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CMNS 101 Fundamentals of Communication

Public Speaking Research Guide

Delivery: Building Vocal Cues in Your Presentation

  • Adjust Your Speaking Volume: Make sure your volume is loud enough to be heard clearly, but not shouting at the audience. Speak louder to emphasize key points in your message.
  • Vary Your Speaking Rate: Speak with a moderate pace to give your audience time to process and understand the information. Slow down to emphasize key points with deliberate pauses to demonstrate clarity and engagement.
  • Use Pauses: Pauses help to build anticipation among the audience members. Pauses can also help a speaker reduce the use of filler words (for example, “umm” and “uhh”).
  • Add Inflection to Your Speech: Vary your pitch to keep the audience engaged and avoid sounding like a robot. Use a lower pitch for critical points and a higher when sharing stories or humor.
  • Practice Articulating Your Message: Practice saying words and author’s names in your presentation. If your presentation includes complex words, practice pronouncing these words correctly. If you are unsure how to pronounce a word or a name, then use tools like YouTube or HowtoPronounce.com to assist you.