Public Speaking Articles

If you are a member of a business or social organization, such as the Lions, the Rotary, a chamber of commerce, BNI or another type of leads or referral group, there is the possibility that you will be responsible for introducing a speaker at one of your meetings or functions. Known as the introductory speech, there are 4 things you need to do to accomplish your goal effectively. 1. Keep it brief. While your role is important, your audience is there to hear the person you are introducing, not you. Consider yourself the conduit between your audience and the speaker.

Through the years, I have been amazed at how many people are totally unaware that they have a richer, warmer, resonant, and even sexier speaking voice inside. Most people believe that the voice they are using out of habit is something they cannot change. Nothing could be further from the truth. Unless you are already powering your voice from your chest cavity, you do have a better voice inside. There are some changes on the 'before' and 'after' video clips of my clients that are so dramatic you might think it was two different people speaking.

There is no doubt that when I write about volume, I talk more about the soft-spoken voice because lack of volume is much more common than too much. Those who are too loud, however, are just as difficult for the listener as the former. A loud voice is hard on your listeners’ ears. There is nothing more frustrating for those on a cell or a landline who must move the receiver away from their ear.

There is nothing more frustrating than having people ask you to repeat yourself because they did not hear what you were saying. There are several reasons why this may be happening: you may be soft-spoken; you may have an accent in which you are not enunciating your words clearly; or, you may ...

When most people speak, they power their voice by means of their voice box and throat. To a lesser extent, the mouth and nasal cavities are also acting as resonators, aiding in the production of voiced sound. And, of course, you probably think this is normal. It may be normal for you but, in truth, there is a resonator that is missing in this picture.

Through my many years in the voice business, I have learned more from my clients than any book or theory on voice. What has been extremely fascinating is what I have discovered as to why we sound the way we sound.

Recently, I read an article about improving your voice in 7 days. While I do not agree with the writer’s suggestions or methodology, the truth is that you can actually find your ‘real’ voice in about 1 hour. Admittedly, your ‘real’ voice will not be a habit in only 60 minutes, but one of the fascinating results about the correct approach to voice training is that you will begin your hour with your old or habitual voice and you will end that hour with your real one.

When communicating, your body language (facial expressions, gestures, movement, eye contact and voice) should match your message. If there is a disconnect between what you say and your non-verbal communications, your audience will believe your non-verbals. Movement and gestures are key ...

The other day I heard a commercial with 2 motivational speakers and was appalled at how bad one of the voices sounded. Having not heard this particular man in several years, I was stunned by the amount of hoarseness with which he is afflicted. Considering that his voice is his meal-ticket, I cannot believe that he has not taken a course in voice improvement to fix the problem. The man I am referring to is Anthony Robbins. - Chronic hoarseness is the result of talking for extended periods of time and pushing the voice from the throat.

I find that brief, humorous one-liners tend to fit better into the flow of a speech than longer forms of humor and are much easier to use, especially for beginners. Here are a few examples of one line humor and how I connect them to various speech topics. The first thing I do is take ...

While much talk is given about the delivery of the speech or presentation and the controlling of nervousness, often what is lacking is how to begin the creation of your material. Where do you start? Let’s assume that you have your topic. Your 1st step is to select your general purpose which is either to inform or to persuade. (The 3rd option is to entertain; however, that is an article in itself.)

Stress is one of the most debilitating factors affecting our lives today. From the stress of losing a job to the frustration of finding a new job, from the strain of running a household to the additional pressure of handling a career, from the stress of raising children to the stress of trying to increase your pay grade, stress comes to each and every one of us in some manner on a daily basis. Unfortunately, stress can affect your speaking voice.

Many years ago when I first started my business, I had a most eye-opening experience that I will never forget. It happened on a consecutive Monday and Tuesday. On Monday, I had been working with a group from Nortel in voice and presentation skills. One of the men from the group told me that, in the previous week, he had found others listening to him. That had never happened before. Apparently for Jim, whenever he was in conference, everyone talked over him.

Some people talk fast, some talk too slowly, and some are moderate. In public speaking, those who speak at a moderate rate are the easiest to follow over any given length of time.

Are you frustrated because others constantly ask you to repeat yourself? Especially because you think they should have heard or understood you the 1st time? If you frequently hear, “What did you say?” then maybe it is time for you to discover exactly why your message is not being received. There are only 3 possibilities for someone to ask you to say it again.

* Teaching has become a highly stressful and unhappy nprofession for many. I have heard teachers say repeatedly that teaching isn’t fun any more. Teacher stress can result from a number of stimuli ranging from dwindling resources, financial cutbacks, ever increasing expectations, lack of ...

If you are looking for a means in which to practice your presentation skills in front of an audience on a weekly basis, then you should consider joining Toastmasters. According to Wikipedia, “Toastmasters International is a non-profit educational organization that operates clubs worldwide for the purpose of helping members improve their communication, public speaking and leadership skills.” There are a lot of reasons that I find this organization of value. 1. It is inexpensive to be a member. 2. Its members all share the same goal.r

Would you like to test yourself for nasality? Gently place a finger on each side of your nose and say the word ‘greet.’ Did you feel any vibrations in your nose? Now say the word ‘great.’ Again, did you vibrate? If your answer is yes, then you have nasal issues. Those two sounds, the long a and long e should not be articulated through your nose. They really don’t belong there. If you had said the word grain or green, however, you would have noticed some vibration because both words contain a nasal.

When addressing an audience, there is nothing more embarrassing than opening your mouth to speak and the voice that comes out is high in pitch and shaking to boot! The shaking is known as a quiver and it can happen even when you’re not nervous. If your voice is quivering when you’re nervous, rest assured that you are not alone. It happens to a lot of people and it is the result of poor voice placement exacerbated by your nervousness.

Natural talent in public speaking is not something that everyone is blessed with. But lacking skills in public speaking shouldn't stop you from learning because doing so will be like denying yourself from its benefits. Anybody can learn effective public speaking and presentation skills. All you need to do is to find an effective program to help you. Acquiring presentation skills training will be one of the greatest choices you will make in your career. Professionals understan

That’s right. Women find a deep voice sexy because it has a warm quality and sounds confident. It stirs something inside of us, without a doubt. The last time you heard your voice on voicemail, an answering machine or some other form of recording equipment, were you impressed? Remember, how she hears your voice is exactly what you hear on the recording, not the sound you hear in your head. So judge your speaking voice accordingly.

When I show my clients how to find their 'real' voice, the first order of business is to make sure that their jaw is relaxed. This is important because if the jaw is clenched, you will not be able to make the change. Whereas tension in the neck and shoulder regions is much more common in woman - probably about 95% - a tight jaw can be found equally among men and women.

Many times people are not being heard because they speak too softly. There is another group, however, who are not being heard because they are not speaking distinctly and clearly. They are known as the mumblers. If you are being asked to repeat yourself because your words are not being understood, then you should do something to stop your lazy lip syndrome.

Surprisingly, the answer to that question is actually your environment. While the innate quality of the speaking voice is something you inherit, there are numerous environmental factors that play a viable role in how you sound and speak.

Have you ever had a telephone conversation and the person on the other end of the line was speaking too loudly? What is your first reaction? Probably, to move the phone away from your ear. Talking too loudly is just as ineffective as speaking too softly except for one primary difference: the loud voice physically hurts your listeners’ ears. If there is a problem with volume, I have found that it generally tends to be with those who are soft-spoken. In that case, others will often move closer, straining to hear what you are saying.

When we think of the great speaking voices, those that come to mind are the likes of Vin Diesel, Kathleen Turner, James Earl Jones, Cher, Sean Connery, Morgan Freeman, Demi Moore, Barry White, and John Rhys-Davies. What distinguishes these particular voices from those of many other great ...

rnSpeaking in front of a group of people or an audience, whether big or small, is both an opportunity and a privilege, so those fortunate enough to be in this situation should best know how to give a compelling speech that will make a positive impact. There are public speakers who fail to inspire or move their audiences because they lack certain skills or personality aspects to positively influence others. Sometimes, the content of their message is not interesting or engaging

When you are in charge of making a presentation it’s easy to feel nervous. It’s natural to feel pressure when you plan on leading a conference call or playing an important role in a video conferencing presentation, and experiencing some level of nervousness happens to everyone. rnBut when that nervousness becomes too strong and may potentially impact your presentation, you need to take steps to solve it quickly. Here are several techniques for relaxing before a big presen

Tone is the expression of a mood or emotion. In relationship to your delivery, tone is determined by your topic or your subject. If you are giving the after-dinner speech at a conference, it is quite possible that your talk will be funny; thus, your tone is going to be quite different than if you are giving the eulogy at a funeral.

A lot of acting teachers believe that public speaking and acting are very similar and I would beg to differ. What I find more credible are the similarities between public speaking and conversation. Yes, in both cases, you are addressing an audience; but, that is where the similarities end. In acting, you are playing the role of another individual. And, your goal is not to interact with your audience but to entertain them. In public speaking, I would hope that you are entertaining as well, but your goal is to inform or persuade your audience and to be yourself, first and foremost.

When you listen to the greats, like James Earl Jones, Julia Ormond, George Clooney and Diane Sawyer, one characteristic which they all share is that their voice vibrates in their chest when they speak. While everyone vibrates in the area directly below the vocal folds, as well in the throat, mouth, and nasal cavities, those who power their voice by means of their chest cavity actually feel vibrations in their mid-torso region. Does it matter whether you vibrate in your chest or not? Only if you want a warm, rich, resonant sound.

Have you ever noticed that when you are extremely fatigued, your voice is much weaker than if you are energized? Not surprisingly, your vocal health is determined by the health of your entire body. Thus, if any of the following 5 factors are typical of your lifestyle, so too will the following 5 factors have an affect on your speaking voice.

One of the difficulties many people have is to the ability to increase their volume without hurting their throat or their listeners’ ears. The right way to do this is known as projection and is only possible if you are powering your voice from your chest cavity.

There is a commercial in which an announcer is looking for a speaker who has a big voice. What is unnerving about this commercial is that the terminology regarding the voice is wrong. As the commercial plays, you hear someone saying the lines in a progressively deeper voice. So what is the difference? A big voice refers to volume. A deep voice refers to the pitch of the voice – not to be confused with volume. Vin Diesel has a deep voice which also happens to be big.

They say that man’s greatest fear is public speaking; his second greatest fear is dying. Imagine that – most people would rather be dead than stand and give a speech! But did you know that man’s 3rd greatest fear is dying while public speaking?

Kids may be required to deliver an impromptu speech for an elocution contest or on any other occasion in school. Usually this is a frightful experience. Public speech should not be a daunting assignment for the child, and we as parents and teachers need to help them prepare for the events, practically and emotionally. Here's how: For impromptu speaking in schools children typically have the freedom to choose their own topics. Having chosen the topic or subject of the speech, it can be researched upon and then the actual content can be developed.

You can do it. You can end a vocal delivery that is flat, insipid, and lackluster. But first you will have to give yourself permission to do so. This does seem like a strange suggestion, doesn’t it? If you speak in a monotone, however, you probably keep your emotions bottled up inside of you which is why you must permit yourself to let your emotions be seen, be felt and be heard. While you may not like this suggestion, nothing will change until that permission is granted.

If you are plagued with a voice that sounds like a teenager (or even younger), have you ever considered a course in voice improvement? Sounding like a teen or preteen when you are 21 is one thing – sounding young or childish when you are over 21 and possibly looking for a job or a promotion is an entirely different ball game however.

What if you could overcome fear as easily as eating breakfast? Not possible, I would have thought, until I followed a musician friend's recommendation to eat a couple bananas a few hours before a particularly intense presentation. When the time to perform arrived, I wasn't nearly as nervous as I should have been! Whether you're nervous before a speech, a musical performance, or even a particularly hot date, here's three foods that can take the edge off of nervousness and anxi

Do you find that people do not pay as much attention to you as you might wish? Does you voice trail off at the end of your sentences, leaving your listeners struggling to understand what you are saying? Maybe the sound of your voice is strident and irritating or perhaps you speak so softly that your words go unnoticed.

I was watching Oprah the other day as she was interviewing Wynona Judd. Judd made a profound statement about losing weight and taking care of herself. She said that she had forgotten to put herself on her priority list. She also stated that now that she had finally made herself a priority she was happier, more peaceful and more confident than she had ever been.

We are often drawn towards people having a good personality. A good personality shows the confidence in you which attracts other people. In public speaking, our body language plays a major role in creating an impact on the audience. The biggest challenge during public speaking is to maintain an impactful posture which is the effect of a good emotional intelligence. The way we deliver our speech is made up of two components namely: Visual and verbal. The visual component, I be

I recently had the opportunity to hear a world-renowned public speaker and was surprised as well as disappointed by his delivery. While his message was excellent, his means of delivering that message would have gotten him a C- in my college public speaking class. Without a doubt, content is important in any form of public speaking; however, if your entire script is written out word-for-word in your PowerPoint presentation, why bother? It would be a better use of the audience’s time if you would Xerox it, pass it out, and then everyone can go home!

Recently, I read about a pill you can take to eliminate your nervousness in public speaking. I was floored! Why would you take a pill to get rid of that which is so beneficial when delivering a speech or presentation?

A Better Voice is Just a Breath Away The number of people looking for information, books, CDs, and seminars on self-improvement is staggering. Ever conce ed with honing our business skills, improving the image we project, feeling good about ourselves, juggling jobs and family…we are all on ...

Good public speaking requires the use of anecdotes throughout your presentation and, in some cases, stories. All anecdotes are stories but not all stories are anecdotes. While the anecdote is usually shorter than a story, do you know what distinguishes the two? - An anecdote is a true story; whereas, a story can be true but needn’t be.

In addressing an audience, be it to 4 people or 400, one factor will remain the same: the format of your presentation. You will still have an opening, a development, and a closing. However, there are major differences in your delivery as well as your contact with your audience which is dependent on the size of your group. 1. You will need more volume if you are speaking to a large audience. While this may seem like a no-brainer, many people are not good at judging whether they are being heard well or not.

Stephen Covey, author of “Seven Habits of Effective People,” and “The 8th Habit: from Effectiveness to Greatness,” teaches three guidelines for effective collaboration – read: TEAMWORK. They are: 1) Establish your mission; 2) Set the ground rules; and 3) Identify each member’s ...

If you find that your voice drops off at the end of your sentences, you are probably male. While this problem is not confined to the male sex, it is much more common among men than women. Why this happens could be for a few different reasons. 1. Fear of Interruption. You are hoping not to be interrupted while speaking, thus you do not pause. The result is that you are losing your air supply and do not have the support for your words by the end of your statement or sentence.

Choppiness in speaking occurs when you pause too often. Pausing in conversational speech is normal; pausing during a speech or presentation is ideal. Pausing too often, however, is tedious for the listener and is referred to as choppy speech. The problem with choppy speech is that you leave your audience waiting for you to continue.