Public Speaking:How To Use YOUR Voice Effectively

Posted on May 14, 2007
Filed Under Personal Development, Public Appearances & Conduct |

I saw a movie this past weekend in which the male lead had one of the best speaking voices I’ve ever heard bar none…it was mellow,had great depth and range and was produced seemingly without much effort on his part.

Anyone who has had the experience of public speaking for work or play or both has probably come across the so-called “tense voice” syndrome which can happen to men and women alike: you feel tense in your throat….your voice may change pitch or break when trying to project…or you seem to run out of air before you run out of words.

Is there a secret to speaking publically? Yes…and, without doubt, the actor I mentioned up top , who was clearly classically trained for stage, apparently knows what it is.

The “Secret” To Using Your Voice For Maximum Impact

A number of years ago, I was able to spend some time studying voice with one of the more well known vocal coaches at Yale, Mary Van Dyke. She insisted on starting every session with a cup of warm water with a slice of lemon in it. I thought this odd at first, till she explained that ,as a public speaker, the worst thing you could ever do to your voice is to have a cold drink before or,worse, while speaking……the cold,she explained,makes the vocal folds more tense and could actually increase mucus secretions that could further hamper good vocal production. Warm water with lemon, she insisted, was the only way to go and she had ,at the time, maybe half a century of teaching experience to back her up.

Beyond that, of course, the key to good and rested vocal production is to make sure you have enough breath support …think of your words floating on a cushion of air. No air, and the words fall to the ground.

Most people not used to public speaking tend to try and cram too many words into a single breath. It won’t work. Not only will your voice trail off, you can actually do harm to your vocal chords as you try to push out sound.

Break up your sentences..making sure you take a breath every five or six words.

Keep Your Mouth and Shoulders Relaxed

People not trained in public speaking will often clench their jaws or lift their shoulders as they speak…both do nothing more than get in the way of clear sound production…relax and let your lungs and breath support do the heavy lifting.

The worst sin you can make as a public speaker is trying to alter the pitch of your natural speaking voice. You WILL do harm and you won’t sound good to boot. Men tend to be more gulity of this than women…deeper voices are usually the ones prized for radio,television and commercial work because studies have shown that people do respond better to lower pitched voices…they project more warmth and authority.

But, trying to voice your pitch down is a mistake…it is also counterproductive. The more you try, the more tense your vocal chords get and the more tense your vocal chords get, the higher the pitch of your voice. Not a good call.

How do you know what your natural speaking pitch is?

The best way to determine your natural speaking pitch is to hum a bit….that’s right…close your lips and hum. Make sure you feel the sound vibrate in your nasal cavities…because that is where your voice gains much of its rich sound.

Now, as you are humming, without stopping, start to speak. The pitch your first word comes out at is your natural speaking voice. Use it.

Let technology work for you

Lastly, if you have a microphone, then by all means use it. In fact, proper mic technique requires that you soften your speaking voice and let the electronics do the lifting….no need to speak loudly into a mic…you’ll just come across as shrill.

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