***How to Increase Your Volume and Be Heard the 1st Time You Say It

By Nancy Daniels, The Official Guide to Public Speaking
The official guide to Public Speaking

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Lack of volume in speaking is a big problem for many people. Unfortunately, this characteristic can label you incorrectly. While it is possible that your soft-spoken voice is due to a lack of confidence, it is also possible that you speak softly because you were raised to speak softly.

If you would like to learn how to increase your volume correctly without shouting or being too loud, you will need to record yourself as well as someone else who speaks with a normal amount of volume. This person can be a friend or even a professional voice that you hear on the radio or TV.

1. When using a microphone, make sure to place it the exact same distance from you as from the other individual – even if the voice is from speakers on your radio or television set. This is extremely important. If you do not follow this specific direction, then the recording you make will be inaccurate. And, if you are going to record some from a radio or television, make sure that their volume is set to a comfortable listening level.

2. Record the other person first and then record yourself. You may find it easier if you read something.

3. Play the recording back and make sure that the volume is set correctly for the first person. Remember, you are judging your volume in comparison to the other person’s volume; therefore, it is vital that the volume level is in sync with your friend’s or the professional’s voice and not yours.

What did you discover? More than likely, your volume was not enough to equal that of the first speaker.

4. Do the exercise again and this time, speak with more power. You may think you are too loud. Trust me and not what you think. When you play it back, you should notice that your volume is actually not loud but normal.

If you have difficulty with this exercise, you might consider voice training. Learning how to increase your volume and then making it a habit can be tricky. It is the most difficult aspect in voice training because you have spent your entire life speaking at a level with which your inner is very comfortable. When you try to increase your volume, your inner ear will think you are shouting.

Speaking in a ‘normal’ volume is normal. Speaking with a soft volume is not. If you expect others to pay attention to what you are saying, they need to be able to hear you – otherwise, they will not take you seriously.