To achieve effective delivery, speakers need to tailor their speech to their own strengths and weaknesses by gaining experience, engaging in self-critiques, listening to the advice of others, and experimenting and making the necessary changes.

Good delivery involves, first and foremost, achieving a conversational quality. But, the bottom line is, "Does your delivery effectively do what you intend it to do?"

The four ways of delivering a speech are speaking impromptu, with very little preparation; speaking from a manuscript; speaking from memory; and speaking extemporaneously, from notes.

Speakers should concentrate on what they wear and on their body movement, eye contact, gestures, and posture so that they appear at their very best and, thus, their appearance does not distract in any way from their message. Speakers should also pay special attention to volume, pace, pitch and inflection, and enunciation.

Visuals help hold attention and clarify information. Common types of visual support include the actual object, models, chalkboards and whiteboards, posters, diagrams, charts, tables, graphs, computer-generated graphics, PowerPoint presentations, videos, and handouts. When using visual support, make sure that it can be easily seen, enhances the speech rather than overpowers it, and never takes the place of the speaker but reinforces and underscores the content of the message.

One key to reducing nervousness is to think of delivering your speech as a communication task, not as a performance. Other ways include dressing in comfortable clothes, practicing positive self-talk, being well prepared, concentrating on your message, picturing yourself doing well, and remembering your audience is composed of people like you.

The final step in getting ready to deliver a speech is to rehearse it. Your rehearsal should include saying the speech out loud, imagining an actual audience, checking the speech for clarity and organization, and checking its length.

The Internet offers a wide range of practical information about both delivery and stress management.