The delivery section is one area on the score sheet that fluctuates significantly. Students often gain and lose points depending on how they are feeling on the day or how the interviewer conducts the test.
Keep in mind that G.B.C. scores are phrased in the negative, for example, “Gestures were weak or non-existent.” To make the scores easy to understand, you can simply take out the negative language. Just think about keyword—in this case, gestures.
Gestures
- Moving your hands when you speak is normal for most English speakers, so don't keep them still like a statue.
- On the other hand, you shouldn't move your hands all the time.
- Strong gestures are typically used to drive your point home or show nuance
- For more detail, see Speaking Test Strategies lesson 21.
Eye contact
- Like gestures, you should also make eye contact sometimes, especially while listening. But, don’t overdo it.
- If you make too much eye contact, you will seem creepy. Rather, make eye contact to check for understanding or drive a point home.
- The general rule is to make eye contact about half the time.
Non-word sounds
- Sounds like, um, uh, hmmm are only okay in very small amounts.
- You can use non-word sounds to introduce an answer: “hmm, yes. I think so.”
- Many students have a bad habit of using non-word sounds too much. You can work on them with your teacher using Speaking Test Strategies lesson 7.
Nervousness
- It’s very tough to not seem nervous during a stressful test.
- Do your best to hold your head still while listening.
- Don’t fidget, don’t rush, and try to breathe deeply.
- There are a number of other useful pieces of advice in Speaking Test Strategies lesson 6.
Vocal clarity
- Speaking clearly is important. That does not mean you have to say every single word clearly. Don't. Speak. Like. This.
- Rather, speak in longer chunks. When you have a long sentence, regardless of the contents, show your listener which words are key words.
- The best textbook to study vocal clarity is Clear Speech.
Animation/enthusiasm
- Get excited in your own way. You can still seem relatively calm, but try to use varied intonation, gestures, eye contact and clear key words to show enthusiasm.
- Most TED speakers are great examples.
- There’s a lot more information in Speaking Test Strategies lesson 9.
How do you improve?
With your teacher, pick one point and practice it a lot. Low scores mean you can’t produce that point under pressure. It's not easy to do. It takes time and effort to improve.
However, if you can improve your delivery, you will be a better speaker in general. Delivery especially helps your presentations and speaking to a group. Nobody wants to listen to a nervous person who says "Um" and "Uh" and completely lacks enthusiasm. So, start practising strong delivery now.
