How to Improve Your Speaking Voice

Competition can greatly improve your speaking skills

After your appearance, your voice is one of the first things that people will notice. Your
speaking voice can play a huge role in the impression that people get from you. The
stronger and more eloquent your voice is, the greater the likelihood of you making a good
first impression.

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[edit] Steps

1. Understand your goal. A good voice is always attractive. Your voice influences
your opinions of oneself, thus it is all the more important to be happy with your
own.
2. Gauge the situation. Get an opinion from a trustworthy friend or someone whom
you can rely upon to get an opinion of yourself and your voice.
3. Study vocal control. Learning music will greatly improve your control over your
voice. Believe it or not, taking singing lessons can help you to identify where in
your lungs and gut to project your voice from.
4. Learn from the best. Try listening to those people whose voices you admire.
You can go to your public library to find famous speeches on tape or search for
some on the internet.
[edit] Tips

• Record yourself speaking so you identify your faults.

• Learn new words and try to make sentences with them, then try to use them in
daily conversation.
• Try talking without excess hand gestures.
• Do not use filler words such as "like" or "um", just pause instead.
• If your voice is sore, or you think you have some mucus stuck in there, consider
using lemon throat drops. It will relive your vocal chords and will get that mucus
out.

[edit] Warnings

• Do not use foul language when speaking, it can backfire.

• Do not speak formally to close friends, you may sound condescending.

One of the most significant characteristics of successful people is the ability to speak or
express one's self confidently in public. Such individuals often convey a charisma that is
contagious and that draws admiration, respect, trust and positive opportunities their way.
If I said to you that this quality is possible for everyone and can be activated in a very
short time it's likely that many of those suffering with the inability to speak confidently in
public would be highly skeptical. So be it, but it is true!

How can this be achieved?

Well, firstly one must do an inventory of some of the underlying factors which contribute
to this problem. These consist of hidden unconscious beliefs and fears such as: I'm afraid
I'm going to sound or look stupid, I'm afraid I'm going to be rejected, I'm afraid I'm going
to go blank, I don't know my material well enough, I don't know whether what I am going
to say is what others want to hear, and so on. This inventory of beliefs and fears acts in
the background as a hidden force that severely erodes one's self confidence by creating
enormous self doubt. The latter leads to confusion in the mind and scatters one's thinking
processes thus leading exactly to the outcome the person fears.

Secondly, one must recognize that these underlying destructive beliefs and fears are
supported and anchored within the individual by significant earlier experiences of having
been a failure, or of having been punished or reprimanded for some reason. Such
memories act as traumatic scars that I refer to as "emotional landmines" that are triggered
by similar events in the present. As long as these exist within you they will handicap you
no matter how hard you try to build your speaking skills. Unfortunately many techniques
that assist individuals with this problem do not recognize this fact.

Finally, it becomes imperative to purge one's self of these negative internal landmines
once and for all. A process called the Mind Resonance Process® (MRP) that you can
experience freely by contacting me at the email address below, can do this powerfully,
rapidly and painlessly. MRP was designed to uproot the earliest of negative experiences
thus returning each individual to their original supremely confident self. Yes, you read
that correctly. You see, everyone is inherently supremely confident; unfortunately your
stored life history in the form of negative memories has been robbing you of your
heritage, but no longer!

How to Speak Confidently in Public

Increasing your speaking skill in public is an achievable goal, especially with a little
knowledge of the ways that can help you deliver a great speech with confidence. The
suggestions following are simple but very effective.

1. When rehearsing, practice speaking to the room as if the audience were in front of
you. You wouldn't stop part way through and ask to start again in front of an
audience, right? Under pressure, how you practice is how you'll perform.
2. Avoid the temptation to speak in front of a mirror or a video camera (it's
distracting) and instead focus your energy on what it feels like to present in the
moment.
3. Practice speaking with your friend(s) or your parents.
 4. Prepare a good plan of speaking. There should be:

o An opening
o 3 good middle points;
o a summary (conclusion)
5. Don't try to speak on too many issues. In addition, don't wander off the topic.
6. Think carefully before you talk. Use silence; it can be a great ally and cause the
audience to hang off your next words, wondering what you are about to say. Don't
be intimidated by silent moments.
7. Practice a lot beforehand. If it's for a presentation or a speech, the more you
practice it, the more it will take on a life of its own and feel more comfortable to
deliver.
8. Concentrate on one person. Maybe practise in front of them, so that it feels like
you're just talking to them.
9. Connect with your audience. Use feelings and gestures to intensify a point. Just
don't overdo the gestures or emotion - a little goes a long way.
10. Don't look directly into people's eyes. Focus on their foreheads or on a place at
the back of the audience, just above the heads in the audience. That way you
won't feel distracted.
11. Let go of assumptions. Just because an audience is not smiling or nodding in
agreement does not mean they aren't listening or feeling positive about your talk.
People often do not display encouragement on their faces in an audience situation,
so don't seek it. You'll know from the applause level at the end how well you went
and by then, the speech is over!

[edit] Tips

• Practice, Practice Practice! Every chance you get - whether the group is large or
small - seize the opportunity to talk to or in front of an audience!
• Make certain to speak up with volume (not scream) and PROJECT. Projecting is
not yelling, it is using your diaphragm (stomach muscles) to push the air out.
• Watch your pace and pause if you feel you are rushing; no one will mind if you
take a breath! A few seconds breaking to take stock is not noticed by anyone
except you.
• You think - therefor talk - faster than other people can comprehend. When
speaking, talk at a rate that seems unbearably slow. It will come out just right!
• Make sure you pause in between sentences for greatest effect and to ensure that
the talk is sinking into the listener's minds.
• Enunciate; clear speech helps those listening as they don't have to decipher the
words but can concentrate on the content.
• Use vocal variation; it can be tedious and boring to listen to a speaker whose
voice sounds monotone and flat the entire speech.
• Be interesting to look at! An animated speaker holds a crowds attention. Use
gestures and facial expressions to illustrate your points. Walk across the stage a
 little. Make sure to always look your best, which really helps your confidence and
others confidence in you.
• Hold your hands in front of you at waist level. This enables you to make subtle
hand gestures to illustrate your point while not causing too much distraction to the
audience.
• Introduce your topics as questions which you then answer to keep the audience
interested.
• The uses of "uh", "um", "and yeah", and other similar phrases branch out from the
need to fill the silence.Silence helps you appear like you are thinking,though
sometimes you are actually nervous. Learn to use silences to your advantage, and
not to be terrified of them. Pausing to take a breath, recollect your thoughts, and
make a greater impact on your audience is perfectly acceptable and encouraged. It
is difficult to remember NOT to say "uhhhh ..." but if you try to adopt a mindset
that is not against a moment of silence, it will be easier. Practicing will make it
second nature, and you will never feel the need to say "um" again.
• Get up as close to the audience as you can, this shows confidence.
• Listen and watch great public speakers and try to analyze what is it that makes
them successful.
• Don't be embarrassed by your faults. Demosthenes was a prominent orator in
ancient Athens even though he suffered from speech impediments. A good public
speaker can overcome these difficulties.

[edit] Warnings

• Don't hurry
• Don't mumble
• Don't pace about the room
• Don't hide behind the podium
• Don't put your hands in your pockets
• Don't point your finger at the audience
• Don't make up stuff
• Don't pause too long
• Try not to repeat yourself
• Don't look down
• Don't chew gum

[edit] Related wikiHows

• How to Speak at a School Board Meeting

• How to Become a Motivational Speaker
• How to Improve Your Speaking Voice
• How to Give a Great Impromptu Speech
How to Overcome Your Fear of Public
Speaking
Did you know that Public Speaking is the # 1 Fear in North America? The second
greatest fear is death! If you have the fear of public speaking, you are not alone. You
must first recognize what "fear" is. Fear is the anticipation of pain. Is your fear real or
imagined?

[edit] Steps

1. The fear of being judged, making a mistake, not measuring up, getting hurt either
mentally or physically can get in the way of a good performance (speech,
seminar, sales presentation, etc). Remember that people in the audience really
want you to succeed. Nobody is standing there hoping you'll be boring or bad. If
you are coming from an authentic place, and you cover the material with clarity,
you've won 3/4 of your inner battle with fear.
2. Face Down Your Fears. If you feel your knees turning to jelly out of fear,
remind yourself that fear stands for False Evidence Appearing Real. Almost
certainly, whatever it is that you're frightened of won't happen. If there is a real
worry, for example you've forgotten an important prop, do something about it and
then stop worrying. Remember, you can always rationalise yourself out of fear.
3. Learn how to enroll and engage your audience. If you haven't yet taken a
professional development course on public speaking, consider finding a public
speaking training course appropriate for your needs. Learning the art of public
speaking can enhance your results in a boardroom, in a sales presentation, and
even accelerate your climb up the corporate ladder. It is a must-skill for any
executive and/or business owner.
4. Breathe Deeply. Practicing a breathing exercise before you go on will relax your
body and mind. Here's one that you can do anywhere, even in the wings. Stand
still and feel the ground beneath your feet. Close your eyes and imagine yourself
suspended from the ceiling by a thin thread. Just listen to your breathing and tell
yourself there is no rush. Slow your breathing until you can count to 6 seconds of
in-breath and 6 seconds of out-breath. You'll now go on in a totally relaxed and
confident mood.
5. Relax. Relaxing is the art of letting go. There are many ways to let go. You can
imagine you're made of rubber and go wibbly-wobbly. Or you can sit in front of a
mirror and make a horse's laugh with your lips. Why not lie on the ground and
pretend you're floating? Or, just collapse on the ground like a limp doll. Letting
go un-tenses the body and makes you more at ease and relaxed.
6. The wall push. The wall push was a technique used by Yul Brynner, star of the
musical "The King and I". This is what you do. Stand about 18" away from a wall
and place your palms flat on it. Push against the wall. As you push, your
abdominal muscles will contract. As you breath out, hiss and contract the muscles
 below your rib cage as if you were rowing a boat against the current. Do this a
few times, and you'll banish all feelings of stage-fright.
7. People Don't See Nervous: When you're walking out onto the stage toward the
podium, no one knows you're nervous. Your stomach could be in knots and you
feel like you're going to be sick, but you really aren't showing nervous behavior. I
think the idea of nervous thought, especially with public speaking, is that people
may notice you're nervous and this makes you even more nervous. There are only
a few subtle cues that show a person is nervous and they're so small, that the
ordinary person wouldn't put more than 1 second into them. Don't worry so much.
People don't see that extreme nervous beast inside you.
8. Adrenalin sends the blood rushing to the fight/flight centres of your brain at the
base of the skull. Place your hand on your forehead and press gently on the bony
points. This will bring the blood to the parts of the brain that need it to present
your speech best.
9. Bluff. Stand tall, with shoulders back and chest out. Smile. Even though you
don’t feel happy or confident, do it anyway. You will look confident and your
body will fool your brain into thinking it is confident. This really works!!

Bluff– body and smile.

1. Practice. Find business organizations, networks and clubs in your area (such as
Toastmasters) that can afford you the opportunity to practice. Remember to
choose topics that you are already an expert on. Speaking on a topic that you are
not familiar with will increase your stress, and impede on your performance.
2. Buy some recording software, and record everything on your laptop. Review it to
see where you can improve. Have speaking pros attend your live presentation to
give you feedback. Allow yourself the opportunity to learn more every time you
go out.
3. Remember, even the top professionals learn something new every single time they
go out!

[edit] Tips

• Remember that when you are asked to speak, if you are coming from a place of
service, you can't go wrong. Remember, it's not about you. It's about them - your
audience. You are not the star, they are.
• Be authentic.
• If you go to school, volunteer to read the text when the class is reading textbooks.
• Don't take anything personally.
• Remember, you don't look as nervous as you feel.
• It gets easier. Practice is a good thing.
• Only you know what you are supposed to say or do so it's OK to change things
during the presentation. (It's OK not to be word-for-word as your wrote it)
• Trust yourself.
 • Tell yourself, "One is admired when looked upon by others."
• SMILE
• If you think the people you're talking to will judge you too much, think that
they're not themselves. Think that they're you're siblings or friends. People who
respect you and won't judge you if you do a mistake.

[edit] Warnings

• If you don't know the answer to a question, ask the audience if anyone knows the
answer to the question (you don't have to admit you don't know it...you just ask
the audience).
• Don't give a wrong or uninformed answer. Defer to a later time and ask "is it okay
if I get back to you on that on the break. I want to make sure I cover the subject
well, and get you the right answer".
• (avoid standing behind podiums, tables or any physical barrier between you and
your audience).
• Avoid death by power point! Overuse of power point will put your audience to
sleep!

[edit] Things You'll Need

• Optional materials for presentations:

• Flip Chart, Flip Chart Paper, Markers, Promotional Material, Microphone, Music
Stand (to hold your notes), Lots of Water (drink lots),

[edit] Related wikiHows

• How to Write a High School President Speech

• How to Write a Speech
• How to Relax
• How to Be Calm in a Stressful Situation
• How to Cope With the Fear of Fire
• How to Overcome the Fear of Injections
• How to Overcome the Fear of Marriage