It's often hard to strike a balance in public speaking. We often want to create suspense, but we don't want it to be too melodramatic. By slowly building up a story piece by piece and creating a vocal climax with effective use of pause this can be achieved to great affect. But, please remember to feel the words rather than exaggerating them too much.

The following story provides a simple example of this:

'I just gazed at my feet as he shouted, and prayed silently that he wouldn’t single me out… (pause) When he called my name, I cringed… (pause) As I followed him down the corridor, I could hear that his breathing was laboured and I felt pity for him. I know now that he was insecure and weak… but I was still scared… I can still visualise him wringing his hands as we walked in silence and my heart was pounding… He was clearly unwell and distraught with anger… anger at his lost power…. Anger at his inability to control a small child.Then he turned and looked at me. (pause) It was a look devoid of emotion… and he said in a very hushed voice (pause) "try not to talk so much next time"… then he smiled.'

With effective use of detail and pause and by connecting with our emotions, we can keep our audience engaged throughout. It is important to have good vocal variety in a speech like this in order to maintain an audience's attention.

I'd like you all to consider how you communicate with yourself on a daily basis. Do you have an internal dialogue which weakens your resolve to become a stronger, more confident person? I'm talking about that niggling internal voice in your head that tells you, 'you can't possibly do that' or 'you're going to really embarrass yourself'... Have you ever wondered how good it would feel to turn the sound off?!

Sometimes, just laughing at it is enough.

Try this:

Think about a situation or task, which you're nervous about and ask yourself how it's going to go?

Your response might come in the form of emotions, images or words. Whatever, the response, make a mental note of it and remind yourself that this is the sum of your experiences speaking. It is built up every time you have a new experience. It is all knowing and vulnerable. It worries about being late or not good enough and is often proved wrong, but seldom learns. It is totally separate from you.

It is only by creating this separation that you can become truly free of your thoughts- whether they be emotions, images or words. So, every time your thoughts get carried away and take you on an imaginary journey- which usually involves the worst case scenario, bring them back down to earth and embrace uncertainty instead- it's a lot less volatile.

Over the next few days- once you've had a chance to figure out whether your response is coming in the form of emotions, images or words, I'm going to send out tips to confront all three. For now, just keep reminding yourself
of your ability to separate yourself from your thoughts. It always manages to make me smile.

How loud is too loud? What’s the difference between vocal clarity and shouting? These are just some of the concerns that people have.

Rest assured, I don’t think anyone can speak too loudly when up on stage in front of an audience.

So, we can all push those concerns to one side…

It’s true that some people naturally have louder voices than others, but I’d like to show you how to make the very best of ‘your voice’.

To all those who take exercise: would you ever go to the gym or go out for a jog without having a good stretch? I certainly wouldn’t… and our voices are no different.

Think of the vocal chords like the strings of an instrument. If they are too tight, our voices are raspy, and if they are too relaxed the sound stays in our mouths. So, we need to find a happy medium.

Recite these lines from a poem:

Breathless, we flung us on the windy hill,
Laughed in the sun, and kissed the lovely grass.
You said, "Through glory and ecstasy we pass;

Sounded OK, but I think we can do a bit better.

We need to warm up first!

Speaking Stance:

relax stomach (if you hold your stomach in it causes tension in your voice)

Support the sound:

by practicing the following exercises:

• Round and round the rugged rock, the ragged rascal ran (exaggerate mouth movements)
• Tongue Boot Camp (move your tongue around your mouth, on the outside of your teeth in circular movements. Repeat this 8 times clockwise, 8 times anti clockwise, 7 times, 6 times... and so on until 1.

Open Up your throat:

• Ho Hum: say ho and then extend the hum, so that you hold it in your throat.

Chanting:

Chanting has two purposes: it opens up your throat and prepares your voice for speaking and it is also very relaxing. Whenever we breathe from our stomach, it is extremely therapeutic.

E oh ah A

Now repeat the poem.

Breathless, we flung us on the windy hill,
Laughed in the sun, and kissed the lovely grass.
You said, "Through glory and ecstasy we pass;


Better?


If you want to fill the room with your voice and command your audience’s attention, make these exercises a daily ritual.