Tips on Public Speaking - Using Your Voice to Wow Your Audience!

How you deliver your speech is even more important than the content of your speech. The way you use your voice during a presentation will either grab and keep your audience's attention or put them to sleep.

It is estimated that when a voice-trained person delivers a speech, the audience retains 83 per cent of the information. In contrast, when an untrained person delivers the same speech the audience will only retain 45 per cent of the information.

An interesting voice will have a varied pitch and variations in pace and volume. A speech which is delivered in a monotonous voice is very dull indeed for the audience.

There are various characteristics that alter a person's speech, such as clarity, volume, pitch, tone and speed of delivery. Let's look at those characteristics now.

1. CLARITY.

It is essential that you speak clearly, otherwise your audience will become bored and you will not get your message across. If you are very nervous your mouth can become tense and it becomes more difficult to speak with clarity. It is worth trying to control your nerves as much as possible and to make a conscious effort to pronounce your words very clearly.

If you find that nerves are making you gabble or mumble, then take a deep breath and pause for a second before continuing. Try to avoid filling pauses with 'uh', 'um', 'you know' and so on, as these can be distracting for the audience.

2. VOLUME.

Make sure you speak loudly enough - you must be heard at the back of the room! You can increase the volume of your voice by increasing the pressure of air coming out of your lungs. Speak from the chest, not the throat.

Don't be afraid to vary the volume of your voice during your speech. Raise your voice and speed up slightly during the more exciting parts. Drop your voice and slow down during the important points. This will increase the atmosphere in the room and force the audience to concentrate hard to hear you.

3. PITCH (the highness or lowness of a sound).

Generally people feel more comfortable listening to a deep, smooth voice. However, it is important that your voice sounds natural and not forced. Speak as low as you comfortably can while still sounding natural. Try to vary your pitch depending on the content of your speech, this will keep your audience interested. When practising your speech you should try reading out loud and singing to explore the potential of your voice.

It is also a good idea to watch or listen to news programmes and be aware of the pitch of the presenter's voice. Notice how they change their pitch depending on the content of the story.

4. TONE.

Your body cavities, such as your mouth and chest, will impact the tone of your voice. If you restrict these cavities your voice will sound restricted and quite nasal. To avoid restricting your body cavities you must ensure that your posture is correct. Sitting down in a slumped position, slouching or standing while hunched over will affect the tone of your voice and your overall delivery. Stand up straight with your weight balanced on both feet, hold your head up and your shoulders back.

It is a good idea to record yourself talking or reading aloud. Listen to your voice, the pitch, tone, clarity and fluency of your voice. Then get to work on improving your public speaking voice using the tips above!