There are probably as many methods of delivery as there are public speakers. Each orator has his own way of going about the business of delivering a talk. Whatever the method, the audience will want to discover it. In general, the audience will find out whether the speech is delivered from memory, from manuscript, or extempore; and, if the latter, whether the man spoke with or without notes. The orator’s notes, when obtainable, also throw light upon the total portrait of a speaker.
They give some hint as to the way in which ideas are integrated; how effectively the orator controls the details; and how he adapts a previously prepared plan to the exigencies of a particular audience situation. The orator’s own reflections on his method, when obtainable, are of real service. Some orators, for instance, use extempore method of delivery; they neither write the speech in full nor commit it to memory. However, they frequently write out and memorize their introductions and conclusions, as well as selected illustrations in the body of certain speeches.
A second inquiry which may yield interesting information on the ways of an orator is: Do the speaker’s physical characteristics contribute to his effectiveness? There has been some disposition to build up a stereotype of the orator as a large, imposing-looking person. Presumably it is felt that a man of majestic mien has a better chance of success with the fluctuating behavior of audiences than a man of less attractive bearing. Thus certain orators “looked their part”; prominently mentioned among them are Bryan, Chatham, Bright, La Follette, Webster, and Phillips.
The way an orator looks–the way he impresses his hearers as a physical specimen-is an accessory. Stephen Douglas was a short man, but his oratory was not correspondingly diminutive. And Edmund Burke “derived little or no advantage from his personal qualifications.