in?
• Does the speech have a clear purpose? Does it meet it? Has it been tailored for its intended audience? 

(Click the link for more about preparing a useful speech outline . You’ll find step by step guidelines, examples, and a free printable blank outline template to use.) 

Repeat your speech out loud, a lot!

Once you are satisfied with your outline, it’s time to begin the process of committing it to memory.

This starts with saying your speech out loud multiple times while using your outline. As you do you’ll be listening for bits you need to change in some way. Perhaps the words you’re using aren’t quite right for your audience. Maybe it doesn’t flow as well as you thought it did and you’ll want to swap pieces around. Or it’s too long and needs pruning. 

It’s a repetitive process: make a change. Try it out. If it’s good, keep it and move on to the next section. Repeat until you’ve worked through the entire speech.

An additional tip is for every significant change you make, make a new document, (eg. myspeech v1, myspeech v2, myspeech v3…) or at least track the changes. That way if you decide you want to revert to an earlier version you can. I’ve got at least 10 versions of some of the speeches I’ve written!

The next step is to begin working without the outline. 

The 'see, walk, and talk' method

The method I use is the same one I use as an actor to learn play lines. 

I call it ‘see, walk and talk’. It's a 3 part approach. Each is essential. 

The seeing part is visualization: seeing the words on the page. Seeing the order they come in, and anything else that distinguishes them from the rest. Is it a heading? Is it a number? Is it highlighted? 

The second part is walking. Walking helps a great deal and is an ancient  technique for  memorizing   now backed by science. *

If it’s fine, I walk outside and as I walk, I talk (the third part), repeating out loud  the section I'm trying to recall over and over until I get it right.

If the weather is bad, then I walk inside, around and around a room, or on a treadmill which works just as well.

*   Schmidt-Kassow M, Zink N, Mock J, et al. Treadmill walking during vocabulary encoding improves verbal long-term memory. Behav Brain Funct. 2014;10:24. Published 2014 Jul 12. doi:10.1186/1744-9081-10-24 ) 

'See, walk, talk' in action

Start with the body of your speech, the main points. Your goal is to remember each one, in their correct order.

There are three steps in this process.

• Look at your outline. If it helps highlight the main points, and number them. Take a mental photograph of it.
• Put the outline behind your back. Walk and say out loud as many of the main points you can in their correct order.
• When you find yourself struggling to recall, stop. Look at your outline. Take another mental photo. Put the outline behind your back, and start over again. Walk and talk. 

Repeat until you can run through the entire sequence of main points, and the transitions between them, without hesitation.

Add the subpoints to the main points

The next step is to add the fine points - the subpoints (additional material) and examples to your main points.

Go back to the first main point. Take a mental snapshot of the subpoints and examples. Note carefully the order they come in, and any specialist vocabulary or phrase you wanted to use.

Now walk and talk. Repeat the sequence until you have it as you want it. Then go back to the beginning and repeat the first main point, its supporting material and then the subsequent main points.

Your next part to memorize is the second main point's supporting material. Once you have that down, you go back to the beginning to run the first main point, its sub points, then the second point and its sub points.  Then you are ready to do the third main point in exactly the same way.

Add the conclusion and the beginning

Once you have completed memorizing the body of your speech, add the conclusion and the beginning.   

The pattern is simple. You add a piece, then go back and repeat it all through from the beginning. Each repetition etches it more deeply into your memory.

Please note : you are not working on delivery as you say it out loud. This is purely routine repetition. There is no need for pausing, emphasis, or changes in volume and pace. Think of it as a vanilla performance - plain.  At this stage the bulk of your energy needs to go into remembering, not expression. 

Sort out and memorize the delivery

Delivery is how you say your speech, not what you say.

Once you have the content (what you are saying) reliably remembered, you are free to work on your vocal delivery: how you are going to say it.

Which parts need to be said more slowly? Which parts need to be highlighted through strategic pausing? What can be spoken quickly? Are there bits that need to be treated as asides? Are there ‘voices’ to take on? Perhaps an angry voice? Or a wheedling, whining voice?

How you say your speech directly affects how your audience receives it. If you deliver it like a monotone robot - one speed, one tone, one pitch, one volume, people’s ears will switch off even if the content is interesting to them. Delivery can make all the difference between listening and not listening.

To be effective, your delivery needs to fit both the content and the audience’s needs.

As with memorizing the content, getting the delivery how you want it requires experimentation and then repetition to ensure you’ve got it safely embedded.

Working with a recorder is useful to actually hear what your voice is doing, rather what you think it’s doing. There’s often a very big difference. You’ll hear if you’re going too quickly, pausing too long, not pausing long enough, mispronouncing words, gabbling, or using the same inflection pattern over and over again.

Find out more about the vocal aspects of speech delivery . 

Use a mirror, a video and a test audience

It’s also useful to either work in front of a mirror or video yourself. That will show you where you need to modify your body language. Do you stand straight? Do you gesture appropriately? 

Rinse, and repeat until you feel happy with what you’re doing. And then practice in front of a select test audience, whom you know will give you honest useful feedback. Incorporate what you want from the suggestions you’re given and practice again. And now you should be ready to deliver your speech!

Pros of memorizing your speech

A memorized speech is generally more engaging. If delivered well it creates the illusion of having a conversation with your audience because you are speaking directly to them and you are able to make eye contact freely, as well as move how, and where you want. This creates a more intimate and personal connection.

Cons of memorizing your speech

There are three major disadvantages to memorizing a speech. The biggest is the risk of forgetting something, especially with a longer speech. This can lead to panic which leads to scrabbling around trying to pick up the threads to start again. That can rapidly become a downward spiral which compromises the whole presentation.

Secondly, using a memorized speech can constrain or limit the ideas you express because everything is prepared in advance. It leaves little room for spontaneity: content adjustments and additions made in response to a particular audience’s needs.

And thirdly, a memorized speech can be incredibly boring if the speaker has not worked on delivery. It has a canned quality, lacking immediacy and vitality. It sounds like a switch got flicked on and out it comes: blah, blah, blah … irrespective of the audience.

3. Impromptu

An impromptu speech is, as its name suggests, a speech made without prior planning, organization or rehearsal.

Although it may be based on a brief outline or written prompt, the speaker will often have little or no opportunity for detailed or extensive preparation.

While making an impromptu speech involves little immediate preparation it require significant amounts of prior practice to give one well.

An effective impromptu speech is structured, (beginning, middle, end), and meets the needs of those listening to it. To give a good one requires versatility and flexibility: the ability to adapt and respond easily and appropriately to the unexpected.

The speaker needs to understand how to quickly choose the best format, how to decide on the main points to cover, how to order them, and how to open and close the speech.

And lastly, impromptu speaking requires confidence, and trust in oneself.  

When should an impromptu speech be delivered?

There are many social or work settings where making an impromptu speech is expected, and if done well, very much appreciated.

At a family get together the person who is asked to say a few words to welcome everyone, or make the toast is giving an impromptu speech. At a meeting to discuss current work issues, a sales manager may be asked to outline areas of challenge without prior warning. The response they give is an impromptu speech.

The ability to summon up succinct, structured remarks is highly valued in all areas of life. 

How do you prepare for an impromptu speech?

The essential preparation for impromptu speaking begins out of the spotlight, long before being asked to speak.

For comprehensive step by step guidelines covering how to gain the necessary skills please see:  strategies and templates to succeed at impromptu speaking .

You’ll find tips to get you started, 7 different structural templates to use, suggestions for keeping any nervousness under control, and links to 100s of impromptu speaking topics to use for practice.

Pros of impromptu speeches

The advantages definitely outweigh any disadvantages. 

Although some people have a natural gift for being able to talk freely and spontaneously, it can be learned. It’s a skill, like riding a bike. (But better!) When you’re beginning you fall off a few times, and graze your knees. If you get back on and keep pedaling eventually you stay upright.

Get better at impromptu speaking and you’ll find it will open many doors, leading to a richer and fuller life.  

Don’t settle for silence when you can learn to speak up for yourself, and others.

If you're reluctant to attempt it and put yourself out there, please read this article:  Speaking in business may be your most important skill .

The cons of impromptu speaking

In some contexts and on some subjects it would be unwise to attempt delivering an impromptu speech.

For instance, when asked for an evaluation of business risks associated with Covid-19, or to comment on possible correlations between socio-economic status and educational achievement in the USA, speaking without consulting a broad cross-section of informed specialists would be ill-advised. 

Each situation needs careful consideration. Are you able to talk knowledgeably on the topic you’ve been given? Are you entitled to talk about it?

If you can not speak on the subject being asked of you, say so politely. You can offer to come back with a full response at a later date. Or you can hand the question on to someone who can answer it. Knowing your limits is very useful for maintaining credibility!

Another possible downside is succumbing to fear. It could be fear of finding yourself with nothing to say, of drying up under pressure, or of muddling material in some way. The only really useful antidote to nervousness/fear is practice. Lots, and lots of it. It does get better! 

4. Extemporaneous speaking

An extemporaneous speech is one where the speaker combines the use of notes or cue cards with improvisation. It’s a mix of carefully scripted and sequenced material and impromptu speaking.  

How do you deliver an extemporaneous speech?

An extemporaneous delivery is naturally flowing and conversational. The points to be made will have been carefully outlined. They will be in the correct order, along with their supporting ideas and examples but the exact wording is made up as you go along.

If you give the same speech to different audiences, the words you use may change because every audience responds differently. The result is a speech that is fresh each time it is delivered, because while you are speaking, you are in the moment, speaking off-the-cuff and from the heart. The text is neither memorized, or being read word for word.

Like the first three modes of delivery, this too needs practice, in order to become good at it. 

You’ll need to practice:

• speaking to time to avoid either going on too long or being too brief
• making effective transitions - finding the bridging words to link one main point to the next, or to link one segment of your speech to the following one. For instance the introduction to the body of the speech,  or the body of the speech to the conclusion.
• openings and conclusions.

For more information here's a very useful 'how to' article from The Dept. of Communication at the University of Pittsburgh on oral discourse and extemporaneous delivery .  

The advantages of extemporaneous speeches

An extemporaneous speech is more spontaneous and therefore natural compared to either a manuscript or memorized speech.  The speaker is free to tailor the presentation to the audience, rather than sticking to a set speech. That could include responding to any questions or objections he receives. 

Disadvantages of extemporaneous speeches

There are three main drawbacks to extemporaneous speaking.

The first is becoming stranded; tongue tied and silent because you don't know how to get from one point on your outline or cue cards to the next.  When that happens, the delivery becomes stilted, a stop-start presentation, which in turn can make the speaker feel anxious, which makes recovering the flow more difficult.

A second drawback is misreading the audience, and delivering the speech using either language, (word choices), or humor they find hard to understand or accept.

As an example, a speech littered with ‘corporate speak’ is not going to win me over. I don’t want to hear about ‘core competencies’, ‘going forwards’ , ‘ducks in a row’ or anything ‘scalable’ at all!

And a third is exceeding the time allowance you’d been given. Because you are fleshing it out from your cue cards or outline as you go along it is easy to lose track of time. The cumulative effect of an additional example or two and further comments, quickly soaks it up, leaving you scrambling to finish properly.  

If you are a first time presenter, probably the safer option is to learn how to read a manuscript speech well and gradually build the skills required to give an extemporaneous speech.

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The big SlideLizard presentation glossary > Manuscript Speech

Manuscript Speech

Term explanation  •  category speeches.

Definition and meaning

For a manuscript speech, the speaker has an entire manuscript to read from. The benefit is that, as every single word is scripted, no important parts will be missed. However, speeches that are fully written down often seem unnatural and may bore the audience.

PowerPoint allows you to take notes on your slides, which you can see during your presentation. This will help your presentation flow more smoothly. You can read more about presentation notes in our blog post.

Other glossary terms

Impromptu speech.

A speech that is given without any preparation, notes, or cards, is called an impromptu speech. It is often delivered at private events (e.g., weddings or birthdays) or for training presentation skills.

Declamation Speech

A declamation speech describes the re-giving of an important speech that has been given in the past. It is usually given with a lot of emotion and passion.

External Communication

External communication is the exchange of information between two organisations. For example, it can be an exchange with customers, clients or traders. Feedback from a customer also counts as external communication.

Learning Management System (LMS)

Learning Management Systems (LMS) are online platforms that provide learning resources and support the organisation of learning processes.

The big SlideLizard presentation glossary

The SlideLizard presentation glossary is a large collection of explanations and definitions of terms in the area of presentations, communication, speaking, events, PowerPoint and education.

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3.2 Methods of Speech Delivery

Impromptu Speaking

Impromptu speaking is the presentation of a short message without advance preparation. You have probably done impromptu speaking many times in informal, conversational settings. Self-introductions in group settings are examples of impromptu speaking: “Hi, my name is Steve, and I’m a volunteer with the Homes for the Brave program.” Another example of impromptu speaking occurs when you answer a question such as, “What did you think of the movie?” Your response has not been preplanned, and you are constructing your arguments and points as you speak. Even worse, you might find yourself going into a meeting and your boss says, “I want you to talk about the last stage of the project. . . “ and you have no warning.

The advantage of this kind of speaking is that it’s spontaneous and responsive in an animated group context. The disadvantage is that the speaker is given little or no time to contemplate the central theme of his or her message. As a result, the message may be disorganized and difficult for listeners to follow.

Here is a step-by-step guide that may be useful if you are called upon to give an impromptu speech in public:

• Take a moment to collect your thoughts and plan the main point or points you want to make.
• Thank the person for inviting you to speak. Do not make comments about being unprepared, called upon at the last moment, on the spot, or uneasy. No one wants to hear that and it will embarrass others and yourself.
• Deliver your message, making your main point as briefly as you can while still covering it adequately and at a pace your listeners can follow.
• Stay on track. Answer the question or prompt as given; resist the temptation to go elsewhere.
• If you can, use a structure, using numbers if possible: “Two main reasons . . .” or “Three parts of our plan. . .” or “Two side effects of this drug. . .” Past, present, and future or East Coast, Midwest, and West Coast are common structures.
• Thank the person again for the opportunity to speak.
• Stop talking (it is easy to “ramble on” when you don’t have something prepared). If in front of an audience, don’t keep talking as you move back to your seat.

Impromptu speeches are generally most successful when they are brief and focus on a single point.

Manuscript Speaking

Manuscript speaking is the word-for-word iteration of a written message. In a manuscript speech, the speaker maintains his or her attention on the printed page except when using visual aids. The advantage to reading from a manuscript is the exact repetition of original words. In some circumstances this can be extremely important. For example, reading a statement about your organization’s legal responsibilities to customers may require that the original words be exact. In reading one word at a time, in order, the only errors would typically be mispronunciation of a word or stumbling over complex sentence structure. A manuscript speech may also be appropriate at a more formal affair (like a funeral), when your speech must be said exactly as written in order to convey the proper emotion or decorum the situation deserves.

However, there are costs involved in manuscript speaking. First, it’s typically an uninteresting way to present. Unless the speaker has rehearsed the reading as a complete performance animated with vocal expression and gestures (well-known authors often do this for book readings), the presentation tends to be dull. Keeping one’s eyes glued to the script prevents eye contact with the audience. For this kind of “straight” manuscript speech to hold audience attention, the audience must be already interested in the message and speaker before the delivery begins.

It is worth noting that professional speakers, actors, news reporters, and politicians often read from an autocue device, such as a TelePrompTer, especially when appearing on television, where eye contact with the camera is crucial. With practice, a speaker can achieve a conversational tone and give the impression of speaking extemporaneously and maintaining eye contact while using an autocue device. However, success in this medium depends on two factors: (1) the speaker is already an accomplished public speaker who has learned to use a conversational tone while delivering a prepared script, and (2) the speech is written in a style that sounds conversational and in spoken rather than written, edited English, for example, with shorter sentences and clearer transitions.

For the purposes of your public speaking class, you will not be encouraged to read your speech. Instead, you will be asked to give an extemporaneous presentation.

Extemporaneous Speaking

Extemporaneous speaking is the presentation of a carefully planned and rehearsed speech, spoken in a conversational manner using brief notes. By using notes rather than a full manuscript, the extemporaneous speaker can establish and maintain eye contact with the audience and assess how well they are understanding the speech as it progresses. And since you will be graded (to some degree) on establishing and maintaining eye contact with your audience, extemporaneous speaking can be extremely beneficial in that regard. Without all the words on the page to read, you have little choice but to look up and make eye contact with your audience. In some cases, your instructor will require you to prepare strong preparation and speaking (notes) outlines as a foundation for your speech; this topic is addressed in Chapter 6.

Speaking extemporaneously has some advantages. It promotes the likelihood that you, the speaker, will be perceived as knowledgeable and credible since you know the speech well enough that you don’t need to read it. In addition, your audience is likely to pay better attention to the message because it is engaging both verbally and nonverbally. It also allows flexibility; you are working from the strong foundation of an outline, but if you need to delete, add, or rephrase something at the last minute or to adapt to your audience, you can do so. The outline also helps you be aware of main ideas vs. subordinate ones.

The disadvantage of extemporaneous speaking is that it in some cases it does not allow for the verbal and the nonverbal preparation that are almost always required for a good speech. Adequate preparation cannot be achieved the day before you’re scheduled to speak, so be aware that if you want to present a credibly delivered speech, you will need to practice many times. Because extemporaneous speaking is the style used in the great majority of public speaking situations, most of the information in the subsequent sections of this chapter is targeted toward this kind of speaking.

Memorized Speaking

Memorized speaking is the rote recitation of a written message that the speaker has committed to memory. Actors, of course, recite from memory whenever they perform from a script. When it comes to speeches, memorization can be useful when the message needs to be exact and the speaker doesn’t want to be confined by notes.

The advantage to memorization is that it enables the speaker to maintain eye contact with the audience throughout the speech. Being free of notes means that you can move freely around the stage and use your hands to make gestures. If your speech uses visual aids, this freedom is even more of an advantage.

However, there are some real and potential costs. First, unless you also plan and memorize every vocal cue (the subtle but meaningful variations in speech delivery, which can include the use of pitch, tone, volume, and pace), gesture, and facial expression, your presentation will be flat and uninteresting, and even the most fascinating topic will suffer. You might end up speaking in a monotone or a sing-song repetitive delivery pattern. You might also present your speech in a rapid “machine-gun” style that fails to emphasize the most important points.

Second, if you lose your place and start trying to ad lib, the contrast in your style of delivery will alert your audience that something is wrong. If you go completely blank during the presentation, it will be extremely difficult to find your place and keep going. Obviously, memorizing a typical seven-minute classroom speech takes a great deal of time and effort, and if you aren’t used to memorizing, it is very difficult to pull off. Realistically, you probably will not have the time necessary to give a completely memorized speech. However, if you practice adequately, you will approach the feeling of memorized while still being extemporaneous.

As we said earlier, for the purposes of this class you will use extemporaneous speaking. Many professional speakers who are paid to make speeches use this approach because, while they may largely know what they want to say, they usually make changes and adjustments based on the audience or event. This approach also incorporates most of the benefits of memorized speaking (knowing what you want to say; being very thoroughly rehearsed) and manuscript speaking (having some words in front of you to refer to) without the inherent pitfalls those approaches bring with them.

This resource is available at no cost at https://open.library.okstate.edu/speech2713/

the presentation of a short message without advance preparation

the word-for-word iteration of a written message

the presentation of a carefully planned and rehearsed speech, spoken in a conversational manner using brief notes

the rote recitation of a written message that the speaker has committed to memory

the subtle but meaningful variations in speech delivery, which can include the use of pitch, tone, volume, and pace

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