Introduction to Vocal Aspects of Delivery

A man speaks into a microphone

Great delivery is the key to making your voice heard.

Sometimes it isn’t what you say but how you say it that matters in public speaking. In addition to writing and organizing speech content, the most effective speakers utilize a tool box consisting of physical and verbal delivery skills. In this section, we will examine the tools for verbal delivery that each speaker can use to engage their audience. Vocal variety is the key to making sure the audience stays connected to the speech. Without variety, the audience fails to engage with the speaker because the voice comes across as monotone (absent from pitch variety) or bored. The elements of vocal delivery we will focus on are breath control, articulation, pitch, rate, emphasis, and volume.