Unit of 1 - Public Speaking Tips for the Soft Voice

tbrant writes "Whether you are making a presentation at a conference table, asked to be part of a panel discussion, or the keynote speaker at a trade event... we all need some public speaking skills. A soft voice... something many women take pride in... can make you unintelligible.

SOFT SPEAKER RX
by Susan Berkley

Public speaking can be especially challenging for those who are naturally soft spoken. Your content might be wonderful and your desire to share with the audience strong, but if the audience has to strain to hear you, or if they can't hear you at all, you've got a problem.

The most obvious solution is to use a microphone to amplify your voice (I'll have some quick tips on that in a future issue of "Great Speaking"). But there are many speaking situations (such as a class room or a conference room) where a microphone is neither available nor appropriate.

When speaking without a mic if you are not being heard, you may think it's because you are not projecting your voice or speaking loudly enough. But actually, projection and volume may be only part of the problem.

I suggest doing a systems check on these four areas:

ARTICULATION/PRONUNCIATION
VOCAL VOLUME LEVEL
VOICE PROJECTION
THE WAY YOU FEEL ABOUT YOURSELF

1.ARTICULATION/PRONUNCIATION

There is a difference between not being heard (being inaudible) and not being understood (being unintelligible). Sometimes people confuse the two. Unintelligibility may be caused by problems with articulation and pronunciation. People with poor articulation can sound throaty because their tongue is pulled too far back, or they may sound muffled because they don't move their tongue enough when they speak. Both problems affect our ability to be understood. Make sure your tongue is positioned toward the front of your mouth and that you use your tongue to clearly enunciate your words. For severe articulation problems, consult a licensed speech pathologist.

If you mispronounce your words you will also have a difficult time being understood. Brush up on pronunciation skills by consulting a good pronouncing dictionary. At the Merriam Webster website you can actually hear how many words are supposed to be pronounced in standard American English. Try this cool feature at http://www.m-w.com/

2. CONTROLLING VOCAL VOLUME

Imagine that your voice has a volume knob with five settings:

1-WHISPER
2-SOFT
3-CONVERSATIONAL
4-LOUD
5-YELL

For normal and healthy conversational speech, do not use volume levels 1 or 5. Both can strain the voice. Yell only in an emergency and save your whispers for the library, theatre or bedroom.

Strive to speak most of the time at volume level 3. Use levels 2 and 3 for color, emphasis and variety. A conversational level will differ with each situation. To be heard it must be adjusted so that we are speaking at a level that is slightly louder than the background noise around us. There is much more background noise, for example, in a crowded restaurant than in a quiet conference room.

3. PROJECTING THE VOICE

Volume level should not be confused with projection. To project the voice, don't try to yell or force it out of your body. This causes strain. To have a voice that carries well, you must use your body's natural resonators.

Your body has three resonating cavities: the voice box, the mouth and the nose. The voice is produced at the vocal chords and then amplified in the facial mask around the lips and nose. To have a beautiful voice and project it without strain, focus your voice in the facial mask, blending the oral and nasal resonators.

Speech therapist Dr. Morton Cooper says the simplest way to find your facial mask is to hum. Try it now. HMMMMMMMM. Good. Now practice alternating humming and speaking. HMMMMMMy name is Susan. HMMMMMy favorite color is blue. HMMMMany people say I'm a great dancer... etc. Have fun with it. Practice humming and speaking throughout the day. Once you get the hang of what a resonant voice feels like you can drop the hum and feel the vibration of your words in your facial mask.

4. THE WAY YOU FEEL ABOUT YOURSELF

I have found that there is often a strong psychological component to communication difficulties. Soft speakers may unconsciously be trying to hold themselves back, inhibit their self-expression, or stifle themselves, and these factors should be explored. For more insight on overcoming self-limiting behaviors I recommend an excellent book called "The Origin Of illness" by Dr Norberto R. Keppe available at http://www.analyticaltrilogy.org or through Amazon.com

Reprinted with permission from the "VoiceCoach ezine" by Susan Berkley. For a free subscription visit http://www.greatvoice.com
Susan Berkley is president of The Great Voice Company and author of "Speak To Influence: How To Unlock The Hidden Power of Your Voice" available from 800-333-8108 or your favorite bookseller."

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