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1. Issues in Speech Delivery

   Speech delivery requires a certain level of preparation and research. An effective speech also relies on the ability of the one delivering it to understand the audience and respond both to the immediate verbal and non-verbal responses. This paper identifies a number of issues I encountered in the course of my speech delivery, the number of times I practised the delivery and ultimately, the aspects of my speech delivery that improved following the sustained practise.

   My audience presented me with a number of issues in the course of my delivery. The first was that they were not attentive at first. I had to devise a way out of this challenge. I, therefore, used attention getter which in my case, was a startling statistic. I also got a little nervous right at the start. I made sure that I took a deep breath, let my hands hang loosely on my side and fixed my eyes just above the heads of the audience (Glosser & Means, 2018). Once I had my confidence back, I kept meaningful eye contact with them. I also encouraged participation at the very end of the delivery and through this, received feedback.

   The preparation for my speech was even more gruelling than the delivery itself. While I only delivered once, I had to practice about six times. I believe that this consistent practice gave me the confidence I needed to face the audience and deliver flawlessly. Once I had rehearsed this many times, I felt very comfortable delivering the speech.

   I greatly improved in several aspects of my delivery. The first one was eye contact. Confident that I did not have to stick to the words of the script, I kept the eye contact with the audience and ensured they were always with me. My use of gestures was also natural. I did not have to struggle balancing reading the speech with using gestures. On the other hand, these gestures and facial expressions came naturally with the performance.

   My speech delivery was a success following the preparation, rehearsal and research that I did prior to the actual delivery. A good study of the audience and an appropriate response to them also aided in my delivery.