Five Keys to Using the Power of Your Voice for Public Speaking Success
Firstly, let's not lose the audience. If they cannot hear you, you have lost them. Project you voice. Articulate well; so that they know exactly what you are saying. Pronounce each word so that they understand it. Explain abbreviations and acronyms.
Using a microphone is a huge subject and I won't go into details here. A few points … Practise beforehand if you can. Discover the way to adjust the height of the microphone. Check if the microphone picks up sound from all around or just from straight on. Give it some "p's" and "s's" to see if it pops or hisses. Please do not tap it or blow into it. Some microphones are delicate and damaged by tapping or moisture. If you cannot practise, before you begin, adjust the microphone to your height and speak directly into it then be prepared to forget it. It will be obvious if people cannot hear you. Take the time, then, to adjust it again, and test loudness and direction. If you cannot fix it, leave it and project!
If the audience is bored, you will lose them. Inject variety in your voice. Use pause to keep their attention. Add strong eye contact to the pause - interact with your audience when you use it. Ask a rhetorical question, make a challenging statement and then look at them - tilt your head, smile and you have added power to your impact.
The pauses must be deliberate, however. Learn to be as fluent as possible. If you need to spend time thinking, say so. The audience is happy if you are happy, confident and composed. Please don't fill the space with fillers, like "um".
Take the time to monitor your speech for these fillers. Join a club (for example, ITC) and have your speech monitored for you, so you are made aware of using these fillers. Or have a friend or family member do the monitoring.
Make sure you vary the volume of your presentation as well as the pitch and pace. It is possible to speak softly and project. Like the "power pause", this is another way of adding power to your impact. Volume has its place, but if you have ever dealt with an icy stare combined with quiet anger then you will know the power of quiet control in comparison to emotional loudness. So use a quiet voice for power, but use it sparingly.
So there you have it - 5 powerful ways to make your voice work for you when you present those speeches. Go out there, try them and see the change in your results!
Related Tags: speech, public speaking, voice, presentations, speeches, public speaking tips
Bronwyn Ritchie has 20 years' experience speaking to audiences and training in public speaking - from individuals too nervous to say their own names in front of an audience, to community groups and corporate executives. You can get her free tips, articles, resources and quotations for your public speaking and presentations in a fortnightly ezine - subscribe to Pivotal Public speaking - the ezine. Or visit the Pivotal Public speaking web pages.
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