ABSTRACT
Styles of delivery have been a central concern of public speaking theory and research since classical times. Commonly accepted aspects of delivery tend to include styles of delivery, elements of verbal and nonverbal delivery, methods of practice and preparation, and the use of presentational aids to supplement speech delivery. However, scholarship is increasingly questioning the universality and success of this “canon” of delivery. In this chapter, we review the key concerns of delivery in public speaking theory and pedagogy. We then turn to scholarship that has offered important critiques of, and contributions to, the way we teach and understand delivery in public speaking theory and pedagogy, with specific attention to postcolonial critiques of delivery and the influence of race, gender/sexuality, and disability on speech delivery.
