Public Speaking and Your Voice

5 Ways to Overcome Bad Speaking Voice Habits

Getting up in front of a crowd and speaking requires more than typical conversation does. Communicating in public requires a clear and concise voice that loses all the conversational habits everyone learns over time. Few people ever take the time to make changes in their voice to get to a point to where they have presentable voice for public speaking.

One great way to help remedy your speaking voice is to give a mock speech, making sure that you record it as you go. Listen to yourself and look for the little things that are causing you trouble in your speaking voice.

 Listed below are the most common mistakes speakers make and ways to remedy them:

1. Having a high-pitched voice automatically gives the listener the impression that the speaker is nervous. By taking several deep breathes, you will be able to gain more control of your voice and your nerves.

2. Talking like you are in a daze or just woke will bore your listeners and will cause them to lose attention. Keep your voice at a faster pace although not too fast that relays how you are interested in what you are saying.

3. Talking too fast for an audience to hear and understand what you are saying is a mistake. Begin your speech in a manner that you would if you were standing there talking to friend, making sure you pronunciate words clearly and concisely.

4. If you speak too softly, how will the audience be able to hear you? Before you get started into the topic you are speaking on, test the audience and see if they can hear you at the back. People will appreciate you taking the time to make that they hear what you are saying and will show them that what you have to say is important enough that everyone needs to be able to hear it.

5. Practicing your speaking voice can be done by reading out loud to yourself. You may want to record this as well. Focus on good words, words that mean love or passion. Listen to the pitch of your voice when you speak these words and compare them to the way you say mean words. You will be able to hear a difference and you can work on being the commander of your voice no matter what kind of words you are saying. Make sure you open up and use your mouth while sounding out words during practice. Speaking in public will require that you pronounce every word precisely.

Anyone who puts forth the effort to become a great speaker, no matter if there is one person in the audience or one thousand, can overcome any obstacle in their voice that is keeping them from being a successful speaker. The Greek orator Demosthenes overcame stammering so it stands to reason that anyone can learn to speak in public.

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