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The 4 Main Types of Speaking Styles (& How to Master Them All)

Have you ever compared your speaking style with famous presenters like Steve Jobs or Jill Bolte? These people know how to adopt the right speaking style for every occasion.

Speaking style is a collection of characteristics that can relate speech to a particular communication setting. Every word we speak is a form of communication, whether directly or otherwise.

When people speak, their speech goes with a style. Hence, the way one person speaks differs from that of another person.

However, always speaking in a particular style is not required. In fact, that relies on the context, the subject, and the listener.

One time in a workshop, a presenter spoke in a way he felt was effective, but he didn't know it wouldn't work for the students in the class . Before the end of the class, half of the seats were empty, while the rest mumbled.

He learned the right speaking style the hard way, but you don't have to. Thus, gather more experience before accepting an invitation as a speaker or venturing fully into your public speaking career .

The 4 Main Types of Speaking Styles

There is an unlimited speaking style for every occasion. For example, the way you speak at a wedding is different from the way you will speak in the church.

Although you can use different styles on one occasion, it is still advisable to use various speaking styles.

One of the most exciting parts of public speaking is watching other people. As you watch others speak, you will understand that you can effectively communicate a message in various ways.

As previously stated, to discover your unique style of speaking, you must first determine which style speaks to you.

We've broken down the most basic types of speaking styles below to enable you to read through and decide which style is ideal for you.

1. The Motivational Style

A motivational speaker exhibits a variety of characteristics. It all swings to the following three things: tone, speed, and energy . A speaker who has perfected these elements is more likely to be a successful motivational speaker.

Any competent motivating speaker can energize the crowd. The goal is to inspire and captivate the listeners.

These three elements are explained below.

Tone: A motivational speech cannot be delivered in a flat tone. You must add a sense of mystery and drama through voice diversity.

Nothing is more annoying than a boring motivational speaker. Always remember to put your stamp on whatever you say and represent.

Pace: Your tempo influences how enthusiastic your audience will be. Speaking quickly frequently increases the enthusiasm of the audience.

However, you must be cautious not to overuse this technique . It may become tiresome if you continuously talk fast, and the listener will not keep up.

Energy: Another of the most important aspects of motivational speaking is energy. You wish to be upbeat and optimistic in your speech.

If you deliver an energy-filled performance or speech, your audience will remember you and become more eager to hear more of what you have to say.

2. The Command Style: Speak Firmly and Respectfully

You may occasionally need to convey your message with seriousness; thus, how you do so must be appropriate.

You should be able to persuade your listeners of the importance of what you have to say. People respect you more when you can control a room effectively.

You might also like: How to Speak with Conviction

Speaking about important matters is more suitable with the command style. This can include speaking in the presence of significant individuals or on touchy subjects. Exercising vocal control should be done correctly.

A powerful speech may be delivered effectively by speaking more slowly and with a lower tone. Making deliberate, smooth movements also enhances the whole experience.

Keep in mind that you must not stick to one style throughout your presentation.

While it is necessary to make this the dominating emotion of your speech, you can switch to motivating or some other style of speaking to make the style and pace different enough to engage your audience .

3. The Facilitating Style: Shake It Up

The motivational speaking and the facilitating speaking style are quite similar. What is the major distinction? Getting the crowd into action.

This style of speaking engages the audience completely. It might be difficult, though, because you must be quite knowledgeable about your subject matter. You never know what someone could ask when you open the floor.

The facilitator spends more time listening than speaking. They spend time crafting their messages and occasionally forget that communication requires reciprocity.

People have the chance to work with you on the collaborative exchange of ideas in the facilitator style. It involves speaking softly, using softer moves, and expressing warmth with your facial expressions and voice.

The most crucial thing to remember is that your daily speech patterns are just habits. Your options are not fully open. You have a lot to give people, so be sure to broaden your horizons, find your style, and be open to changing your speaking style to best suit your audience, including your message.

4. The Entertaining Style

An entertaining speaker wins over the audience—the ideal decision is to break up the usual melancholy and repetitive delivery.

A more energetic personality is best suited for this style. You must relax and take control of your surroundings. Similar to how this kind of speaker moves, they usually have a more approachable tone.

They exude a sense of comfort, which will, in turn, enables the listeners to feel at ease. The presentation exudes a lighthearted air that makes everyone more relaxed.

The assumption is that all you need to do to be successful is to be funny . This frequently results in speakers cramming jokes in their speeches, which takes attention away from their primary point and may come out as forced. You can watch these positive body gestures to improve your speech.

Conclusion: Mastering the Speaking Styles

You should be able to see that there's something distinctive to contribute to the audience after looking through these many speaking styles.

Many renowned speakers dominate the market, yet none of these people has the qualities that you do.

Therefore, find the mix or style that suits you the best. Farther than that, practice is the key to fluency. The first approach to honing your skill is to become aware of your speaking style.

Best wishes to you.

Ace the Presentation

An Easy Guide to All 15 Types of Speech

There are several types of speeches one can use to deliver a message, to sell an idea, to persuade, or impart knowledge to the intended audience. What are these types of speech , when to use them, and what are some insights on which types of speeches should be used based on multiple occasions, the audience, and the desired result?

If you are curious to know what types of speech best fit your intended audience or message that you want to pass across, then I strongly believe that this post will be of interest to you.

15 DIFFERENT TYPES OF SPEECH

Demonstrative speech.

The idea behind demonstrative speech is basically to educate the audience that is listening to something they are not aware of. The unique thing about demonstrative speeches is that they could include various visual aids that can help further demonstrate or describe in practical terms how to effectively do something. At first glance, one can say that demonstrative speech is more informative, but the difference is in the fact that informative speeches do not exactly include actual demonstrating of how to do or perform an action.

Imagine that you will give a speech on how to write a blog post, how to sell clothes online, how to fish successfully, or even how to build a house, these can all be considered as demonstrative speeches.

If you’re wondering how to go about getting a speech like demonstrative speech started, the best way is to start by asking your self-critical questions like how or why or what is. These questions will help start the process of creating a power demonstrative speech. Also, as you must know already, a demonstrative speech cannot be considered one without the use of visual aid to help support the process of demonstration.

A great example of demonstrative speeches nowadays are the ones delivered by Apple, and other companies when they are unveiling their latest flagship smartphones, or any other product.

Entertaining speech

Entertaining speech is quite a common or should I say a familiar one amongst the types of speech in our contemporary society. If you have ever been to a birthday party or wedding, which I know you most certainly must have, then you have experienced what an entertaining speech is like. The main purpose of a best man’s speech at a wedding or an after-dinner MC is to entertain the crowd. This form of entertainment is usually done by using interesting illustrations, hilarious stories, and just flat out humor.

Informative speech

Informative speeches are speeches mainly performed for the purpose of educating the audience on a new or relevant piece of information on a particular topic.

To convey this information, informative speech givers do not make use of visual aids in their speeches but rather make use of facts, statistics, educative information, and data, all this so that the audience can learn something and say they have been informed on the topic.

When giving an informative speech, the speaker is expected to present statistics and facts about the topics to back is claims and assertions. Informative speech topics can range from social and economic changes in our community to climate change and how it affects our world today.

So, the next time you hear someone dishing out facts, stats and critical information on a certain topic be sure to note that he or she is giving the audience an informative speech.

Persuasive speech

A persuasive speech is a speech given solely for the purpose of convincing the audience listening that the opinion of the speaker on a particular topic is the right or correct one. Whether you are discussing what movie to watch next or which political standpoint is best for the economy, you are making a persuasive speech.

In order to successfully convince an audience, most speakers tend to use concrete evidence and facts to back up their argument. The use of those various facts makes their own argument seem more sensible and believable, thereby persuading the audience to stand with them and support their claim. This is one of the best ways to ensure your persuasive speech is very effective, by giving solid facts you can easily get the audience to rally around you and give you their support.

A close example of a persuasive speech is one a lawyer gives to the jury in order to convince them to stand with him on the case at hand and vote in his favor. Another good example is one that a presidential candidate give in form of his campaign speech in order to convince the citizen to vote him or her as the next president of the country.

Oratorical speech

This type of speech is usually given on very special occasions like a commencement speech , graduation ceremony , inauguration or ribbon-cutting event. This type of speech can take shape in two distinct forms, they can be long and quite formal in situations like funerals, graduations, and inaugurations, or they can be short and informal in situations like the speech given during a toast in a special event.

There are various events and places where one can give an oratorical speech like a birthday party, retirement party, coming out party and a bunch of others. Political speeches are usually considered as oratorical speeches, especially when they are not used to settle an argument but rather to preach virtue and appeal to common basic truths.

Special occasion speech

Special occasion speeches are speeches that don’t exactly fall into any particular category of speech. Hence, the name special occasion. They can include speeches that are given to introduce a speaker or announce the arrival of a guest. They are designed to be short but interesting and direct to the point.

Another good example of special occasion speeches is a tribute speech given to pay tribute to a person whether they are dead or alive. An award acceptance speech is also another form of special occasion speech, it is given solely to appreciate the audience for the award and Express how much it means to you.

These special occasion speeches are designed to be short, around ten minutes, straight to the point and somewhat mood setting in nature. Most times, special occasion speeches are upbeat and fun, you can easily just go online and find out how to get started on your own little special event.

Writing speeches for special events are usually the easiest as they do not require statistics, demanding need for information and knowledge, just a simple couple of lines could do the trick for you.

Motivational speech

One can consider the motivational speech as a special type of speech in which the general self-improvement of the audience is the goal to be attained. A speaker generally engages in this type of speech to encourage and inspire the confidence of his audience to do better with and for themselves.

These types of speeches can be found in situations like the office where the boss is talking to his employees, trying to inspire them to put in more effort to get the job done or a football match where the coach is trying to motivate his players to give the match everything they got so as win and be crowned champions.

Motivational speeches are important in society, it is the best way to move a crowd of people towards achieving a certain goal. They can be given to inspire people to fight for a cause in society or their various local communities.

Explanatory speech

Explanatory speech is one of the types of speech which is given to critically explain a situation or thing. They are somewhat similar in nature to the demonstrative speech. However, the explanatory speech is different from the demonstrative speech in the sense that the explanatory speech gives a detailed step by step and breaks down of how to do something. It is also different in the sense that it does not make use of visual aid to assist in understanding.

Debate speech

During the cause of a formal debate event, there is a lot of verbal exchanges being made by the two or more parties involved. This act of debating takes shape in many forms in our contemporary society. These forms include the following; classical, impromptu, parliamentary, mock trails, extemporaneous and even public forum.

As the normal standard in general debate, all sides are given an equal amount of time to give a speech on how why they think their opinion or view on a certain matter is the right one. Debates are not quite like persuasive speeches because rather than trying to convince the other side to join you on your side, you are simply trying to justify why you are of an opinion on a certain matter.

Debates have certain rules, regardless of what side of the argument you pick, both or all parties get an equal amount of time to prepare for it. Being a debater you get to develop and harness certain skills like public speaking, researching, initiative skills, and even leadership skills.

Forensic speech

The reason why this type of speech is called forensic is because of its strong similarities to the competitions at public forums during the time of ancient Greece.

This event can take place in a simple place like a classroom or in a more sophisticated setting like a national or international event. During the activity, students are advised to research and improve their speaking skills in order to learn other types of speeches.

• Impromptu Speech

An Impromptu Speech is one that we have to deliver with no prior preparation or rehearsal time, it’s one of those moments where you are simply called up to speak in an event, in an interview, or in so many other situations.

It can be an embarrassing or ackward experience to be in a situation where you have to speak from the top of your head with no prior preparation. To avoid that, please go through the tips that we shared in one of our other posts on how you can better deal with such stressing situations, and still manage to deliver great impromptu speeches.

Pitching Presentations / Pitch Speech

The term Pitching Presentation comes from a type of speech that is specifically targeted at getting buy-in and approval for support, generally financial, for an idea, for a business, a product prototype, or a solution.

Being in the working environment and working as a Salesperson you’d probably use this type of speech more often than most people. That is not to say that other professionals, other than salespeople don’t need to master the skills required to ace this type of speech, most of us do.

Farewell Speech

Farewell speech is, as the name implies, the type of speech where you have to say goodbye to people. It can be a Farewell speech done at work, when you are moving on to your next opportunity, or it could be a goodbye speech to your loved ones when traveling for a long time.

Funeral Speeches

Losing a loved one is one the most difficult experiences you can go through, and being able to find the right words and give a funeral speech effectively is even more challenging. Find our guide on how to outline, how to prepare and how to deliver a heartfelt eulogy in the link below.

9 Basic Elements of a Great Persuasive Speech

As human beings, we commonly face debates, sales pitch, or even casual conversations, where we discuss with an audience (that can be familiar or not) about a subject that we want to convince, to think in a similar or same perspective that we do. If we are playing the speaker role, we need to bring…

What Makes A Bad Public Speaker? Top 10 Worst Traits To Avoid

How to Become a Confident Public Speaker – 6 Tips

Ever wondered what it feels like to command a room filled with people just with the way you speak? How to Become a Confident Public Speaker ? No, it’s not a gift (in case you are wondering); rather, it takes practice and time for you to master the art of public speaking. This simply means…

What is the Intended Result of your Speech?

The art of giving a speech is usually performed before a large or small audience, like in a school, the workplace or even a personal gathering. We give speeches every day and it could take many forms depending on the types of speech that we are delivering.

Whether it be to encourage our friends and colleagues at the office or to convince a client to buy our products. The advantages and benefits of knowing how to properly give a speech or even just communicate to an audience are endless, it is an art form that requires the sharpening of one’s thinking capacity and verbal/nonver bal communication skills.

Reflect back to those times where you had to stand in front of a bunch of people and talk about something. It could be as simple as an oral report of an assignment in a school or as complicated and demanding as a proposal at work. After you were able to gather all your materials and prepared yourself well, getting up to the podium and dish it all out was the next logical step.

The success or failure of those public speaking experiences or speeches is all a result of how much you have sharpened your public speaking skills . It is important to sharpen your skills and knowledge of speech giving because the art is not quite the same as talking to a crowd of people. There is a way information is conveyed in speeches, and that is what makes it stand apart from just regular talking to people.

When it comes to giving speeches it all comes down to who is saying what, to whom, using what medium with what effect. Simply put, who is the exact source of the information? What is the message or information itself? Who is the audience, while the medium of communication is actually the delivering method being used by the speaker, then it all ends in an effect.

You can think of the desired effect as the speaker’s intentions for making the speech. Knowing exactly why and to whom you will deliver the speech helps you navigate and select the best out of the different types of speech, and use proper techniques to ensure your speech is relatable , engaging , and memorable .

What is the Type of Speech Delivery Method to be used?

The type of speech delivery method refers to the manner in which the speech will be delivered, rather than the intention or purpose of the speech. Here, it is important that the speaker understands the occasion and the audience, in order to select the right type of speech delivery method to use.

There are Four types of speech delivery Methods:

• Manuscript Speech
• Memorized Speech
• Extemporaneous Speech

Each type of speech delivery method has its perks and ways to follow. You can read all about them in this article !

The art of public speaking or giving a speech is all embedded in one’s understanding and mastery of the different types of speech. As a public speaker, you have to know what occasion deserves what type of speech.

You first have to consider your message and how you what to deliver it, then on a more important note, you have to consider the desired outcome or effect you want your speech to have. It could either be to persuade your audience to stand with you on a particular matter like government policy or   Social structure to something as light as mere entertainment at a dinner party.

Having the ability to speak in public effortlessly and with charisma is a trait and quality every individual in society should desire. And with the proper understanding of these various types of speeches, as well as the techniques required for each, your abilities as a public speaker are only going to grow, and you will continue to impress and amaze your audiences.

Thank you so much for reading this far, I really appreciate it and would love to hear from you. What types of speech would you love to get more insights on?

REFERENCES & FURTHER READING

PopOptic. 9 Different types of Speeches (Plus Tips and Examples for Each)

. https://www.popoptiq.com/types-of-speeches/ .

Craig Czarnecki. 3 Types of Speeches Every Person Needs to be Familiar with for Success!

. https://ruletheroompublicspeaking.com/3-types-speeches-every-person-needs-familiar-success/ .

Lisa Miller. 15 Different Types of Speech. https://www.elist10.com/different-types-of-speeches/ .

Types of Speeches:  Informative, Persuasive, and Special Occasion Video. https://study.com/academy/lesson/types-of-speeches-informative-persuasive-and-special-occasion.html .

Clippings. 10 Different Types of Speeches. https://www.clippings.me/blog/types-of-speeches/ .

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• Games, topic printables & more
• The 4 main speech types
• Example speeches
• Commemorative
• Declamation
• Demonstration
• Informative
• Introduction
• Student Council
• Speech topics
• Poems to read aloud
• How to write a speech
• Using props/visual aids
• Acute anxiety help
• Breathing exercises
• Letting go - free e-course
• Using self-hypnosis
• Delivery overview
• 4 modes of delivery
• How to make cue cards
• How to read a speech
• 9 vocal aspects
• Vocal variety
• Diction/articulation
• Pronunciation
• Speaking rate
• How to use pauses
• Eye contact
• Body language
• Voice image
• Voice health
• Public speaking activities and games
• About me/contact
• Types of speeches

The 4 types of speeches

Informative, demonstrative, persuasive and special occasion.

By:  Susan Dugdale  | Last modified: 01-31-2024

There are four main types of speeches or types of public speaking.

• Demonstrative
• Special occasion or Entertaining

To harness their power a speaker needs to be proficient in all of them: to understand which speech type to use when, and how to use it for maximum effectiveness.

What's on this page:

An overview of each speech type, how it's used, writing guidelines and speech examples:

• informative
• demonstrative
• special occasion/entertaining
• how, and why, speech types overlap

Return to Top

Informative speeches

An informative speech does as its name suggests: informs. It provides information about a topic. The topic could be a place, a person, an animal, a plant, an object, an event, or a process.

The informative speech is primarily explanatory and educational.

Its purpose is not to persuade or influence opinion one way or the other. It is to provide sufficient relevant material, (with references to verifiable facts, accounts, studies and/or statistics), for the audience to have learned something. 

What they think, feel, or do about the information after they've learned it, is up to them.

This type of speech is frequently used for giving reports, lectures and, sometimes for training purposes. 

Examples of informative speech topics:

• the number, price and type of dwellings that have sold in a particular suburb over the last 3 months
• the history of the tooth brush
• how trees improves air quality in urban areas
• a brief biography of Bob Dylan
• the main characteristics of Maine Coon cats
• the 1945 US bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki
• the number of, and the work of local philanthropic institutions
• the weather over the summer months
• the history of companion planting 
• how to set up a new password
• how to work a washing machine

Click this link if you'd like more informative topic suggestions .  You'll find hundreds of them.

And this link to find out more about the 4 types of informative speeches : definition, description, demonstration and explanation. (Each with an example outline and topic suggestions.)  

Demonstration, demonstrative or 'how to' speeches

A demonstration speech is an extension of an informative process speech. It's a 'how to' speech, combining informing with demonstrating.

The topic process, (what the speech is about), could either be demonstrated live or shown using visual aids.

The goal of a demonstrative speech is to teach a complete process step by step.

It's found everywhere, all over the world: in corporate and vocational training rooms, school classrooms, university lecture theatres, homes, cafes... anywhere where people are either refreshing or updating their skills. Or learning new ones.

Knowing to how give a good demonstration or 'how to' speech is a very valuable skill to have, one appreciated by everybody.

Examples of 'how to' speech topics are:

• how to braid long hair
• how to change a car tire
• how to fold table napkins
• how to use the Heimlich maneuver
• how to apply for a Federal grant
• how to fill out a voting form
• how to deal with customer complaints
• how to close a sale
• how to give medicine to your cat without being scratched to bits! 

Resources for demonstration speeches

1 . How to write a demonstration speech   Guidelines and suggestions covering:

• choosing the best topic : one aligning with your own interests, the audience's, the setting for the speech and the time available to you
• how to plan, prepare and deliver your speech - step by step guidelines for sequencing and organizing your material plus a printable blank demonstration speech outline for you to download and complete  
• suggestions to help with delivery and rehearsal . Demonstration speeches can so easily lurch sideways into embarrassment. For example: forgetting a step while demonstrating a cake recipe which means it won't turn out as you want it to. Or not checking you've got everything you need to deliver your speech at the venue and finding out too late, the very public and hard way, that the lead on your laptop will not reach the only available wall socket. Result. You cannot show your images.

2.  Demonstration speech sample outline   This is a fully completed outline of a demonstration speech. The topic is 'how to leave an effective voice mail message' and  the sample covers the entire step by step sequence needed to do that.

There's a blank printable version of the outline template to download if you wish and a YouTube link to a recording of the speech.

3.  Demonstration speech topics   4 pages of 'how to' speech topic suggestions, all of them suitable for middle school and up.

Persuasive speeches

The goal of a persuasive speech is to convince an audience to accept, or at the very least listen to and consider, the speaker's point of view.

To be successful the speaker must skillfully blend information about the topic, their opinion, reasons to support it and their desired course of action, with an understanding of how best to reach their audience.

Everyday examples of persuasive speeches

Common usages of persuasive speeches are:

• what we say when being interviewed for a job
• presenting a sales pitch to a customer
• political speeches - politicians lobbying for votes,
• values or issue driven speeches e.g., a call to boycott a product on particular grounds, a call to support varying human rights issues: the right to have an abortion, the right to vote, the right to breathe clean air, the right to have access to affordable housing and, so on.

Models of the persuasive process

The most frequently cited model we have for effective persuasion is thousands of years old.  Aristotle, the Greek philosopher, 384–322 BC , explained it as being supported by three pillars: ethos, pathos and logos. 

Briefly, ethos is the reliability and credibility of the speaker. How qualified or experienced are they talk on the topic? Are they trustworthy? Should we believe them? Why?

Pathos is the passion, emotion or feeling you, the speaker, bring to the topic. It's the choice of language you use to trigger an emotional connection linking yourself, your topic and the audience together, in a way that supports your speech purpose.

(We see the echo of Pathos in words like empathy: the ability to understand and share the feels of another, or pathetic: to arouse feelings of pity through being vulnerable and sad.)

Logos is related to logic. Is the information we are being presented logical and rational? Is it verifiable? How is it supported? By studies, by articles, by endorsement from suitably qualified and recognized people?

To successfully persuade all three are needed. For more please see this excellent article:  Ethos, Pathos, Logos: 3 Pillars of Public Speaking and Persuasion 

Monroe's Motivated Sequence of persuasion

Another much more recent model is Monroe's Motivated Sequence based on the psychology of persuasion.

It consists of five consecutive steps: attention, need, satisfaction, visualization and action and was developed in the 1930s by American Alan H Monroe, a lecturer in communications at Purdue University. The pattern is used extensively in advertising, social welfare and health campaigns.

Resources for persuasive speeches

1.   How to write a persuasive speech Step by step guidelines covering:

• speech topic selection
• setting speech goals
• audience analysis
• empathy and evidence
• balance and obstacles
• 4 structural patterns to choose from

2. A persuasive speech sample outline using Monroe's Motivated Sequence

3. An example persuasive speech written using Monroe's Motivated Sequence  

4.  Persuasive speech topics : 1032+ topic suggestions which includes 105 fun persuasive ideas , like the one below.☺ 

Special occasion or entertaining speeches

The range of these speeches is vast: from a call 'to say a few words' to delivering a lengthy formal address.

This is the territory where speeches to mark farewells, thanksgiving, awards, birthdays, Christmas, weddings, engagements and anniversaries dwell, along with welcome, introduction and thank you speeches, tributes, eulogies and commencement addresses. 

In short, any speech, either impromptu or painstakingly crafted, given to acknowledge a person, an achievement, or an event belongs here.

You'll find preparation guidelines, as well as examples of many special occasion speeches on my site.

Resources for special occasion speeches

How to prepare:

• an acceptance speech , with an example acceptance speech 
• a birthday speech , with ongoing links to example 18th, 40th and 50th birthday speeches
• an office party Christmas speech , a template with an example speech
• an engagement party toast , with 5 examples
• a eulogy or funeral speech , with a printable eulogy planner and access to 70+ eulogy examples
• a farewell speech , with an example (a farewell speech to colleagues)
• a golden (50th) wedding anniversary speech , with an example speech from a husband to his wife
• an impromptu speech , techniques and templates for impromptu speaking, examples of one minute impromptu speeches with a printable outline planner, plus impromptu speech topics for practice
• an introduction speech for a guest speaker , with an example
• an introduction speech for yourself , with an example
• a maid of honor speech for your sister , a template, with an example
• a retirement speech , with an example from a teacher leaving to her students and colleagues
• a student council speech , a template, with an example student council president, secretary and treasurer speech
• a Thanksgiving speech , a template, with an example toast
• a thank you speech , a template, with an example speech expressing thanks for an award, also a business thank you speech template
• a tribute (commemorative) speech , with a template and an example speech
• a welcome speech for an event , a template, an example welcome speech for a conference, plus a printable welcome speech planner
• a welcome speech for new comers to a church , a template with an example speech
• a welcome speech for a new member to the family , a template with an example

Speech types often overlap

Because speakers and their speeches are unique, (different content, purposes, and audiences...), the four types often overlap. While a speech is generally based on one principal type it might also have a few of the features belonging to any of the others. 

For example, a speech may be mainly informative but to add interest, the speaker has used elements like a demonstration of some sort, persuasive language and the brand of familiar humor common in a special occasion speech where everybody knows each other well.

The result is an informative 'plus' type of speech. A hybrid! It's a speech that could easily be given by a long serving in-house company trainer to introduce and explain a new work process to employees.  

Related pages:

• how to write a good speech . This is a thorough step by step walk through, with examples, of the general speech writing process. It's a great place to start if you're new to writing speeches. You'll get an excellent foundation to build on.
• how to plan a speech - an overview of ALL the things that need to be considered before preparing an outline, with examples
• how to outline a speech - an overview, with examples, showing how to structure a speech, with a free printable blank speech outline template to download
• how to make and use cue cards  - note cards for extemporaneous speeches 
• how to use props (visual aids)    

And for those who would like their speeches written for them:

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What this handout is about

This handout will help you create an effective speech by establishing the purpose of your speech and making it easily understandable. It will also help you to analyze your audience and keep the audience interested.

What’s different about a speech?

Writing for public speaking isn’t so different from other types of writing. You want to engage your audience’s attention, convey your ideas in a logical manner and use reliable evidence to support your point. But the conditions for public speaking favor some writing qualities over others. When you write a speech, your audience is made up of listeners. They have only one chance to comprehend the information as you read it, so your speech must be well-organized and easily understood. In addition, the content of the speech and your delivery must fit the audience.

What’s your purpose?

People have gathered to hear you speak on a specific issue, and they expect to get something out of it immediately. And you, the speaker, hope to have an immediate effect on your audience. The purpose of your speech is to get the response you want. Most speeches invite audiences to react in one of three ways: feeling, thinking, or acting. For example, eulogies encourage emotional response from the audience; college lectures stimulate listeners to think about a topic from a different perspective; protest speeches in the Pit recommend actions the audience can take.

As you establish your purpose, ask yourself these questions:

• What do you want the audience to learn or do?
• If you are making an argument, why do you want them to agree with you?
• If they already agree with you, why are you giving the speech?
• How can your audience benefit from what you have to say?

Audience analysis

If your purpose is to get a certain response from your audience, you must consider who they are (or who you’re pretending they are). If you can identify ways to connect with your listeners, you can make your speech interesting and useful.

As you think of ways to appeal to your audience, ask yourself:

• What do they have in common? Age? Interests? Ethnicity? Gender?
• Do they know as much about your topic as you, or will you be introducing them to new ideas?
• Why are these people listening to you? What are they looking for?
• What level of detail will be effective for them?
• What tone will be most effective in conveying your message?
• What might offend or alienate them?

For more help, see our handout on audience .

Creating an effective introduction

Get their attention, otherwise known as “the hook”.

Think about how you can relate to these listeners and get them to relate to you or your topic. Appealing to your audience on a personal level captures their attention and concern, increasing the chances of a successful speech. Speakers often begin with anecdotes to hook their audience’s attention. Other methods include presenting shocking statistics, asking direct questions of the audience, or enlisting audience participation.

Establish context and/or motive

Explain why your topic is important. Consider your purpose and how you came to speak to this audience. You may also want to connect the material to related or larger issues as well, especially those that may be important to your audience.

Get to the point

Tell your listeners your thesis right away and explain how you will support it. Don’t spend as much time developing your introductory paragraph and leading up to the thesis statement as you would in a research paper for a course. Moving from the intro into the body of the speech quickly will help keep your audience interested. You may be tempted to create suspense by keeping the audience guessing about your thesis until the end, then springing the implications of your discussion on them. But if you do so, they will most likely become bored or confused.

For more help, see our handout on introductions .

Making your speech easy to understand

Repeat crucial points and buzzwords.

Especially in longer speeches, it’s a good idea to keep reminding your audience of the main points you’ve made. For example, you could link an earlier main point or key term as you transition into or wrap up a new point. You could also address the relationship between earlier points and new points through discussion within a body paragraph. Using buzzwords or key terms throughout your paper is also a good idea. If your thesis says you’re going to expose unethical behavior of medical insurance companies, make sure the use of “ethics” recurs instead of switching to “immoral” or simply “wrong.” Repetition of key terms makes it easier for your audience to take in and connect information.

Incorporate previews and summaries into the speech

For example:

“I’m here today to talk to you about three issues that threaten our educational system: First, … Second, … Third,”

“I’ve talked to you today about such and such.”

These kinds of verbal cues permit the people in the audience to put together the pieces of your speech without thinking too hard, so they can spend more time paying attention to its content.

Use especially strong transitions

This will help your listeners see how new information relates to what they’ve heard so far. If you set up a counterargument in one paragraph so you can demolish it in the next, begin the demolition by saying something like,

“But this argument makes no sense when you consider that . . . .”

If you’re providing additional information to support your main point, you could say,

“Another fact that supports my main point is . . . .”

Helping your audience listen

Rely on shorter, simpler sentence structures.

Don’t get too complicated when you’re asking an audience to remember everything you say. Avoid using too many subordinate clauses, and place subjects and verbs close together.

Too complicated:

The product, which was invented in 1908 by Orville Z. McGillicuddy in Des Moines, Iowa, and which was on store shelves approximately one year later, still sells well.

Easier to understand:

Orville Z. McGillicuddy invented the product in 1908 and introduced it into stores shortly afterward. Almost a century later, the product still sells well.

Limit pronoun use

Listeners may have a hard time remembering or figuring out what “it,” “they,” or “this” refers to. Be specific by using a key noun instead of unclear pronouns.

Pronoun problem:

The U.S. government has failed to protect us from the scourge of so-called reality television, which exploits sex, violence, and petty conflict, and calls it human nature. This cannot continue.

Why the last sentence is unclear: “This” what? The government’s failure? Reality TV? Human nature?

More specific:

The U.S. government has failed to protect us from the scourge of so-called reality television, which exploits sex, violence, and petty conflict, and calls it human nature. This failure cannot continue.

Keeping audience interest

Incorporate the rhetorical strategies of ethos, pathos, and logos.

When arguing a point, using ethos, pathos, and logos can help convince your audience to believe you and make your argument stronger. Ethos refers to an appeal to your audience by establishing your authenticity and trustworthiness as a speaker. If you employ pathos, you appeal to your audience’s emotions. Using logos includes the support of hard facts, statistics, and logical argumentation. The most effective speeches usually present a combination these rhetorical strategies.

Use statistics and quotations sparingly

Include only the most striking factual material to support your perspective, things that would likely stick in the listeners’ minds long after you’ve finished speaking. Otherwise, you run the risk of overwhelming your listeners with too much information.

Watch your tone

Be careful not to talk over the heads of your audience. On the other hand, don’t be condescending either. And as for grabbing their attention, yelling, cursing, using inappropriate humor, or brandishing a potentially offensive prop (say, autopsy photos) will only make the audience tune you out.

Creating an effective conclusion

Restate your main points, but don’t repeat them.

“I asked earlier why we should care about the rain forest. Now I hope it’s clear that . . .” “Remember how Mrs. Smith couldn’t afford her prescriptions? Under our plan, . . .”

Call to action

Speeches often close with an appeal to the audience to take action based on their new knowledge or understanding. If you do this, be sure the action you recommend is specific and realistic. For example, although your audience may not be able to affect foreign policy directly, they can vote or work for candidates whose foreign policy views they support. Relating the purpose of your speech to their lives not only creates a connection with your audience, but also reiterates the importance of your topic to them in particular or “the bigger picture.”

Practicing for effective presentation

Once you’ve completed a draft, read your speech to a friend or in front of a mirror. When you’ve finished reading, ask the following questions:

• Which pieces of information are clearest?
• Where did I connect with the audience?
• Where might listeners lose the thread of my argument or description?
• Where might listeners become bored?
• Where did I have trouble speaking clearly and/or emphatically?
• Did I stay within my time limit?

Other resources

• Toastmasters International is a nonprofit group that provides communication and leadership training.
• Allyn & Bacon Publishing’s Essence of Public Speaking Series is an extensive treatment of speech writing and delivery, including books on using humor, motivating your audience, word choice and presentation.

Works consulted

We consulted these works while writing this handout. This is not a comprehensive list of resources on the handout’s topic, and we encourage you to do your own research to find additional publications. Please do not use this list as a model for the format of your own reference list, as it may not match the citation style you are using. For guidance on formatting citations, please see the UNC Libraries citation tutorial . We revise these tips periodically and welcome feedback.

Boone, Louis E., David L. Kurtz, and Judy R. Block. 1997. Contemporary Business Communication . Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.

Ehrlich, Henry. 1994. Writing Effective Speeches . New York: Marlowe.

Lamb, Sandra E. 1998. How to Write It: A Complete Guide to Everything You’ll Ever Write . Berkeley: Ten Speed Press.

You may reproduce it for non-commercial use if you use the entire handout and attribute the source: The Writing Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

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10.1: What are the Different Types of Speeches?

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• Page ID 106477

• Lisa Coleman, Thomas King, & William Turner
• Southwest Tennessee Community College

Learning Objectives

• Discuss the three main types of speeches.
• Discuss the importance of differentiating between the three.

Speeches have traditionally been seen to have one of three broad purposes: to inform, to persuade, and— Well, to be honest, different words are used for the third kind of speech purpose: to inspire, to amuse, to please, to delight, or to entertain. We will just use “to inspire” as the overall term here.

Your instructor will most likely assign you an informative and persuasive speech, and then perhaps one more. The third one might be a special occasion speech, such as a tribute (commemorative), an after-dinner speech, a toast, or a eulogy. These four types of speeches fit into the category of “to inspire” or “to entertain.”  It should be understood that these three purposes are not necessarily exclusive of the others. A speech designed to be persuasive can also be informative and entertaining, even if neither of those is the main purpose.  To further demonstrate this, look at the examples below in Figure \(\PageIndex{1}\).

Some of the topics listed above could fall into another category depending on how the speaker approached the topic, or they could contain elements of both. For example, you may have to inform your audience about your topic in one main point before you can persuade them, or you may include some entertaining elements in an informative or persuasive speech to help make the content more engaging for the audience. There should not be elements of persuasion included in an informative speech, since persuading is contrary to the objective approach that defines an informative speech. In any case, while there may be some overlap between topics, most speeches can be placed into one of the categories based on the overall content of the speech.

Tucker, Barbara; Barton, Kristin; Burger, Amy; Drye, Jerry; Hunsicker, Cathy; Mendes, Amy; and LeHew, Matthew, "Exploring Public Speaking: 4th Edition" (2019). Communication Open Textbooks . 1. https://oer.galileo.usg.edu/communication-textbooks/1  - CC BY-NC 2.0

Want to create or adapt books like this? Learn more about how Pressbooks supports open publishing practices.

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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Styles Of Speech

What Is a Micro Presentation?

People who give speeches typically do so with an identifiable style. The style of speech is normally dictated by the purpose of the speech itself. Some people choose a speech style because it is more comfortable and allows them to deliver a speech more effectively, while others are more comfortable adjusting speech style based on specific situations, including subject matter, purpose and audience.

Informative

The informative speech style is meant to instruct. It is very much like teaching those you are speaking to. This speech style is typically focused and to the point because the speaker aims to be clear and educate. Informative speeches can be dry, but the speech is presented to best highlight the subject matter. College professors and employers are likely to give informative speeches.

A persuasive speech is meant to garner support from the audience, or to persuade the audience about a particular subject. Politicians are known for persuasive speech making. Persuasive speeches can be relaxed in tone or intense, but a persuasive speech almost always carries some extreme emotion, which the speaker uses as a tool. The persuasive speech style can be called a motivational speech.

Entertaining

An entertaining speech is relaxed in nature. This speech type allows the speaker to veer off course and tell anecdotes that may be personal in nature, meant to tie together the speech being given. This type of speech may be given by a best man at a wedding, a speaker at a comedic roast or an award's ceremony.

News or Announcement

News or announcement speech styles are characterized by the same direct manner as an informative speech style. This speech style leaves little room for personal input, unless it is in the context of a debate. The object of the news or announcement speech style is to inform an audience about an event, which is why this style resembles the informative speech style.

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Carl Hose is the author of the anthology "Dead Horizon" and the the zombie novella "Dead Rising." His work has appeared in "Cold Storage," "Butcher Knives and Body Counts," "Writer's Journal," and "Lighthouse Digest.". He is editor of the "Dark Light" anthology to benefit Ronald McDonald House Charities.

Finding Your Authentic Speaking Style

While there are many types of speaking styles, your natural speaking style is what gives your speech that unique personal touch. There are a lot of misconceptions in the public speaking world that have you believe you need to shadow great speakers and mimic their styles. 

Additionally, they idolize great speakers like Steve Jobs, Martin Luther King, and so on. This perpetuates a myth that there is some sort of structure to becoming a great speaker.

It can be quite demotivating as this keeps people from even trying. What needs to be understood is that everybody is their own person with a unique collection of skills, personalities, and experiences.

So if you’re ready to find your personal speaking style, let’s dive right in!

Table of Contents

Can Authenticity be Rehearsed?

Common problems in public speaking, zero in on your natural qualities, don’t restrict your natural flow., say it how you speak it., fears are friends, the shake-it-up speaker, the commanding speaker, the entertaining speaker, speaking style checklist, owning your style, wrapping up,.

When it comes to speaking styles, people often use the word ‘authentic.’ Everyone loves a natural speaker. Someone in complete control and with an effortless stage presence. This makes it sound like public speaking is a talent you are born with.

Which begs the question: Can authenticity be rehearsed?

We say, yes! Your audience can tell when you are putting on a show. This can put quite a damper on building that natural connection. So what can you do? 

It’s all about practice. Most speakers add exaggeration to their energy, facial expressions, and vocal variety. The trick is to embellish it onto your existing traits.

Don’t try to imitate other speakers and styles that feel starkly different from your own personality. Even when you try to motivate and command speeches that require you to seem over-energized, make sure you only try to enhance the style you already have.

Finding your natural speaking style sounds like it should be easier, doesn’t it? And yet, many people fail to do it. Have you wondered why? Well, many hurdles get in the way of this. Some of which can be:

• The presentations go on for too long and lose their message along the way.
• Most speakers do not adjust their message to fit their persuasion goals.
• Attempting to mimic successful speakers.
• Padding your speeches with challenging jargon.
• Being too monotone or exaggerating your energy.

How to find your natural speaking style?

While it is great to take inspiration from successful speakers, what makes you stand out is your own spin to complete that style.

Once you assess your own strengths, you will have an easier time discovering what style suits you best. This is what is your natural speaking style. We have the following steps to not just help you recognize but also build a personal speaking style:

Grab a notepad and make a list of your strengths. Don’t be shy! Jot down your best qualities. Are you a sweet talker?

Are you the funny one in your group or someone that sparks a more serious and intense discussion? Do you consider yourself to be fluid or direct? Are you freer with your emotions, or do you usually stick to facts? 

These are the qualities that will elevate your speech and your performance. There is no hard and fast rule for speakers to act in a certain way. Resist the temptation to follow the herd and just polish the person your close friends know you to be.

Everyone has unique and quirky behaviors. Don’t try to tame these quirks and rather make them your signature style. These will add that special touch that you simply won’t find in advice columns.

So allow these aspects of your personality to shine through as you take the stage. This will be the mark of authenticity that genuinely connects you to your audience and keeps them coming back for more.

Most speeches have a structure that you need to follow. You might find yourself restricting your natural flow while trying to conform to these dated structures. While a proper form is certainly essential, losing your flow is no way to go about it.

For instance, introverts and extroverts both have different flows to how they express themselves. This is another way of saying to understand your persona accordingly. Typically,

introverts tend to want to articulate their thoughts and words. You might prefer speaking more deliberately at a slower pace. If you are indeed someone that prefers this method of speaking, don’t get too swayed by enthusiastic speakers.

Audiences can detect fake enthusiasm, and it is easy to break the spell. You want people to believe in the message you are giving, which simply won’t happen if you aren’t your true self.

Similarly, if you prefer a more dynamic and lively approach, then own your entertaining side. Be loud and proud. Be dramatic. Don’t try to tame your natural flow by trying to fit into a more serious mold. 

Of course, how a speech is presented depends on the material you need to present. If you are speaking on a serious topic or addressing a more corporate audience, it might not be suitable to bring in too much drama. However, you can still incorporate your natural flow without being too over-the-top about it.  

When looking for your natural speaking style, this advice probably makes sense. Speeches that sound rehearsed or memorized take away from experience. Try to speak and present how you would if you were talking to your friends.

This will also help you remember the speech better as you will see it as talking more than presenting. Read your speech out loud; how are the words and phrases? Do they sound awkward? Is this how you would naturally speak?

Don’t chase perfection. Try not to change your entire speaking style just to match your writing. Instead of trying to speak perfectly, focus on speaking the truth.

Quotes and sayings are a great addition to your speech, but if your entire speech is packed with them, it comes off as fake. After all, when you speak the truth, you don’t speak in literary phrases. Just let the words flow from your heart as you feel it.

It is entirely okay to feel anxiety or be worried when you are presenting or performing. You can use this fear in your favor. After all, this fear is an ode to your passion. It shows how much you care, and it can be plugged into your speech as energy.

Instead of running from this fear, try to understand and incorporate it into your speech so that it conveys your passion. Your audience will definitely respond to this positive energy.

Speaking styles for different speakers

As we mentioned above, to find your natural speaking style, you need to identify which style truly speaks to you. We have detailed the most common type of speakers below so that you can skim through and pick which style fits you best.

The Motivating Speaker

A motivational speaker possesses many qualities. It comes down to three key elements: energy, tone, and speed. A speaker that has mastered these elements tends to be successful as a motivational speaker.

A good motivational speaker can get the crowds’ energy pumping. The purpose is to engage and inspire the audience. Let’s break down this type of speaker into its three main elements:

Your pace determines how excited you can get your audience. If you speak faster, it will usually ramp up the excitement of the crowd as well.

However, you have to be careful in overusing this trick. It might get tiring if you are constantly speaking too fast, and the audience cannot keep up.

Energy is one of the central elements of a motivational speech. You want to be positive and have shining optimism in your delivery. Listeners will remember when you deliver a high-energy performance and are more likely to be receptive to your message.

You simply cannot deliver a motivational speech in a plain tone. You need to mix in a touch of drama and intrigue, which is done by vocal variety.

There’s nothing worse than a monotonous motivational speaker. Remember to add your personal touch to everything you speak of and represent.

The shake-it-up speaker is quite similar to the motivational speaker. The main difference? Getting the audience moving.

This type of speaker gets the audience fully involved. It can be a bit challenging, though, as you have to really know your content. When you open up the floor, you don’t know what they might ask. 

Speakers spend a lot of their time trying to perfect their message. How am I presenting the information? Am I using enough vocal variety or too much?

In all this time and preparation, we often forget that communication is a two-way street.

This shake-it-up speaker thus understands this and creates the opportunity for the audience to participate.

It includes practicing softer tones and gestures in order to be more inviting to the listeners. This speaker will speak slowly and clearly with expressive facial movements.

It’s a great way to get a quiet audience to not just warm up but also be engaged. This will also get the crowd to be more receptive to tough discussions to ensure people feel heard.

However, if you find that people aren’t responding, then you can always switch to asking for a volunteer. You can then get this person to share their top takeaways from your speech for a refreshing perspective.

What you need to remember is that you have a full range of vocal strengths at your disposal. Make sure to experiment with your voice, energy, and pace so that you can truly deliver to the best of your ability. This way, you will be ready to present and engage your audiences to truly serve your message.

A commanding speaker is capable of delivering a message with a certain gravitas. You must be able to convince your audience about the weight of your words.

When you command a room well, you garner the respect of your listeners. For instance: Barack Obama used to follow a more motivational way of speaking but gradually transitioned to a commanding role.

During his 2008 Presidential campaign, he followed a more charged and energized style. If you look at his later speeches, you will notice controlled pauses along with a lower but more powerful tone during his inauguration speech.

The commanding style is more suited to speaking about serious topics. This can also extend to addressing sensitive topics or speaking in front of important or high-level members. It is properly executed by exerting control over your voice.

Speaking slower and lowering your pitch are both effective strategies in delivering a commanding speech. Furthermore, making purposeful and smooth gestures also adds to the entire experience. 

The entertaining speaker is a crowd-pleaser. The perfect choice to change the pace from the typically serious and monotonous delivery.

This style is suited to individuals with a more animated nature. You need to let loose and own the space around you. Similarly, this type of speaker uses smooth, flowing gestures and typically a more open and inviting tone.

They give out a feeling of ease, which in turn allows the audience to feel comfortable. The entire presentation oozes a playful vibe allowing everybody to lighten up.

The common misconception is that this style requires you to simply be humorous. This often leads to people packing jokes into their speech, which distracts from your main message and can seem like trying too hard.

You don’t have to be Jerry Seinfield or George Carlin up there. The trick is in the delivery. If you are having a good time up there, the audience will begin to resonate.

Try to practice speaking in front of your mirror. Loosen up. Especially check if your body language matches the ease you are trying to convey. Use fluid transitions and try to mingle with your listeners.

You can browse through the different body gestures you can incorporate to make your presentation much more natural.

The entertaining speaker is also dramatic. After all, they are weaving a story. Whether that means dropping your tone during serious moments or upping the ante during a particularly dramatic retelling, they have it down. Zeroing into the absurdity can be seen as a really humanizing way of public speaking.

Even if the story isn’t particularly upbeat, the entertaining speaker finds a way to make sure the audience doesn’t feel disheartened.

This type of speech is so effective that often in public speaking, stories get monotonous. This is where most speakers lose their audiences.

In the end, sad or happy most stories just mesh into one and fail to bring out their emotions. This is why it is important to weave in and out of different tones, gestures, and energy. After all, it is a performance.

Now that we have discussed the four main speaking styles, the next thing to know is that no style is absolute. Even if you resonated with one of these styles more than the other, you are under no obligation to stick to only one of them.

It’s completely okay to mix it up. You may want to keep a more entertaining overall speech but dabble in a bit of motivation in there. 

Experiment with different styles and paces to figure out which combination works the best for you.

Once you know your speaking style, read through the following to make sure you are fully prepared to deliver.

• Don’t try to memorize your speech. We recommend using an outline or remembering your key points. If you simply memorize a speech, you are at risk of seeming like you are simply parroting the speech and might lose your chain of thoughts when interrupted.
• Work on your introduction. It is very important to grab the audiences’ attention early as this is when you can give them a reason to listen in the first place. First, engage, and then you impress.
• Breathe and deliver at a pace that is comfortable for you. Speaking too slow can have you risk losing the listeners’ attention, but speaking too fast will make you come off as nervous or in a hurry.
• Experiment with vocal variety. Delivering in the same tone throughout the speech will quickly bore the audience. Incorporate questions experiment with sentence lengths, tones, and the overall energy of the speech.
• Read your audience. Their reactions will give you a live indication of how you are doing. If you notice more people yawning, zoning out, or looking at their phones, switch things up so that you can grab their attention again.
• Reiterate your key points. While you know your main points by heart, the audience might need a few reminders and examples for the message to get across.
• Don’t try to pad your speech with complicated vocabulary. Go for simple language so that your audience can focus on the main message. Shorter sentences will be much easier to follow.
• When possible, try to incorporate some visual aids. Effective visuals will elevate your speech and keep the audience engaged. They will also enhance your main message.
• Make sure you go big on your conclusion. This is the lasting impact you will be leaving on your audience. Try to leave the listeners with something to think about.
• Nothing beats practice. A lack of preparation can thwart even the most natural speaking styles. Make sure you prep and know your material well.

It is okay to be nervous about speaking in front of an audience. Even the most experienced speakers are prone to the occasional stage fright.

Practice in front of the mirror and then in smaller groups. Crowd control and body language are not talents but skills that you can work to sharpen. Similarly, as you put yourself out there, you will begin to find your natural voice and tone.

The best place to start is by observing your favorite speakers. Note what it is about their style that speaks to you. Try to incorporate their traits, but don’t try to imitate them. Remember, the objective is to build your signature speaking style.

Your job as a speaker is to be convincing. The best way you can do this is by knowing your material inside out.

Doing so will also make it much easier for you to open up the floor for audience participation. The natural feel comes when the audience sees you speak effortlessly without sounding like you’re reading off a teleprompter.

Once you have enough practice with public speaking, you’ll start to naturally read the audience. You will be able to adjust your eye contact, body gestures, and vocal variety as needed and truly master your speaking style.

So there you have it! Browsing through these various speaking styles should help you realize that you have something unique to bring to the stage.

Many successful speakers are dominating the market, but none of them have the combination of traits that you possess.

Find out which style or which combination works best for you. Beyond that, fluency is all about practice. Learning your speaking style is the first step in the right direction to improving your craft. All the best on your journey!

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What Are The Five Types Of Speech Style Or Communicative Style?

TYPES OF SPEECH STYLE – In this topic, we will now discuss about the five different types of speech style or communicative style.

But first, let us know what is the meaning of a speech style or a communicative style

A speech style, according to Martin Joos (1976), a linguist and German professor, it refers to the form of language that the speaker utilized which is characterized by the level of formality.

Still according to Jooz, speech style is identified into five types: frozen, formal, consultative, casual, and intimate.

• Also known as fixed speech , it is the highest form of communicative style which is often used in respectful situations or formal ceremonies like Shakespearean plays, weddings, funerals, and more. It uses the complex grammatical sentence structure and vocabulary that are only known by experts in that field
• This type uses formal words and expressions and is mostly seen in writing rather than speaking. It also disallows the use of ellipsis, contractions, and qualifying modal adverbials.
• The third level of language . It is basically unplanned speech since the speaker uses the participation and feedback of the listener. The speaker will supply background information, while again, the listener participates continuously
• Also known as informal style, it is usually used between, friends, or even insiders who have things to share. In this type, there is a free and easy participation of both speaker and listener.
• The last type is used in talks between two very close individuals. It is described by an economy of words, with a high chance of nonverbal communication. Like casual, there is also a free and easy participation of both speaker and listener.

READ ALSO – EFFECTIVE STUDY HABITS – Strategies In Studying For Students

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Module 4: Organizing and Outlining

Organizational styles.

After deciding which main points and sub-points you must include, you can get to work writing up the speech. Before you do so, however, it is helpful to consider how you will organize the ideas. From presenting historical information in chronological order as part of an informative speech to drawing a comparison between two ideas in a persuasive speech to offering up problems and solutions, there are many ways in which speakers can craft effective speeches. These are referred to as organizational styles, or templates for organizing the main points of a speech.

Chronological

“Vintage alarm clock” by peter-rabbit. CC-BY-NC .

When you speak about events that are linked together by time, it is sensible to engage the chronological organization style. In a chronological speech , main points are delivered according to when they happened and could be traced on a calendar or clock. Arranging main points in chronological order can be helpful when describing historical events to an audience as well as when the order of events is necessary to understand what you wish to convey. Informative speeches about a series of events most commonly engage the chronological style, as do many demonstrative speeches (e.g., how to bake a cake or build an airplane). Another time when the chronological style makes sense is when you tell the story of someone’s life or career. For instance, a speech about Oprah Winfrey might be arranged chronologically (see textbox). In this case, the main points are arranged by following Winfrey’s life from birth to the present time. Life events (e.g., birth, her early career, her life after ending the Oprah Winfrey Show) are connected together according to when they happened and highlight the progression of Winfrey’s career. Organizing the speech in this way illustrates the interconnectedness of life events.

Oprah Winfrey (Chronological Arrangement)

Thesis : Oprah’s career can be understood by four key, interconnected life stages.

I. Oprah’s childhood was spent in rural Mississippi, where she endured sexual abuse from family members.

II. Oprah’s early career was characterized by stints on local radio and television networks in Nashville and Chicago.

III. Oprah’s tenure as host of the Oprah Winfrey Show began in 1986 and lasted until 2011, a period of time marked by much success.

IV. Oprah’s most recent media venture is OWN: The Oprah Winfrey Network, which plays host to a variety of television shows including Oprah’s Next Chapter .

Doing the best at this moment puts you in the best place for the next moment. – Oprah Winfrey

When the main points of your speech center on ideas that are more distinct from one another, a topical organization style may be engaged. In a topical speech , main points are developed separately and are generally connected together within the introduction and conclusion. In other words, the topical style is crafted around main points and sub-points that are mutually exclusive but related to one another by virtue of the thesis. It makes sense to use the topical style when elements are connected to one another because of their relationship to the whole. A topical speech about the composition of a newspaper company can be seen in the following textbox. The main points are linked together by the fact that they are all a part of the same business. Although they are related in that way, the topical style illustrates the ways in which the four different departments function apart from one another. In this example, the topical style is a good fit because the four departments are equally important to the function of the newspaper company.

Composition of a Newspaper Company (Topical Arrangement)

Thesis : The newspaper has four primary departments.

I. The advertising department sells display advertisements to local and national businesses.

II. The editorial department produces the written content of the newspaper, including feature stories.

III. The production department lays out the pages and manages pre- press work such as distilling the pages and processing colors.

IV. The business department processes payments from advertisers, employee paperwork, and the bi-weekly payroll.

Another way to organize the points of a speech is through a spatial speech , which arranges main points according to their physical and geographic relationships. The spatial style is an especially useful organization style when the main point’s importance is derived from its location or directional focus. In other words, when the scene or the composition is a central aspect of the main points, the spatial style is an appropriate way to deliver key ideas. Things can be described from top to bottom, inside to outside, left to right, north to south, and so on. Importantly, speakers using a spatial style should offer commentary about the placement of the main points as they move through the speech, alerting audience members to the location changes. For instance, a speech about The University of Georgia might be arranged spatially; in this example, the spatial organization frames the discussion in terms of the campus layout. The spatial style is fitting since the differences in architecture and uses of space are related to particular geographic areas, making location a central organizing factor. As such, the spatial style highlights these location differences.

University of Georgia (Spatial Arrangement)

Thesis : The University of Georgia is arranged into four distinct sections, which are characterized by architectural and disciplinary differences.

I. In North Campus, one will find the University’s oldest building, a sprawling tree- lined quad, and the famous Arches, all of which are nestled against Athens’ downtown district.

II. In West Campus, dozens of dormitories provide housing for the University’s large undergraduate population and students can regularly be found lounging outside or at one of the dining halls.

III. In East Campus, students delight in newly constructed, modern buildings and enjoy the benefits of the University’s health center, recreational facilities, and science research buildings.

IV. In South Campus, pharmacy, veterinary, and biomedical science students traverse newly constructed parts of campus featuring well-kept landscaping and modern architecture.

Comparative

“Let’s compare apples to oranges” by frankieleon. CC-BY .

When you need to discuss the similarities and differences between two or more things, a comparative organizational pattern can be employed. In comparative speeches , speakers may choose to compare things a couple different ways. First, you could compare two or more things as whole (e.g., discuss all traits of an apple and then all traits of an orange). Second, you could compare these things element by element (e.g., color of each, smell of each, AND taste of each). Some topics that are routinely spoken about comparatively include different cultures, different types of transportation, and even different types of coffee. A comparative speech outline about eastern and western cultures could look like this.

Eastern vs. Western Culture (Comparison Arrangement)

Thesis : There are a variety of differences between Eastern and Western cultures.

I. Eastern cultures tend to be more collectivistic.

II. Western cultures tend to be more individualistic.

III. Eastern cultures tend to treat health issues 
holistically.

IV. Western cultures tend to 
treat health issues more acutely.

In this type of speech, the list of comparisons, which should be substantiated with further evidence, could go on for any number of main points. The speech could also compare how two or more things are more alike than one might think. For instance, a speaker could discuss how singers Madonna and Lady Gaga share many similarities both in aesthetic style and in their music.

Problem-Solution

“ FEMA” by Dave Gatley. Public domain.

Sometimes it is necessary to share a problem and a solution with an audience. In cases like these, the problem-solution speech is an appropriate way to arrange the main points of a speech. One familiar example of speeches organized in this way is the political speeches that presidential hopefuls give in the United States. Often, candidates will begin their speech by describing a problem created by or, at the very least, left unresolved by the incumbent. Once they have established their view of the problem, they then go on to flesh out their proposed solution. The problem- solution style is especially useful when the speaker wants to convince the audience that they should take action in solving some problem. A political candidate seeking office might frame a speech using the problem-solution style (see textbox).

Presidential Candidate’s Speech (Problem-Solution Arrangement)

Thesis : The US energy crisis can be solved by electing me as president since I will devote resources to the production of renewable forms of energy.

I. The United States is facing an energy crisis because we cannot produce enough energy ourselves to sustain the levels of activity needed to run the country. (problem)

II. The current administration has failed to invest enough resources in renewable energy practices. (problem)

III. We can help create a more stable situation if we work to produce renewable forms of energy within the United States. (solution)

IV. If you vote for me, I will ensure that renewable energy creation is a priority. (solution)

The difference between what we do and what we are capable of doing would suffice to solve most of the world’s problems. – Mahatma Gandhi

This example illustrates the way in which a problem-solution oriented speech can be used to identify both a general problem (energy crisis) and a specific problem (incumbent’s lack of action). Moreover, this example highlights two kinds of solutions: a general solution and a solution that is dependent on the speaker’s involvement. The problem-solution speech is especially appropriate when the speaker desires to promote a particular solution as this offers audience members a way to become involved. Whether you are able to offer a specific solution or not, key to the problem-solution speech is a clear description of both the problem and the solution with clear links drawn between the two. In other words, the speech should make specific connections between the problem and how the solution can be engaged to solve it.

“Domino” by Bro. Jeffrey Pioquinto, SJ. CC-BY .

Similar to a problem-solution speech, a causal speech informs audience members about causes and effects that have already happened. In other words, a causal organization style first addresses some cause and then shares what effects resulted. A causal speech can be particularly effective when the speaker wants to share the relationship between two things, like the creation of a vaccine to help deter disease. An example of how a causal speech about a shingles vaccine might be designed follows:

As the example illustrates, the basic components of the causal speech are the cause and the effect. Such an organizational style is useful when a speaker needs to share the results of a new program, discuss how one act led to another, or discuss the positive/negative outcomes of taking some action.

Shingles Speech (Cause-Effect Arrangement)

Thesis : The prevalence of the disease shingles led to the invention of a vaccine.

• Shingles is a disease that causes painful, blistering rashes in up to one million Americans every year. (cause)
• In 2006, a vaccine for shingles was licensed in the United States and has been shown to reduce the likelihood that people over 60 years old will get shingles. (effect)

Every choice you make has an end result. – Zig Ziglar

Choosing an organizational style is an important step in the speechwriting process. As you formulate the purpose of your speech and generate the main points that you will need to include, selecting an appropriate organizational style will likely become easier. The topical, spatial, causal, comparative and chronological methods of arrangement may be better suited to informative speeches, whereas the refutation pattern may work well for a persuasive speech. Additionally, Chapter 16 offers additional organization styles suited for persuasive speeches, such as the refutation speech and Monroe’s Motivated Sequence. [1] Next, we will look at statements that help tie all of your points together and the formal mode of organizing a speech by using outlines.

• Monroe, A. H. (1949). Principles and types of speech. Glenview, IL: Scott, Foresman and Company. ↵
• Chapter 8 Organizational Styles. Authored by : Joshua Trey Barnett. Provided by : University of Indiana, Bloomington, IN. Located at : http://publicspeakingproject.org/psvirtualtext.html . Project : The Public Speaking Project. License : CC BY-NC-ND: Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives
• vintage alarm clock. Authored by : peter-rabbit. Located at : https://flic.kr/p/drEszC . License : CC BY-NC: Attribution-NonCommercial
• let's compare apples to oranges. Authored by : frankieleon. Located at : https://flic.kr/p/bscqLn . License : CC BY: Attribution
• Domino. Authored by : Bro. Jeffrey Pioquinto, SJ. Located at : https://flic.kr/p/pA9ftS . License : CC BY: Attribution
• FEMA - 1337 - Photograph by Dave Gatley taken on 03-01-1998 in California. Authored by : Dave Gatley. Provided by : Federal Emergency Management Agency. Located at : http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:FEMA_-_1337_-_Photograph_by_Dave_Gatley_taken_on_03-01-1998_in_California.jpg . License : Public Domain: No Known Copyright

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How Is Your Voice Perceived?

Voice and style of speech—including pesky filler words—reveal a lot about a speaker..

By Abigail Fagan published May 7, 2019 - last reviewed on June 10, 2020

The articulation of speech can reveal almost as much information about a speaker as the content itself. From pitch and speed to filler words and accents, vocal features influence how one's message, and even one's identity , is perceived. An understanding of all such cues can help speakers communicate most effectively.

Pitch Perfect

Individuals with low-pitched voices are generally perceived as more confident, strong, and authoritative. This perception also ties into attraction ; women find men with low voices more appealing. The appeal has biological roots, says Casey Klofstad of the University of Miami, who studies how biology influences politics . Pitch is determined by the size of one's voice box and vocal chords—just as plucking a short string on a harp produces a high note and strumming a long string produces a low tone. Testosterone enlarges vocal chords, which lends credence to the belief that low voices signal a more aggressive, dominant, and confident individual.

People may take pitch into account when determining which leaders they prefer and ultimately elect, according to studies by Klofstad and his colleagues. But is the signal reliable? Are leaders with deeper voices actually more effective? Klofstad's hunch, based on recent findings he published in the journal Evolution and Human Behavior, is no. His team collected audio clips of each member of the 2008-2009 Congress as well as a "power ranking" created by a think tank that distilled measures, including seniority, committee membership, and legislative achievements, into a final score. No correlation emerged between a deeper voice and successful leadership .

The connection between pitch and leadership may be more perception than reality, but anyone hoping to boost speaking power can still capitalize on the link. For example, the jitters that often accompany public speaking tend to push the voice into a higher register. "Speakers in a public setting may want to modulate their tone of voice," Klofstad says. "Listeners should also be aware of how subtle vocal signals influence how we treat each other. They may unjustly affect our decision making ."

Filler Thriller

Speech is littered with sounds that are seemingly useless: ums, likes, you knows . But such sounds are actually tiny conversational tools, gently guiding dialogue forward. Filler words ( uhs and ums ) signal that the speaker is having trouble producing a thought, and they ask the listener to stay tuned while the problem is resolved. Fillers also alert listeners to an interesting or important remark, because they pay greater attention to the word that follows a filler word, says Jean Fox Tree , a psycholinguist at the University of California, Santa Cruz. Research also suggests that filler words can aid listeners in understanding and remembering a speaker's message.

Each filler word and discourse marker ( like, well, I mean, you know ) carries its own message, Fox Tree says. Uh signals a short pause. Um precedes a longer pause. Like expresses a concept loosely. You know implies that information will be elided. These utterances can therefore elicit specific responses. For example, an uh or um often prompts a listener to offer a word as a suggestion to help the speaker complete the thought. Filler words and discourse markers maintain communication during delays in a way silence cannot. "Pauses don't explain gaps to the addressee," Fox Tree says. "It's like a dropped call."

Some evidence suggests that filler words are perceived negatively by listeners and that speakers try to limit their production. But what matters most is context, says Stanford University psycholinguist Herbert Clark . When one is expected to be prepared, such as when delivering an address, or to be precise, such as when interviewing for a job, it's important to avoid filler words and discourse markers. But during casual conversation, stifling these sounds can come across as inauthentic. "Imagine someone proposing to you entirely fluently, entirely fully formed," Clark says. "It would be the worst proposal."

An Ideal Tempo

Fast talkers radiate charisma —or at least that's the impression they make, says psychologist Hans Rutger Bosker , of the Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics. That perception likely taps into the connection between speed and fluency; speech rate accurately predicts a non-native speaker's command over language.

But speakers can cross a fine line: Talking too rapidly makes one sound nervous and keeps listeners from having time to fully grasp the message. If one naturally speaks at a fast clip, it may be advantageous to slow down when delivering an important message, such as during a professional presentation.

In many scenarios, though, the proper course of action emerges automatically. "I speak differently to my 4-year-old daughter than I do to my wife," Bosker says. "We do this naturally." The speech rates of conversational partners also tend to converge; the faster speaker slows down, and the slower speaker speeds up, Bosker explains. Scientists traditionally believed this tendency was due to social congruence, the desire to be similar to others and find common ground. But a recent study by Bosker and his colleagues suggests that in addition to social factors, people modulate speech rate to aid the listener's comprehension.

The Accent Alarm

Accents also shape how a speaker is perceived, but perceptions are notoriously subjective. One person might perceive those with an accent from a foreign country as more intelligent and those with a familiar regional accent as more approachable. Someone from a different place may form entirely different impressions. However, inferences about credibility have been well studied, says Silke Paulmann , a professor of psychology at the University of Essex. People with accents are generally perceived as less knowledgeable, confident, and trustworthy than those who share one's native tongue.

This belief is likely rooted in the evolutionary tendency to xenophobia . "People have an inherent bias, which they may need to fight against, of favoring members of their own group," says Marc Pell , director of the School of Communication Sciences and Disorders at McGill University. "Accent is one way we can very quickly decide if someone is different." This bias begins early—one study found that 10-month-old infants reliably selected toys presented by native speakers rather than accented speakers, and 2-year-old children showed the same preference for sharing toys.

But sustaining the bias through adulthood can have a detrimental effect, Pell says. During a job interview, a candidate's accent may subconsciously lead the hiring manager to conclude that the applicant isn't up to the job. In a traffic stop, a driver's accent may subconsciously prompt a police officer to become suspicious or even reach for a gun. Listeners, especially those in positions of authority, should probe the reasons for their decisions to ensure that they are fair, Pell says.

Pell and his colleagues recently explored how to overcome the accent bias. The researchers recorded speakers with and without accents who sounded confident, neutral, or doubtful as they made statements such as, "He would make a good leader" or, "She has access to the building." Participants perceived the accented speakers as less believable—unless they had an especially confident tone. Displaying confidence may be an effective way to offset the prejudice prompted by an accent.

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Chapter 5: Presenting Your Speech Module

Four Types of Speeches

Speeches can be categorized into four broad areas depending on the amount of preparation that is undertaken and depending upon the nature of the occasion.  The four types of speeches are manuscript, memorized, extemporaneous, and impromptu.  Our aim is to acquaint you with these four different modes of delivery, to provide suggestions for when you are asked to make impromptu remarks, and then to focus most your time on the preparation, practice, and presentation of extemporaneous speeches.

Manuscript Speech

When you listen to the President deliver a State of the Union message, you listen to a well-crafted speech being read from a teleprompter. The speech has been polished by a staff of speechwriters and has been practiced many times. The President will know how to anticipate the reaction of the audience and will know when to pause for applause and when to expect laughter. This form of speaking is used when the exact words matter and when much time and energy is expended on getting everything just right. There are times when people who are not leaders of countries deliver manuscript speeches as well. They are used when people testify before Congress, when people read important statements in a public setting, or when people deliver reports at professional meetings. All call for exact words in the correct order.

While the President has access to a staff of speech writers and a teleprompter, most of us do not. If you were given this type of assignment, you would have to read your manuscript speech from printed notes. In that case, you would want to ensure that you had prepared your manuscript carefully, using large fonts so you could read it easily without burying your nose in the pages. Reading the speech does not allow you to skimp on the preparation. Practice the speech many times. This allows you to make changes, if needed, and to select the best words to communicate your exact meaning. Remember to speak clearly and naturally -strive for a conversational tone. It shouldn’t sound read -even if you are reading. Also, remember to speak slowly; there is a natural tendency to speed up when we speak in public. Delivering a speech is not a race; you do not receive bonus points for finishing early.

Unless you are specifically told by your instructor to prepare and deliver a manuscript speech, you should never write out the entire speech. Spend your time developing your outline, organizing your ideas, and determining where you can best insert your supports. Then practice using the outline while speaking.

Memorized Speech

When you were in elementary school, did you ever have to memorize a poem or a part of a speech? If you are like most students, the answer is “Yes. ” There is nothing wrong with memorization. But if you try to memorize a speech, you risk forgetting what you planned to say and coming across as completely unprepared. Memorizing your speech is even worse than reading it. All the objections that apply to the read speech also apply to the memorized speech. Spontaneity is gone. The speech can sound stilted. Often, delivery is too rapid. Concentration is on the words, not the ideas. Sometimes the speech sounds too formal, like a written essay. There is minimal feedback or other contact with the audience. And what happens if your mind goes completely blank or if an audience member interrupts? The entire presentation will likely fall apart. Memorizing a speech puts entirely too much pressure on the speaker.

That said, there are a couple of parts of the speech that you may want to have memorized -or practiced so well that you can deliver them almost as if memorized. These include:

Your introduction:  It sets the stage for the entire speech. The words should be well chosen and rehearsed. You may find that as you repeat this portion of the speech during your rehearsals you do come to memorize it word for word. If so, this is fine. After all, once you have determined the best way of saying something, why not use it? Just make sure the presentation does not sound memorized. Your conclusion:  The summary and call to action are the final words that your audience will hear. As with the introduction, if you practice this repeatedly you will develop the best way to say what you want and you will probably have perfected this portion of the speech.

Impromptu Speech

There will come a time for all of us when we are asked to “say a few words ” without much preparation.  You haven’t prepared any notes, you haven’t practiced what you’ll say, and you’re being asked to “wing it. ” While this may seem incredibly scary, impromptu presentations are the most common type of public speaking. You’re in class and suddenly the professor wants to hear how group projects are going. You, as the leader of your group, are asked to stand and briefly discuss what the group is doing and how much you’ve completed so far. That’s an impromptu speech. You didn’t know when you headed to class that day that you’d be speaking in public, but you did it. No sweat! Or maybe you’re in a meeting at work and the boss announces that he wants you to brief everyone in the meeting on the new equipment being installed that afternoon. Again, no prior planning, no notes, you just do it. That’s impromptu speaking.

Extemporaneous Speech

The focus of most college courses in public speaking is the extemporaneous speech.  This is because this is the type of speech used most in business, education, preaching, and political affairs. Few of us will ever have a professional staff of speechwriters or ever deliver a speech with the aid of a teleprompter. But when you do have a speech or presentation to deliver, you’ll want to sound prepared, authoritative, and clear.

Simply stated, an extemporaneous speech is one where you will have time for preparation and practice but will not be expected to read from a manuscript or to have the speech memorized.  The question most students ask is, “How much time should be spent in preparation and practice? ” Perhaps Mark Twain said it best. When speaking about preparing for an impromptu speech, he noted, “It usually takes more than three weeks to prepare a good impromptu speech ” (King). While celebrated as a humorist, there is much truth in his words. To appear to be speaking off the cuff, and to do it well, you must prepare thoroughly and practice to perfection. When you speak extemporaneously, it means you’ve had ample time to prepare and research and that you have rehearsed your speech (many times) using an outline or notes to remind you of the progression of ideas you wish to present. You will follow all the normal steps outlined in the earlier chapters. Choose a topic, narrow appropriately, analyze your audience, choose your supports, and create an outline. You will know your speech so well and will amaze your audience!

Fundamentals of Public Speaking Copyright © by Lumen Learning is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License , except where otherwise noted.

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Elon Musk’s battle over the Sydney church stabbing video is not about freedom of speech. It’s to titillate his followers

The X owner was always going to turn the video removal request into a glib culture war fought with 4chan-style memes and late-night missives

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T his battle was never about the removal of a single violent video for Elon Musk – it was always going to turn into a glib culture war fought with 4chan-style memes and late-night missives featuring Musk as the free speech antihero fighting Woke Governments of the World. At least, that is how he wishes to portray it to his more than 180 million followers.

Musk on Tuesday responded to an interim court order from Australia’s eSafety Commission requesting that X hide graphic and distressing videos of the recent Sydney stabbing within 24 hours with a Wizard of Oz meme: it’s all shits and giggles over at X. In further posts, he took aim at the eSafety commissioner, claiming she wants “ authority over all countries on Earth ”, after labelling her a “Commissar” for requesting the removal of the video in the first place, which depicted an attack that the NSW police have since classified as a terrorist incident.

Musk also found the time to mock the prime minister, Anthony Albanese , in between briefing his lawyers, to entertain and titillate his followers. If anyone wants to see a 16-year-old-boy allegedly attack bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel with a knife they should damn well have the right to. Governments of the world be damned.

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Musk would like us to believe that this is about freedom of speech. Except it isn’t, at least not in any straightforward sense if we look at his record: Musk routinely bans and censors accounts he doesn’t agree with. In 2022, for example, he banned the accounts of several high-profile journalists from CNN, New York Times and The Washington Post who had been critical of him in the press, and suspended the accounts of several journalists earlier this year who had been critical of Israel’s war in Gaza. He has also banned journalists who are critical of his companies , sometimes with no explanation and fired an employee for being critical of his company on X . In 2022, he banned an account tracking the whereabouts of his own personal jet using publicly available data, along with other accounts belonging to journalists who had retweeted that data – and banned the personal account of the teenager who started it, Jack Sweeney.

The list could go on. Though he describes himself as a “free speech absolutist”, Musk’s approach to moderation and censorship has been anything but. These late-night tweet storms, banning sprees and ludicrous lawsuits are not designed to protect free speech, or even to uphold the US constitution (which does not and should not apply to Australians anyway). They are designed to silence his critics and entertain his followers.

One might argue that Musk has every right to make fun of our laws and our government on his own timeline and on his own dime. He bought the platform for billions of dollars, he can do what he wants over there. He also has the right to ban the accounts of people he doesn’t agree with and launch lawsuits if our government irritates him. Meme away. But the platform he took over is a global platform, and what happens on it consequently impacts 421 million users, 5.8 million of whom are Australian.

As we saw during the aftermath of the Bondi attack last week when a false name and identity of the attacker went viral on X and the wrong name even made it on to a Channel Seven report, posts on X can have real-world adverse consequences on our soil. Likewise, extremely violent content has the potential to exacerbate distress and cause riots or further violence – as we saw after the Wakeley attack when a riot broke out outside the Sydney church.

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The video that Musk has been asked to remove depicts a violent terrorist act: it really is that simple. The Australian eSafety commissioner has asked that it be removed globally, and this is a fair and reasonable request. Rather than complying, as Meta has done, Musk has decided to go to war with the eSafety commission – ostensibly to defend his rather warped understanding of freedom of speech, but really to titillate his followers. Australians have every right to be incensed by this.

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Harris and Biden both blame Trump on abortion. How they do it is very different.

J ACKSONVILLE, Florida — President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris had the same basic message about Florida’s six-week abortion ban that started Wednesday: It’s Donald Trump’s fault.

But that’s where the similarities between the two ended when it came to stumping on abortion in the adopted home state of their Republican rival.

During his speech in Tampa last week, Biden used the word “abortion” twice. Harris used it 15 times on Wednesday in Jacksonville, sometimes coupled with the “Trump abortion bans” phrase she coined as she crisscrossed the country speaking out about the issue.

Biden, before turning to abortion rights, detoured into other topics important to Floridians, including Medicare and Social Security, and then talked about how he wanted to make community college free. Harris, meanwhile, devoted the entirety of her speech in Florida to abortion.

The two speeches, delivered eight days apart, underscored Biden and Harris’ diverging approaches and comfort levels in talking about abortion, an issue Democrats all across the country are campaigning on while Republicans, who have been vulnerable on the issue, focus on immigration and the economy , which are top concerns for voters.

Some abortion-rights advocates have shared a level of frustration with Biden’s seeming reluctance to say the word “abortion” when talking about reproductive access. They often point to prepared remarks for his State of the Union speech that had the word “abortion” in it, but when he said the remarks aloud, it was nowhere to be found.

For Harris, Wednesday marked her fourth speech on abortion rights in just a month, and her 12th trip to Florida as vice president. Music from the “Triple Threat” marching band at Edward Waters University played ahead of the program, as dancing troupes performed alongside wearing animal print and sequins.

Harris paused often during her speech for effect, applause, or for the audience to join in and finish her sentences. She opened up in deeply personal ways, talking about how politicians who set abortion restrictions don’t understand how a woman’s body works and sharing that her path to becoming a prosecutor started when she was young and she learned her best friend was being molested by her father.

“Up and down the ballot, reproductive freedom is on the ballot,” Harris said. “And you, the leaders, you the people, have the power to protect it with your vote. Donald Trump may think he can take Florida for granted. It is your power that will send Joe Biden and me back to the White House.”

Those in the abortion-rights community have praised the administration for its policies. But while they view Harris as a fellow traveler and effective advocate, some are still pushing Biden to speak out more regularly — and more comfortably — about defending abortion rights.

“Actions definitely speak louder than words, but words set the tone,” one former senior 2020 Biden campaign aide, who was granted anonymity to speak candidly, told POLITICO. “But you are the most powerful man in the world. For you to be comfortable, it allows for other people to be more comfortable with saying the word ‘abortion.’”

Campaign aides — and other prominent abortion rights advocates — argue that Harris is leading on the issue for the reelection effort and bristle at the idea that the president has been ineffective and needs to be doing the exact same things she is.

“The real contrast to me is between the presumed Republican nominee and the Democratic ticket,” said Christina Reynolds, spokesperson for EMILY's List, an organization that promotes women for office who support abortion rights. “That’s the contrast … We know what the Biden administration has done. They have been looking to protect abortion rights with every lever of government. In every way they can, they have made it a fundamental part of this campaign.”

They also point to Biden’s record, leaning into the fact that while the lifelong Catholic may not always say what the advocates want him to say, he is pushing for more abortion access.

Biden, 81, has gone further on the issue than his Democratic predecessors. He has urged Congress to send him a bill enshrining abortion rights into federal law, and his administration made medication abortion more available through the mail, allowed veterans to receive abortion counseling and allowed service members to travel for abortions.

Biden advisers said they were confident in both Biden and Harris’ messaging and approach to abortion. "Politico choosing to focus on how many times abortion was said in a speech is decidedly not the takeaway for the millions of Florida women who were stripped today of their right to make their own health care decisions,” said Jasmine Burney-Clark, Biden campaign Florida state director.

The Biden-Harris campaign dropped into Florida at a time when the state has lost its battleground status. While both visited Democratic-majority counties, Trump is leading Biden statewide here by double digits , and Republicans continue to out-register Democrats — now by more than 900,000 voters.

Harris had also visited Tallahassee in January 2023 on what would have been the 50th anniversary of the Supreme Court’s now-overturned Roe V. Wade decision. And the timing of her visit to Florida on Wednesday coincided with the same day Florida’s six-week abortion restriction took effect.

“I wish we were celebrating today. Unfortunately, we are not. Today, pregnant women in Florida are less safe and less in control of their own health and their own future than they were yesterday,” Democratic Mayor Donna Deegan of Jacksonville said, her voice breaking.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed the six-week restriction in 2023 as he prepared for the Republican presidential campaign, where he ran to the right of Trump on policy.

Trump criticized DeSantis, who was his rival at the time, saying he thought the restriction was “a terrible thing and a terrible mistake.” In a video in early April, Trump said that the legality of abortion would be left to the states.

In a Time Magazine cover story that ran Tuesday, however, Trump indicated that if elected president he wouldn’t get in the way of states’ monitoring women’s pregnancies and wouldn't commit to vetoing a federal abortion restriction. Harris seized on the interview Wednesday, saying “the contrast in this election could not be more clear.”

The Trump campaign disputed her characterization. “President Trump has consistently said these decisions are best made at the state level where people have the best opportunity to make their voices heard,” said Trump campaign adviser Brian Hughes. He also pointed to numerous other topics that didn’t come up during Harris’ speech, including illegal immigration, high prices for housing, gas and groceries, and protests on college campuses.

Biden has evolved on some of the details of his abortion rights stance in his nearly five decades in public office. During his 2020 presidential campaign, for instance, Biden initially went back and forth regarding the Hyde Amendment, a spending rider that has been on the books for decades and prevents federal dollars from paying for abortion, with limited exceptions. He ultimately opposed it during the campaign and his proposed budgets as president have excluded it, although it remains in effect.

Since the Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health ruling overturning Roe , Harris has been on the road doing events about abortion rights and access. She previously did official administration events with round tables of women and doctors who’ve been affected by the new state of reproductive access.

Last month, she and her team changed strategy, with a stronger focus on campaign events, largely so Harris could more directly attack Trump by name and use calls to action to get people to register to vote or sign on to efforts to get abortion referendums on the ballot.

Harris, aides say, sees it as her responsibility to keep Trump from attempting to shake off any of the blowback from abortion restrictions being enacted in states across the country.

“As soon as this turned into a general election moment, [she knew] he was going to try and weasel his way out of his prior positions and abandon the Christian conservative folks that got him there, to try and capture that middle swing voter, and she saw it coming,” one senior Harris aide said.

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Biden Taunts Trump, Calling Him a ‘Loser,’ Trying to Get Under His Skin

President Biden has been trying to hit his opponent where it hurts, critiquing everything from his hairstyle to his energy levels in court.

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By Katie Rogers

Katie Rogers has covered the Trump and Biden administrations. She reported from Washington.

This week, one presidential candidate has called the other a loser, made fun of him for selling Bibles, and even poked fun at his hair.

That kind of taunting is generally more within the purview of former President Donald J. Trump, whose insults are so voluminous and so often absurd that they have been cataloged by the hundreds . But lately, the barbs have been coming from President Biden, who once would only refer to Mr. Trump as “the former guy.”

Gone are the days of calling Mr. Trump “my predecessor.”

“We’ll never forget lying about Covid and telling the American people to inject bleach in their arms,” Mr. Biden said at a fund-raiser on Thursday evening, referring to Mr. Trump’s suggestion as president that Americans should try using disinfectant internally to combat the coronavirus.

“He injected it in his hair,” Mr. Biden said.

He is coming up with those lines himself: “This isn’t ‘S.N.L.,’” said James Singer, a spokesman and rapid response adviser for the Biden campaign, referring to “Saturday Night Live.” “We’re not writing jokes for him.”

The needling from Mr. Biden is designed to hit his opponent where it hurts, touching on everything from Mr. Trump’s hairstyle to his energy levels in court. Mr. Biden has also used policy arguments to get under Mr. Trump’s skin, mocking the former president’s track record on abortion, the coronavirus pandemic and the economy.

The president’s advisers say Mr. Trump’s legal problems have created an opening. As Mr. Trump faces felony charges that he falsified business records to pay off a porn actress ahead of the 2016 election, Mr. Biden and his aides have refrained from talking directly about the legal proceedings. Mr. Biden has made it a point to say he is too busy.

“I haven’t had a chance to watch the court proceedings because I’ve been campaigning,” Mr. Biden told a group of donors assembled at the actor Michael Douglas’s home in New York on Thursday.

But everyone in the Biden camp — from the president to the officials running his social media accounts — sees the moment as ripe for holding up a split screen between Mr. Trump’s current schedule and the president’s.

As Mr. Biden traveled aboard Air Force One to Florida this week, Andrew Bates, a White House spokesman, told reporters to keep their eyes peeled for updates.

“Nobody fall asleep while we talk, please,” Mr. Bates said, an unsubtle reference to reports that Mr. Trump had dozed off in court .

Jennifer Mercieca, an associate professor at Texas A&M University who studies political rhetoric, said that Mr. Trump has often won supporters with his ability to present himself as a strong, authoritative leader, and that he “always tries to define Biden as sleepy, as old, as senile, the opposite of the strong man.”

She said that Mr. Biden was trying to flip the narrative. At a campaign reception in Dallas last month, Mr. Biden told a group of donors a story about a “defeated-looking” man who had complained to the president about a “crushing debt.”

“And I had to look at him and say, ‘Donald, I’m sorry. I can’t help you,’” Mr. Biden said. “I thought about it, but I just couldn’t do it.”

Still, it remains to be seen if this new approach can change the minds that have already been made up.

The former president may be stuck in a courtroom, but according to recent polls, he is still leading in battleground states. (The Biden campaign equates the polls to meaningless noise during a turbulent election season.)

Mr. Biden has also been making comments that draw unwelcome attention to his own tendency to misspeak, exaggerate his past or make public gaffes.

This week he repeated a debunked claim that he used to drive an 18-wheeler truck . On Wednesday, he seemed to read instructions from a teleprompter out loud to his audience, asking them to imagine what the Biden administration and its supporters could do with the next “four more years … pause.”

Mr. Biden also told two campaign audiences that after being shot down during World War II, his uncle might have been eaten by cannibals in Papua New Guinea, angering the island nation’s leaders at a time when the president has been courting them as part of his Indo-Pacific strategy.

But, because it is now April of an election year, the president’s advisers waste no time on explaining the boss’s mistakes, instead throwing them back on his opponent.

“The president had an emotional and, I think, a symbolic moment,” Karine Jean-Pierre, the White House press secretary, said by way of explaining the cannibals comment. She went on to castigate Mr. Trump for calling military veterans “suckers” and “losers.”

Mr. Biden’s advisers say that they are not just making fun of Mr. Trump for their own amusement — they want to highlight policy differences and draw a contrast between the two candidates.

During a campaign speech in Tampa, Fla., on Tuesday, Mr. Biden stayed focused on tying Mr. Trump to laws that have restricted access to abortion and reproductive health care, an issue that is galvanizing for Democrats even as the party remains divided over a range of other matters, from the war in Gaza to border policy.

During his speech, Mr. Biden said Mr. Trump’s name more than a dozen times as he argued for restoring the protections of Roe. Mr. Biden also found a way to make a joke about Mr. Trump’s latest business opportunity.

“He described the Dobbs decision as a ‘miracle,’” Mr. Biden said, referring to the case that sealed Roe’s fate. Then he mocked Mr. Trump’s effort to sell copies of the Bible. “Maybe it’s coming from that Bible he’s trying to sell. Whoa. I almost wanted to buy one just to see what the hell is in it.”

Not every attack landed as cleanly.

“How many times does he have to prove we can’t be trusted?” Mr. Biden said at that rally, presumably meaning to assign the blame to Mr. Trump. The misstep was highlighted throughout the day by conservative media.

On Friday, the Biden campaign capped off the week with an email calling Mr. Trump “the smallest man in the world,” lacing a message with references to songs by the singer Taylor Swift, whose political endorsement the campaign is courting.

Zolan Kanno-Youngs contributed reporting.

Katie Rogers is a White House correspondent. For much of the past decade, she has focused on features about the presidency, the first family, and life in Washington, in addition to covering a range of domestic and foreign policy issues. She is the author of a book on first ladies. More about Katie Rogers

Our Coverage of the 2024 Election

Presidential Race

In an interview with Time magazine , Donald Trump said that he planned to use the military to deport migrants if he wins in November and would not dismiss the possibility of political violence after the election.

President Biden quickly moved to capitalize politically on Trump’s interview with Time magazine, particularly his comments on abortion .

For Biden, the campus unrest over the Gaza war recalls the peace protests of his youth. But this time he cannot easily bypass the turmoil .

Awash in Federal Money:  Across Milwaukee, there is evidence of federal money from laws passed under the Biden administration. The president hopes voters will notice .

Disinformation at the Border:  A flier urging migrants to vote for Biden rocketed around right-wing social media. But was it authentic ?

A Match Made in MAGA:  Senator J.D. Vance of Ohio and Donald Trump Jr. have bonded politically and personally . It’s a relationship that could factor into the former president’s search for a running mate.

A 2024 Political Hothouse : In Arizona, a battle over abortion bans and criminal charges against allies of Trump continue to raise the state’s election-year profile .

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Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban Pose with Teenage Daughters Sunday and Faith at Her AFI Tribute

The 49th AFI Life Achievement Award Gala on Saturday, April 27, marked the first public red carpet event for Kidman and Urban's teenage daughters

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Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban glammed up for their night out in honor of the actress — and were joined by their teenage daughters on the red carpet for the first time!

It was the Bombshell star's time to shine as she was honored at the 49th AFI Life Achievement Award Gala held at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, California on Saturday, April 27.

Posing together on the red carpet, Kidman, 56, wore a custom version of a Balenciaga Fall 24 fitted gown that was embroidered in gold sequins, while her husband sported a black suit with black silk lapels, a white shirt, black tie and black boots.

Sunday Rose , 15, and Faith Margaret , 13, were among family members in attendance with Sunday wearing a floral strapless gown and Faith in a striking coral dress. The actress's niece, Sybella Hawley — who is Kidman's sister Antonia's daughter — also posed with the family of four, wearing a red gown featuring a corset top and draped silk skirt.

During her acceptance speech, the actress praised Urban, 56, her two daughters and her family as a whole, noting that there was an "enormous amount of luck in my life," but adding that, "there's also the most important thing, love."

"Big, big love. And then right there is the love of my life, and the loves of my life. My daughters have never been anywhere publicly with me on a red carpet, tonight was their first night, so they're here, Sunday and Faith."

Kidman noted that her mom wasn't at the event, adding "but they said there's a live stream available for her and she's watching it, so I hope, and that's what I love about technology. And my papa who isn't here, but I feel him every day."

"And then there's all my nieces and nephews and my sissy and my beautiful aunt and her husband, who's our family now. And I am really, this is all because of you, and I love you so much. So there's no place like home, as they say. You're my home. And thank you for flying halfway across the world," she continued.

Stewart Cook/Shutterstock 

Kidman also spoke exclusively with PEOPLE at the gala about what it was like to have Sunday and Faith witness such special moments in her career. 

"You'll have to ask them," she jokingly told PEOPLE. 

"I think they're just like ... they want to get started on their own careers," the actress continued of her daughters, adding,"They are here to support me, and they're very, very supportive and incredibly loving."

Kidman also explained that, while Sunday and Faith had attended the gala to support her, they were especially looking forward to one part of the night.

"We're going to do a post wrap-up at the house late, late tonight," the actress revealed, adding, "There's a party afterwards, and they're like, 'Oh, there's a party?' "

"That's what they're excited about," she teased.

For the event itself, Kidman was surrounded by friends and coworkers who paid tribute to her as she received the honor. Guests included her costars in Big Little Lies, Reese Witherspoon and Meryl Streep , her close friend Naomi Watts and Morgan Freeman , who worked with Kidman on the Paramount series Lioness.

Don Arnold/WireImage

The AFI Life Achievement Award has been presented by the American Film Institute since 1973 to an "individual whose career in motion pictures has greatly contributed to the enrichment of American Culture," the organization's website said.

Kidman recently reflected on her career by sharing a video to Instagram of herself at 14 in her first role — Helen in  Bush Christmas  in 1983. She reflected on receiving the AFI's honor in the caption.

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

"This 14 year old girl could have never predicted all the talented people she would get to work with and the many different characters she would get to play 😱," she wrote in the caption.

"So excited to celebrate with so many friends and peers on Saturday with the @AmericanFilmInstitute xx."

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Electrical Engineering and Systems Science > Audio and Speech Processing

Title: a large-scale evaluation of speech foundation models.

Abstract: The foundation model paradigm leverages a shared foundation model to achieve state-of-the-art (SOTA) performance for various tasks, requiring minimal downstream-specific modeling and data annotation. This approach has proven crucial in the field of Natural Language Processing (NLP). However, the speech processing community lacks a similar setup to explore the paradigm systematically. In this work, we establish the Speech processing Universal PERformance Benchmark (SUPERB) to study the effectiveness of the paradigm for speech. We propose a unified multi-tasking framework to address speech processing tasks in SUPERB using a frozen foundation model followed by task-specialized, lightweight prediction heads. Combining our results with community submissions, we verify that the foundation model paradigm is promising for speech, and our multi-tasking framework is simple yet effective, as the best-performing foundation model shows competitive generalizability across most SUPERB tasks. For reproducibility and extensibility, we have developed a long-term maintained platform that enables deterministic benchmarking, allows for result sharing via an online leaderboard, and promotes collaboration through a community-driven benchmark database to support new development cycles. Finally, we conduct a series of analyses to offer an in-depth understanding of SUPERB and speech foundation models, including information flows across tasks inside the models, the correctness of the weighted-sum benchmarking protocol and the statistical significance and robustness of the benchmark.

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Biden roasts Trump (in a serious way) at annual press dinner

At the white house correspondents’ dinner, the president chuckled at his opponent’s expense but made it clear donald trump is no joke.

There were some 2,600 people at Saturday’s White House Correspondents’ Association dinner. But, really, it came down to only two men: Joe Biden and Donald Trump .

Washington’s annual mashup of political humor and earnest paeans to the free press is typically a good-natured collection of one-liners and affectionate jabs at friends and enemies alike. But it was the leading 2024 presidential contenders who loomed largest — one in the Washington Hilton hotel ballroom, the other who definitely, positively, probably was not watching from Mar-a-Lago. Unless, of course, he was.

“The 2024 election is in full swing and, yes, age is an issue,” President Biden told the black-tie crowd. “I’m a grown man running against a 6-year-old.”

“Can we just acknowledge how refreshing it is,” comedian Colin Jost later added, “to see a president of the United States at an event that doesn’t begin with a bailiff saying, ‘All rise!’”

For most of the evening, Trump ignored the dinner and posted instead about presidential immunity and political witch hunts. Shortly after 1 a.m., he finally chimed in on Truth Social: “The White House Correspondents’ Dinner was really bad. Colin Jost BOMBED, and Crooked Joe was an absolute disaster! Doesn’t get much worse than this!”

So, basically, another day on the campaign trail.

But for the denizens of Washington’s political media, it was a special occasion. The correspondents’ dinner is ostensibly a playful celebration of the codependent relationship between Washington politicians and reporters who spend the rest of the year covering them and deadly serious issues: Trump’s legal trials, looming uncertainty about what will happen in November (and beyond), the Ukraine war, the Israel-Gaza war .

It proved hard to put all that aside for the night. Especially Gaza. Pro-Palestinian protesters surrounded the entrance outside of the hotel, shouting chants such as, “Western media, you can’t hide! We charge you with genocide!” and confronting guests arriving to the dinner in their tuxedos and gowns. Some attendees were followed by tight circles of protesters yelling “Shame!” inches from their faces until they could get behind police.

“I came in through a different entrance, so I didn’t hear exactly what they are chanting,” said Rep. Maxwell Frost (D-Fla.), running up an escalator to the lobby. “But there are tens of thousands of people being blown to bits in Gaza, so I understand why they are protesting. I stand with the movement — depending on what they are saying.”

The experience of walking the gantlet of activists seemed to have left a lot of people somewhat stunned. But inside the ballroom, it was all smiles and hugs and back slaps.

Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.) charmed everyone, wearing a big smile and a “FREE EVAN” pin in honor of Evan Gershkovich, the Wall Street Journal reporter imprisoned in Russia. Rep. Jared Moskowitz (D-Fla.) gave a report on his own encounter with the protesters outside: “I asked them about what was happening in Sudan. And they yelled louder. And then I asked them about the concentration camps full of Uyghurs. And they yelled louder. And then I went inside.” Olivia Nuzzi, a political reporter for New York Magazine, got off a presidential zinger of her own: “I can’t hear a thing in here — I feel like Biden.”

Biden’s own zingers were directed almost entirely at his opponent.

“Trump’s so desperate, he started reading those Bibles he’s selling,” the president said. “Then he got to the First Commandment: ‘You shall have no other gods before me.’ That’s when he put it down and said, ‘This book’s not for me.’”

But the president soon dispensed with the yuks and pivoted to what felt like a stump speech about the clear and present danger posed by Trump and his movement. He called on the journalists in the room to report “truth over lies.” He implored them to move past the election horse race stories and focus on American democracy. “The stakes couldn’t be higher,” he said. No punchline.

Officially, the evening is nonpartisan, and the only toast of the night goes to the sitting president, regardless of party affiliation. Unofficially, the dinner has always been perceived as a hotbed of Washington elites who lean left, regardless of media affiliation.

Trump, who was famously roasted by President Barack Obama at the 2011 dinner , never attended the event as president. His relentless criticism of the mainstream media caused many news organizations to threaten a boycott of the dinner in 2017; Trump announced that he would not attend. He skipped two following years and even counterprogrammed with a MAGA rally instead. The party soldiered on, reinforcing a commitment to the role of a free press in a democracy, and many breathed a not-so-discreet sigh of relief when the crowd resumed in 2022 after the worst of the pandemic with Biden carrying the torch.

The only Trump spotted at this year’s festivities was daughter-in-law Lara Trump, recently crowned co-chair of the Republican National Committee. Her father-in-law wasn’t in the building, but comic impressionist Matt Friend emerged from the crowd with a Trump impersonation — as well as sendups of Bernie Sanders, Mitch McConnell and Obama. He also made the first (and, surprisingly, only) dead-dog joke of the night.

“I am killing this dinner harder than Kristi Noem kills the puppies,” Friend said in his Trump voice, riffing off the news that the Republican governor of South Dakota, in a forthcoming book, admits to shooting her 14-month-old dog because she was “untrainable” and aggressive.

Let’s face it: It’s a tough room for a comedian. Jost, co-anchor of “Saturday Night Live’s” “Weekend Update,” sat at the head table next to the president and nearby first lady Jill Biden, Vice President Harris, second gentleman Doug Emhoff and WHCA President Kelly O’Donnell, senior White House correspondent for NBC News. His speech came after Biden’s and felt like one of his SNL bits: Some jokes got laughs, others landed awkwardly.

There were a few jabs at Biden, a “decent” man who Jost said reminds him of his beloved grandfather, a Staten Island firefighter. There were also some uneven one-liners about the press, but the press never laughs at itself, so it’s hard to know whether they were good or bad jokes.

Jost took several swipes at the former president, too: “I love that Trump’s two attacks on Biden are that he’s a senile old man and a criminal mastermind. I think you’ve got to pick one. Personally, I don’t know any criminal masterminds who bike to get ice cream.” On the courtroom drawings that have emerged from the trials: “Every sketch of Trump looks like the Grinch had sex with the Lorax.”

Jost brought the evening’s most glamorous celebrity: movie star Scarlett Johansson, whom he married in 2020. What started a century ago as an annual gathering of reporters and their subjects morphed into the “Nerd Prom” about 35 years ago — a red carpet extravaganza where news organizations battle to host administration officials, Hollywood A-listers, corporate heavyweights and anyone else basking in their 15 minutes of fame. Within the throngs are a few people who actually work as White House correspondents.

With some exceptions, this year’s guest list fell solidly into B-list territory: Jon Hamm, Chris Pine, Keri Russell, Molly Ringwald, Rosario Dawson, Jon Cryer, Caitlyn Jenner, Billy Porter, Lorne Michaels.

Before the speeches, the WHCA handed out its awards for excellence. The award for overall excellence went to Barak Ravid of Axios, Peter Baker of the New York Times received the print award for deadline reporting, and Tamara Keith of NPR received the broadcast award in the same category — all singled out for stories following Hamas’s Oct. 7 attack in Israel. Doug Mills of the Times got the award for visual journalism for a striking photo of Biden, and the award for courage and accountability went to The Washington Post for coverage on the impact of assault rifles and mass shootings .

The evening ended, as it always does: with an impassioned defense of democracy and the critical role of the press in preserving it.

Jost had his own thoughts about the media. “Your words speak truth to power. Your words bring light to the darkness.” Then he paused and grinned, “And most importantly, your words train the AI programs that will soon replace you.”

Biden ended with a toast of his own: “To a free press. To an informed citizenry. To an America where freedom and democracy endure. God bless America.”

Ben Terris, Jesús Rodríguez, Will Sommer, Jeremy Barr and Kara Voght contributed to this report.

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