Speaking Voice Tips

Tone equals Vowels

Attractive tone is the result of consistent vowel sounds. The more focused the vowel, the more attractive it can be.

There are 6 basic vowel sounds used in the English language: ee, eh, ah, oh, oo and er (as in her). These vowels have their individual tonal characteristic with ee being brightest and oo being darkest. As we speak, our tone fluctuate between bright and dark, depending on the vowel sounds of the words. This fluctuation can be distracting because they naturally sound louder or softer.

Try this on your radio or stereo. While playing a song, turn the tone control back and forth between treble and bass. Even though your volume control is untouched, the volume will seem to get louder or softer. Do this rapidly back and forth and imagine that your voice is having a similar effect on your listener when you speak.

To eliminate this problem, try to make these 6 vowel sounds equal (equally bright, dark and every shade in between). Your ability to control every vowel sound consistently, at any pitch, volume and tempo will please your listener. (Details on how to do this can be found in the Singing Lessons page.)

Pleasing your listener holds your listener's attention. But if you want to wow your listener as well, make your voice rich with resonance by focusing your vowels clearly and efficiently as good singers do. Again, visit the Singing Lessons page for details. With this ability, you'll be able to choose tones that are authoritative, persuasive, entertaining, resonant, warm, sweet, etc., at will.

Matching your tone to the message is like dressing fashionably for each occasion. Wear swim suit for the beach at Waikiki but put on your Sunday best when attending St. Peter's Cathedral!

Dial in the Volume

Speaking too loud will push people away. Speaking too soft is a waste of time, both yours and your listener's.

You will sound your best when you speak at the volume level you're most comfortable with. Adjust the distance between you and your listener to maintain this level whenever you can. If you're using a microphone, adjust the volume and tone control and/or adjust the distance between you and the microphone to optimize the tone and volume of your voice.

Both the distance and angle between your mouth and the microphone will matter dramatically. Closer and/or more direct angle equals more bass and volume; further and/or more angled equals less bass and volume. Also try to minimize "pops" from plosive consonants and "hisses" from aspirated consonants. These annoying effects, like potholes on the highway, are usually minimized when the microphone is angled.

Adjust headset microphones to a distance and angle that will not pick up your breathing noise. Adjust lapel microphones to a distance that allow you to move your head around comfortably without significant volume or tone fluctuation. Adjust handheld and podium microphones to an optimum distance and angle, then remember to keep it there. You can maneuver your microphone momentarily to create intended effects if you're familiar with those techniques.

Clarity captivates

Look at the stars in the sky on a clear night. See how they sparkle? You can make your words shine just like that!

Clarity of words comes from vowel resonance and the right amount of consonants. Most words begin with consonant(s), followed by vowel(s) and end with consonant(s). Taking the time to give each component its right amount is a skill that can be mastered quickly. The right amount of each is dependant on your intent and subjective interpretation. For example, good storytellers and poets use word sounds to enhance imagery.

Many teenagers mumble because the braces they wear hamper their effort to sound the consonants. This speech habit lingers long, even after the braces are removed. It's so prevalent that it's become a teenage subculture. Of course, there are many other factors that encourage mumbling as well.

Lack of clarity, whether from insufficient consonants or vowel resonance, is like the clouds in the sky that hide the stars. When you're able to enunciate your consonants skillfully and give equally rich tone to every vowel, your speech will sparkle like the stars on a clear night.

A picture is worth a thousand words

Communication is based on what is heard and imagined, not what is said.

Words you choose should be common to your intended listeners vocabulary. Use colloquial expressions, clichés, and analogies that your listener can relate to. Use terminologies that demonstrate to your listener that you are an insider. For example, only computer buffs regularly use terms like URL, Seta HD, RAID, etc. If you're talking about computer with the average person, use terms like website address, large Hard Drive, redundant backup of data by storing the same data on multiple Hard Drives simultaneously, instead of the aforementioned terms. But when speaking to computer buffs, those terms will win you many "brownie points".

Use words that appeal to the senses and emotions. For example, I help many senior folks with their computer problems. I tell them that their computer is their all-in-one telephone, TV, shopping mall, family photo album and travel trailer when hooked up to the internet. When I show them how this can be, they can't wait to get on the internet. The dark clouds of the internet is quickly lifted. They soon master the use of the mouse, email and search engines. I have started a whole new brigade of "mousketeers".

Imagine what these words conjure up: apple pie, cotton candy, Hawaii, Tahiti. They speak volumes. Choosing your words effectively allow you to talk less and say more. Remember that words to a speaker are like musical notes to a composer. The good ones see them in color.

Sing like a songbird

Each voice has an effective range of pitches. Any sound that's too high or low for your voice should be avoided, except for intentional purposes. If you record yourself as you practice speaking, you'll easily recognize the boundary of your effective range. If you wish to expand your effective range, there are many exercises and techniques that can help. Some are found in the Singing Lessons page.

When you speak within your effective range, your voice can sing like a song bird. When you're not in your effective range, your voice can cackle like a crow.

Tempo flows like a river

Rivers flow according to the terrain and topography. Likewise, the flow of your speech should depend on the message you're delivering.

Delivering your message with the appropriate tempo will help drive home the message. This can be made easier by reading from a rehearsed script or a rehearsed outline. The 3 critical aspects of tempo are flow, pace and healthy variety.

Flow should be smooth and somewhat rhythmic, not necessary even nor constant. The right rhythm will keep your listener eagerly engaged. Observe a mountain stream as it flows downhill. Some rhythmic patterns are regular while others are interestingly irregular. This combination and variety of rhythm has mesmerizing power. Good flow is also like good improvisation in music--it should be somewhat predictable, yet interspersed with delightful surprises. A masterful use of flow would allow you to place important words on the down beat as poets often do in composing poetry. Studying poetry and reading them out loud repeatedly can help you develop the mesmerizing power of a good flow.

Pacing is spacing. When you plant trees, shrubs and flowers, you plan out proper spacing among them so they'll grow properly. Good pacing should allow adequate time for your listener to assimilate what you just said without being bored. Don't inundate your listener with too many ideas at one time. Develop your ideas in a sequential way and stitch them into a beautiful quilt when you're done. Typically, you can hurry through unimportant phrases and slow down during important points. You should even pause (and/or repeat) words or phrases that are critical to the point you're making. Give your listeners sufficient time to fully comprehend what you just said before moving on.

When you tell a joke, pacing often make or break the punch line. Imagine the frustration you feel when you didn't get the punch line of the joke someone is telling. That's the way your listener will feel when you have poor pacing in your speech.

Variety is like a flower garden. Good mixture of colors, shapes and scents widens its appeal. By using healthy mixtures of flow and pace, your speech will have wider appeal. Your listener will want to linger in your garden. The more there is for them to enjoy, the more they'll want to stay.

There are many other elements and skills vital to becoming a great speaker. The brief tips offered above are mainly pertinent to vocal sound quality. Other elements include body language, emotion control, mind sets, projected personality, content packaging, delivery styles, subliminal communication, preparing venue and ambience, clever hooks and clichés, effective imagery, channeling your listener's interests, engaging and reengaging your listener, creating values for your message, and seemingly endless ways of captivating your listener's attention.

Speaking publicly is like farming; it takes good planning, plowing, planting and fertilizing to have a good harvest.