Delivery in Practice

       Like any art, Delivery takes a lot of skill and practice. Effective delivery does not happen overnight. Even the best orators spend hours practicing their presentations, perfecting their speeches, and improving their delivery. Think about your peers that do Extemp, Impromptu, Oratory, and all Individual Speech events. They spend hours practicing the same speech over and over, not simply to memorize a speech, but to deliver it well. Working on your communication will help your speaking style be as persuasive as your arguments. The large pool of community judges in PF will often use delivery as the deciding factor in a decision. Even a flow judge will be influenced by your delivery. Every debater should work on delivery because it determines the confidence and clarity in your speech.

       Before jumping in to practical tips on Delivery, it is important to realize that great delivery requires thorough knowledge of your material. Knowledge equates to knowing and understanding your own arguments, effectively organizing and citing your evidence, and flowing the round. Your delivery skills will not decide debate rounds. Delivery combined with knowledgeable argumentation will positively affect the judge’s reception of your case.

Now we’ll look to the two components of Delivery that are at work in any speech: Verbal and Nonverbal communication.

Verbal Communication

Organization: In order for your audience to understand and follow your speech, you need to organize your thoughts. At the most basic level, you want to make sure you explain things step by step, provide evidence immediately after a claim, group common ideas, and explain complicated ideas. At the speech level, you want to build in transition language. Clear verbal cues should organize your speech for the judge and for yourself. Transition words help you keep things in order, but moreover serve the audience. This allows the audience to know when you are moving on to a new idea, continuing a thought, or coming to your conclusion. Example transition words are as follows: moreover, however, on the other hand, first… second… third…, generally… furthermore… finally, therefore, in conclusion, in other words, etc. At a higher level, you want to use organizational structures. You want to number your arguments, use taglines or titles to name arguments, and repeat these structures to impress them in the judge’s memory.

You should also use preview statements. These should go at the beginning of the speech and list the ideas or arguments you will discuss in the order you will discuss them. A preview statement acts like a table of contents for your speech, alerting the judge to the flow of ideas and setting clear expectations and goals for the speech. An example is as follows: “The three central ideas of the debate are long term economic stability, short term costs, and the creation of jobs. I will demonstrate how the PRO team achieves the best outcomes for these three areas.”

Roadmaps are commonly used before a speech starts. These are preview statements made off time and more often than not will reference which side of the debate will be discussed in what order. For example: “Off-time roadmap: I will refute the Con’s case and then move to our arguments.” Generally, roadmaps don’t introduce new or crucial information. Unlike in Policy or Lincoln-Douglas debate where there are multiple options for the order of arguments, PF has a standard way of addressing the arguments presented. Unless you are using an unconventional organizational structure in your speech, I would advise against using a roadmap. The one exception would be in front of a brand new judge who doesn’t know what’s going on. If your judge has any experience, the roadmap will be annoying and a waste of his or her patience.

Conviction/Tone: You want to use professional language and tone. This means you want to address the judge as you would a teacher at school, not as you would a friend at lunch. Speaking with conviction means speaking with genuine care and interest in what you are saying. If you don’t sound interested, how will you convince your judge that he or she should be? Sleepy speakers beget sleepy judges. Bored speakers beget bored judges. You should also consider your inflection, or how you accent words so they don’t sound monotone. This is most important when you are reading your case or evidence – make sure your voice travels up and down and doesn’t stay flat. Monotone speech will lose the judge’s focus and often lulls the judge into a mental fog. Monotone speech will prevent the judge from engaging with your arguments and makes listening difficult.

Volume: This is the difference between being heard and being understood. Many people present great arguments that are too quiet to be heard or too loud to be taken well. You want to speak at a comfortable volume for you and the judge. Archbishop Desmond Tutu quoted his father who said, “Don’t raise your voice. Improve your argument.” Loud debaters announce their argument’s lack of substance and meaning. Louder does not make your argument better. Never get into a yelling match with your opponent if he or she increases volume. Keep your volume at the same level. Also make sure you speak loud enough to be heard, especially in CROSS-FIRE. Practice speaking with your partner in spaces where you will debate to work on volume.

One thing to note is the difference between volume and projection. Volume is how loud or soft you are. Projection is how your voice carries throughout the room. You feel volume in your throat and projection in your stomach or diaphragm. You want to project your voice by “speaking to the back of the room”. Try to envision your voice traveling past the judge. Good projection will give you more clarity.

Pacing: You want to speak at a conversational pace. This means you have fluency but you are not speaking rapidly. PF is beginning to get faster and I caution against letting this become the norm. With community judges present, you need to make sure your pacing matches the judge’s ability to follow arguments. You can adapt your pacing to your judge, but the normal speed of PF is conversational.

Filler Words: Cut out filler words (um, uh), “like”, and any other word that gets worn out from overuse.  Filler words are annoying and also take away from your credibility and word economy. Have someone listen to you speak and catch these words. Let them tell you every time it happens – become aware of filler words in your speech. Cutting out filler words takes diligent practice and a conscious effort to change. Eliminating these words will immediately make you sound more keep polished and professional.

Articulation: Don’t let a great argument get jumbled. Stay away from words you can’t pronounce, but also make sure you are articulating clearly. This involves giving adequate space between words and sentences, but also enunciating your syllables. Exercises to help with articulation include: the straw drill (place a straw between your upper and lower teeth and read your speech), high/low (every other word switch the pitch of your voice), insert a vowel or consonant between each word (so “a” your “a” speech “a” would “a” sound “a” like “a” this “a”), or read your speech backwards. These drills are generally used in Policy to increase reading speed, but they all build skills applicable to any speaking event. Of course do these drills in practice and never apply during an actual debate!

The Pause: Most people assume that pausing while you speak is inherently bad. Wrong! Stopping in the middle of your speech and standing there for an extended period of time, well, that is something to work on by building knowledge of arguments. Pausing, on the other hand, can be used in positive ways. Pause and think before you speak if necessary. Don’t feel the need for speed. The worst way to continue a speech is a chain of “Uhh,” “Well,” or “So…” If you need a moment to gather your thoughts or simply to take a deep breath, take a moment! Clarity is everything. Don’t rush or fill the awkward space with filler words. Collect your thoughts and then give your polished answer. Pausing can help you regain your calm and allows you stop when you are done with an idea, rather than rambling in a way that doesn’t help your argument. Pausing can also emphasize what you say after the pause, catching a distracted judge’s attention or simply calling attention to the importance of your statement without saying that it is important outright.

Humor: Laughter generally does not belong in a debate round. Do your best to never laugh at your opponent, even if the judge does. It is always better to smile. The only acceptable laughter would be at yourself if you make a mistake – it is better to make light of it and correct the error rather than let your opponent take advantage of the mistake.

Attempts to use humor as part of your argument are tricky. You never know how a judge will take a joke. Humor carries the risk of offending or confusing your judge. Sarcasm can be deadly for debaters because its success is wholly dependent on the judge picking up on and understanding the sarcastic comment. Sarcasm is also based on mockery and contempt, and therefore borders on attacking your opponent. Rather than make fun of your opponent, you should counter their argument. The safest route is to avoid humor unless you direct it at yourself.

Use of Time: Do not go over your allotted time. Always have a timekeeping device that you can see while you speak. If you don’t keep track of your time it will be difficult to use your speech time effectively. When the timer goes off, respect the judge and your opponent by ending your speech. If you have to end a sentence, do so, but do not introduce a new idea or continue speaking into a new sentence. Timing your opponent will also keep them accountable to the time constraints. If your timer goes off and they are still speaking, however, do not let it continue going off. Let it beep and then clear it so you don’t annoy the judge. One beep alerts the judge and your opponent to time. You will find advice on how to manage your time in each speech specific chapter.

Reading: Reading refers to delivering your case and speaking off of your flow. If your delivery relies on reading, you risk becoming monotone, not projecting to the judge, and not articulating your speech well. Moreover, reading removes your key connection to the judge – eye contact. Eye contact keeps the judge’s attention and pulls him or her into the debate. The more you cut off eye contact, the more energy your speech will lose for the judge. To read from your case or flow too much also ignores the judge’s physical presence in the room. Try and make as much eye contact with the judge as possible. See the advice about eye contact on page 47. It is conventional to read your case. However, you should be familiar enough with the content so that you can look up frequently. You want to use your flow as a jumping off place. 

If you are going to have papers in your hands, use a hard surface such as a binder or folder beneath your papers. You do not want your papers flopping around and making noise while you speak.

Rehearse and be spontaneous. The best speakers practice their arguments before the tournament. This does not mean arguments are memorized. Memorization usually takes away liveliness in your voice and also prevents you from adapting your arguments to the round. You should practice explaining your arguments, responding to arguments, and discussing the topic so that your delivery is fluid in round. Figuring out effective examples, diction, and presentation of arguments before the round are the best rehearsal for actual debates. Remember that whatever your practice, the round is different and requires adaptation. The events that involve memorization don’t require the speaker to adapt to an opponent. Practice before debating and be flexible in round for the best delivery.

Nonverbal Communication

Make sure you don’t ignore nonverbal communication in your practice and preparation. This can define your connection or lack of connection with the judge, can amplify your debating skills or distract from your arguments.

Confidence:  Be confident when you walk in the room, as you debate, and as you leave. Confidence will determine your first impression on the judge as well as how you come across throughout the round. Part of being confident is recognizing your ability to debate. Practice, preparation, and research should make you confident in your arguments.

Part of being confident is also accepting that you will make mistakes. If you accept that the round will not go perfectly, you will handle mistakes better when they happen. I am a firm believer that the mistakes that debaters perceive in their speaking are not proportionate to the judge’s perception. The debater is the only one who knows what he or she wanted to say – all the judge knows is what was said. It is like playing a piece of classical music for an audience. The musician will have heard the song hundreds of times and know what “perfect” is. The audience will hear the song and will only know a mistake was made if the musician announces it through their facial expression, long pausing, or demeanor. Don’t announce your mistakes – just keep debating.

Confidence is not arrogance. Confidence is quiet and consistent while arrogance is loud and announces itself.

Body Language: Body language is the majority of nonverbal communication. It’s often said that nonverbal communication is up to 90% of how we communicate. Debating, therefore, should always include an awareness of body language. To work on body language, be conscious of your natural movements and use mirrors or the help of others to observe your delivery. Topics 3-8 cover the specific aspects of body language.

Posture: You want to stand tall and straight, rather than hunch over your papers or a lectern. Hunching speaks to lack of confidence and hinders the projection of your voice. Good posture projects confidence and gives clarity to your voice. Your body position is open to the audience. You wouldn’t speak to a wall – for the same reason you want to position your body towards the judge. Good posture also helps with projection.

You also want to be careful of unnecessary swaying or shifting your weight while speaking. The judge can read these movements as anxiety or agitation. The best way to avoid shifting your weight is to plant your feet about shoulder width apart before you begin speaking, your feet even or one slightly in front of the other. This stance prevents distracting movements as long as you keep your feet on the ground. Do not position yourself as if you are about to sprint the 50-yard dash.

Eye contact: Poets say the eyes are the gateway to the soul. While that may or may not be true, eyes are most definitely the gateway to connecting with your audience. You should strive to make as much eye contact with the judge(s) as possible; at minimum make eye contact with the judge at the beginning and end of your speech as well as the points you find most important. Eye contact makes the judge feel involved in the debate and acknowledged. You are not trying to persuade your opponent, in fact, there’s almost a 100% chance you are not going to convince your opponent that they are wrong. This means you should not be looking at or trying to make eye contact with your opponent. Eyes on the prize –  the judge’s ballot. The exception would be for brief glances at your opponent in CROSS-FIRE. This is further discussed in the CROSS-FIRE chapter.

Don’t laugh at your opponent, roll your eyes, or use any other nonverbal signs that are unfit for a professional setting. It is fine to laugh off your mistakes, but you should always react and respond to your opponents with consideration and respect. Often reactionary nonverbal gestures are taken worse than unprofessional statements. Rudeness can lose a ballot for even the best debaters.

Hands: Hands deserve special attention while debating. Your hands accent or detract from your speaking. If you are seated at a table or in a chair, you want to rest your hands comfortably when you aren’t using them. When standing, allow them to rest loosely at your sides (not standing at soldierly attention) or lightly together in front of you (not a vice grip or choir grip), but not behind your back (you will look like you don’t have arms). As you speak, you want your hands to move naturally and with variety. Counting off with your fingers will get old fast. Common and acceptable hand movements can look like sweeping the floor or halting traffic if used repeatedly. I suggest watching other debaters for ideas and adopt hand movements that feel comfortable to you.

A good rule for the range of your hand movements is to keep them in the “box”.  The box is vertically from your shoulders to your waist and horizontally where your arms extend but still maintain a bend at the elbow. This is the area of normal, non-aggressive, non-awkward hand movements. Just think – if your hands are above your head, you look like you may attack. If your hands are wide to the sides, you look out of control. If your hands are below your waist, there is a good chance they cannot be seen or if they can, movements appear awkward.

Actively listen to your opponent! Believe it or not, the judge can tell when you are listening to your opponent or partner through your body language. Active listening emphasizes your presence and engagement in the round for the judge even when you are not speaking. If you give “feedback” by occasionally nodding your head, taking notes, and looking at the speaker, you are being an active listener. If you rustle papers, look absentmindedly at the ceiling, check your cell phone, or look anywhere but the speaker, judge, or your notes, you are not conveying active listening. You probably aren’t listening if you are doing those things. You should listen and flow at all times.

Be calm. Even if you are nervous, practicing calm body language can help quiet your nerves. In any case, those with the most polished and professional nonverbal communication are those who are calm in a debate. Calm means you are in control of your body language. You convey confidence and professionalism in your nonverbal communication. While you may think calm is the antithesis of debate. Calm does not mean you lose conviction or effective argumentation. Judges, especially those without debate experience, often look for ways to give a loss rather than assign a win. If you communicate a lack of confidence, nervousness, or anxiety, the judge may feel that you think you have lost. Therefore, giving you the loss will not cause as much stress for the judge. Consider this when you do think you are losing and remember the value of body language telling the judge otherwise.