Question

Explain the importance to effective public speaking of each of the following aspects of physical delivery. Then select which one(s) you could improve on and how you will do so as you prepare for your final speeches:

Personal appearance

Movement

Gestures

Eye contact

Answer 1

(I’m providing below the answer to the first part and second part of your question. As the second part of the question asks you to select the aspects you will improve on and prepare, I have mentioned the same for each of the given four aspects of physical delivery. So, you may select the specific aspects you want to pick up to represent your case and may customize your final answer.)

Part 1)

Importance of four aspects of physical delivery on effective public speaking

In communication, physical delivery plays a critical role when it comes to effective public speaking. Apart from vocal delivery, the presenters should be highly concerned about how they appear to the audience and how their non-verbal communication impacts the minds of the audience. Let us see how the four important aspects of physical delivery hold an importance when it comes to effective public speaking:

• Personal appearance: Looking professional is important to feel professional and deliver that confident feel to your audience. For example, in a meeting of marketing professionals, if you are dressed up nice but forget to put on a tie or belt, you may feel awkward that could reflect in your physical delivery. Being overdressed or not following the dress guidelines may also create the same impact on public speaking. You may feel uncomfortable and lack confidence.
• Movement: Floating around or pacing back and forth can help you as a speaker to get rid of your nervousness, but such random movement can distract your audience. On the other hand, making your movement look natural and purposeful is an example of powerful public speaking, and you receive more confidence from it.
• Gestures: An example of gestures is your arm and hand movement that you learn as part of your culture. However, if your gestures are not in sync with your verbal communication, then it may negatively affect your public speaking. It is important to learn appropriate gestures to emphasize verbal communication and explain your emotions in the right way. Overdoing gestures may also reflect random thoughts or nervousness.
• Eye contact: It is very important to maintain eye contact to connect with the audience. For example, eye contact makes them feel warm and welcome while you communicate with them. It is also a sign of credibility and tool to capture the attention of your audience.

Part 2)

My areas of improvement and preparation

Following are some ways in which I will improve in the selected areas and get myself ready for my final speech:

• Personal appearance: I will ensure to wear comfortable, neat and groomed clothing that does not fit me tightly or loosely. I will make sure that I work on my professional dress and appearance and avoid casual clothes and accessories. I will ensure to follow the dress guidelines for the type of meeting I am going to address. Further, I will make sure that my shoes are polished and clothes are ironed, and I bathe and clean myself up to look and smell fresh.
• Movement: I will make sure to take calculated movements that can emphasize the points I am communicating or make a translation between important points. I will also ensure to keep my movement minimized so my audience stays focused on me.
• Gestures: While I will not set my gestures according to my speech, I will make sure to not be nervous and display gestures in a naturally occurring manner. I will also not gesture too much or keep doing a specific gesture, while ensuring that my gestures are purposeful.
• Eye contact: I will prepare myself to establish an initial eye contact with my audience before I speak and then maintain a slow eye contact when I sweep from left to right. I will also ensure that I do not look over their heads or at the back and that I maintain eye contact with the entire audience and not with a few people. I will use eye contact to form a connection between me and audience so I can deliver my messages with more conviction.