“Never speak from a manuscript.” Those were the words my public speaking professor drilled into us in college. She led us to believe it was perhaps the worst thing we could do. And for many, it probably was. But for me, when I stood up to speak, I needed the words. All the words. I wasn’t going to read them verbatim, but just having them there gave me a boost of confidence during my presentation delivery.
Many people just end up reading the notes in front of them, so having a manuscript isn’t a good idea for lots of speakers. But how do you choose? When it comes time to deliver your big presentation, you have at least 4 major delivery styles you can choose from: memorized, manuscript, impromptu, and extemporaneous. Each of these styles has advantages and disadvantages that you’ll want to weigh when choosing which style to use.
Memorized
Memorized delivery is perhaps one of the toughest there is. Way, way back at the beginning of the field of public speaking (rhetoric), memorization was one of the 5 main components. So students of public speaking were incredibly skilled in the art of memorization and their memorization skills were put to the test as they recited long orations.
But communication has changed a lot. These days audience members like to feel like they are part of the message in some way, like their presence matters. But memorized delivery doesn’t allow for much interactivity because it makes it difficult to establish “a perception of give and take between the audience and the speaker.”
But that doesn’t mean there aren’t instances when memorization is good choice for delivery. If you are giving a press release or delivering an incredibly important speech that will be recorded and shared, it can be good idea to memorize what you want to say. Just keep in mind how difficult it can be to commit to memory long works. Make sure to leave yourself enough time to both learn the piece and then to learn how to deliver it naturally. Here are the advantages and disadvantages of memorized delivery as outlined in the book Between One and Many.
Advantages
- Allows for constant eye contact with the audience
- Gives more freedom of movement
- Allows for precise and correct wording
Disadvantages
- Easy to forget
- Appears “canned” and cold
- Requires extensive preparation time
- Does not allow for spontaneity
Manuscript
Delivering from a manuscript is similar in many ways to memorized delivery. In this case, you have your presentation written out word-for-word on speaker’s notes that you then reference or read from during your presentation. Manuscript delivery can be useful if you need word precision but don’t have time to commit your presentation to memory.
It can also help if you’ll be delivering words that someone else wrote. We see this style most frequently today through the use of teleprompters that are used for newscasts and many political speeches. Every president since Ronald Reagan has made use of the teleprompter, which makes sense given that every word they utter will inevitably come under scrutiny.
Just remember that manuscript delivery is all about offering a comfortable experience for the speaker—taking the pressure off of him/her. But it doesn’t offer much to audience in the way of entertaining delivery or eye contact. So you’ll want to weigh the risk of boring or losing your audience with the reward of an “easier” delivery style which has these advantages and disadvantages:
Advantages
- Accuracy and precision
- Transcript can be released quickly/simultaneously
- Less pressure to read than to deliver
- Allows for high control over outcome
Disadvantages
- Allows for limited eye contact
- Tends toward written rather than oral style
- Can be easy to lose your place
Impromptu
Impromptu delivery is speaking with little to no preparation. It is “winging it” or speaking “off the cuff.” I know very few accomplished speakers who would willingly choose to use this delivery style. Even those speakers who feel energized by the thrill of impromptu delivery and can perform well under that kind of pressure know that preparation and practice will always result in a better end product.
For that reason, we never encourage a speaker to make impromptu delivery his or her chosen method of delivery. But you may need to deliver an impromptu message if the situation arises–like a job interview question you weren’t expecting, being put on the spot in a meeting, or having to fill in if the prepared speaker is unable to make it. In those cases, keep these advantages and disadvantages in mind.
Advantages
- Allows for spontaneity
- Allows for lots of eye contact
- Gives speaker freedom to adapt freely to any given context/situation
Disadvantages
- No time to prepare
- Can lead to high levels of anxiety
- Allows for low control over outcome
Extemporaneous
The final presentation delivery method is the one we recommend and use most frequently. Extemporaneous delivery can be defined as practiced and prepared, but flexible. The story of “Goldilocks and the 3 Bears” can help us here. With memorized and manuscript delivery, we are in Papa Bear territory where everything feels a bit too rigid, too hard, too confining. Impromptu delivery is Mama Bear’s stuff–too mushy and too soft. But with extemporaneous delivery, like Goldilocks finding Baby Bear’s possessions, there’s a happy medium. It feels just right.
So how does it work? With extemporaneous delivery, you develop your content–researching, editing, and revising until you get it right. Then, you move into the practice and preparation stage. Here’s where you’ve got flexibility for how you handle it. Some people like to practice from a nearly complete manuscript—hitting the main points, referencing notes as needed, but allowing for varied phrasing as it naturally occurs.
Others might prefer to practice from a very scant outline. So instead of having a story written out word-for-word, they might prefer just to have “tell story about first day on the job” written in their notes. This doesn’t mean that they don’t practice telling the story over and over again. It just means the words aren’t on the page directing them to tell it exactly the same every time. Your speaker’s notes should always come down to your personal preference.
The goal of extemporaneous speaking is to marry the best of memorized and manuscript delivery—the ability to use beautiful and precise language that moves the audience—with the best of impromptu delivery—the ability to deliver a message with warmth and character. And we know from research that both precision and warmth matter to the audience. Scientific research shows that speakers who use great eye contact come off as more “believable, confident and competent.” That said, here are the advantages and disadvantages of this, our favorite style:
Advantages
- Combines the best of preparation and spontaneity
- Allows speaker to use notes but also maintain regular eye contact
- Allows speaker to be both adaptable and precise
Disadvantages
- Overuse of notes can limit eye contact and gestures
When I deliver, I use an extemporaneous style. I don’t read what I’ve written word-for-word, but I like to have notes prepared like I was going to deliver from a manuscript. You may be like me and find a system that is a mix of categories that works for you. There may be parts of your presentation that you want to have memorized so you get the words exactly right. And you may want to deliver other parts of your speech more freeform, having prepared and practiced, but feeling free to change things up if the context or mood of the moment calls for it.
Whatever you decide, keep working and adapting and trying to new methods to find what works best for you. And realize that there will probably be situations in which time constraints or other factors keep you from being able to practice, prepare, and deliver like you’d prefer to. That’s okay. That’s the beauty of presentation delivery. It’s a little bit different every time. But it’s always a worthwhile adventure.
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