Public Speaking Navigation
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Improving Your Speaking Voice
Public speaking is much more effective with a strong, powerful voice. A clear voice appears confident and influential. A throaty, strangled voice will appear painful and may turn off your audience.
Your voice is important when public speaking. Your voice is your livelihood. You cannot afford to lose your voice after public speaking. The following vocal exercises will assist you in improving, strengthening and relaxing your speaking voice.
==> Stretch Your Face - Stretching your face warms up the muscles for public speaking. Smile as big and wide as you can for a few seconds, and then relax. Open your mouth as wide as is possible for a few seconds and then relax. Repeat these exercises several times until your face feels warmed up and ready for your speech.
==> Breathe - Do not forget to breath while public speaking. Practice deep breathing. Take the time to breathe deeply before you deliver your speech. Breathe from your belly. Place your hand on your belly and feel it rise and fall with your breath. Avoid breathing from your shoulders by letting them move up and down.
==> Lip Trill - Gently put your lips together and blow, making your lips bubble with a rolling noise. Stay relaxed and do not let your lips become tense. Just relax and blow. Lip trills are one of the best vocal exercises you can do for enhancing your public speaking voice.
==> Humming - The simplest vocal exercise of all is humming. Many people hum to their favorite songs without even realizing it. Humming is a great way to warm up your public speaking voice. Close your lips and hum for around five minutes. You may like to hum a song or just hum random notes. Hum at different pitches, high, low, and in between.
==> Yawning - Yawning is almost as easy as humming. Take time to yawn a few times while making a high sound at the start of your yawn to a low sound at the finish of your yawn. A yawn relaxes the back of your throat, keeping your voice light and clear for public speaking.
==> Enunciate - Do not blend your words together into one long incomprehensible word. Enunciate every word separately to make sure your audience understands. No speaker wants to hear the statement "I could not understand a word he said."
==> Practice Tongue Twisters - Improve your diction with tongue twisters, paying careful attention to the letter "T." For example, "better," not "bedder." Proper diction assists your audience in understanding your speech and is vital for public speaking success.
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