Delivery Matters: Voice, Pace, Eye Contact and Gestures

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Communications and Media · Speech and Debate
SP-SPEECH-002 · Free to print and use in your classroom · substituteplans.com
Page 2
Delivery Matters: Voice, Pace, Eye Contact and
Gestures
Communications and Media · Speech and Debate · Grades 9-10 · 50 minutes
Time needed
50 minutes (one class period)
Prep
Copy the 2-page worksheet (one per student). No other prep is needed.
Technology
None.
Student
independence
High. Students work silently on paper. Partner reading is optional.
Copies to make
One 2-page worksheet per student
Materials
Pencils, Worksheet
Goal for today: Students will describe how voice, pace, eye contact and gestures change a speech and will mark a
short script for pauses and emphasis.
Before the bell
☐ Copy the worksheet, one per student (2 pages).
☐ Write on the board: VOICE (volume, pace, pitch, pauses) and BODY (eye contact, posture, gestures).
☐ Keep the answer key (page after the worksheet) on your desk. Questions 8–10 are open-ended and the key
gives samples.
Say this to start
Good morning! Today is about how a speech is delivered, not just what it says. Two people can say the same words
and the audience may react very differently. You will read notes from an observer, match common delivery problems
to fixes, and mark a short script on paper. No one has to speak in front of the class. Please work quietly and on your
own.

SubstitutePlans.com
Communications and Media · Speech and Debate
SP-SPEECH-002 · Free to print and use in your classroom · substituteplans.com
Page 3
Run of show
Minutes
What you do
What students do
0–5
Take attendance the way the school requires. Hand out the
worksheet and read the two board lines aloud.
Settle in and read the title and directions.
5–13
Ask a volunteer to read “Delivery Basics” aloud. Ask the
class for one example of a speaker they remember (a
teacher, a coach, a family member) and what made them
easy to listen to.
Follow along and share one example if they
like.
13–22
Tell students to read the observer notes and complete the
comparison table.
Fill in what each speaker did and which was
more effective.
22–32
Tell students to complete questions 1–7 (matching and
multiple choice).
Match the problems to the fixes and answer
the questions.
32–46
Tell students to complete questions 8–10. Students mark
the script with pauses (a slash) and emphasis (underline),
then write a delivery goal. Partners may quietly read the
script aloud in a whisper to test their markings.
Mark the script and write a goal for
themselves.
46–50
Collect all worksheets and stack them for the teacher.
Hand in the worksheet.
If things go wrong
• If a student is nervous about reading aloud, tell them reading aloud is optional. They can mark the script
silently.
• If students mock a style described in the notes, remind them the speakers are invented and the point is to
learn what helps listeners.
• If students ask which markings to use, tell them a slash (/) for a pause and an underline for words to stress.
• If students finish early, use the early finisher list.
Early finishers
• Write a one-sentence tip for a speaker who talks too fast.
• Choose any sentence from the script and mark it two different ways. Explain how the meaning changes.
• List three body-language habits that distract an audience.
Support and challenge
• Support: Let students complete the table, questions 1–5 and question 8 only.
• Challenge: Ask students to write a short script of their own (3 sentences) and mark it for pauses and
emphasis.

SubstitutePlans.com
Communications and Media · Speech and Debate
SP-SPEECH-002 · Free to print and use in your classroom · substituteplans.com
Page 4
Notes for the teacher (you fill this in)
Jot a few lines before you leave. A full Daily Sub Report is in the free Sub Survival Kit at SubstitutePlans.com.
How far the class got / what to pick up next:
Students who were especially helpful:
Anything the teacher should know: