There are several dynamics that make for good public speaking but the one component that far outweighs all others is the need to breathe while speaking. Without air, there is no voice. And yet, many novice speakers never think about that life-giving force when addressing an audience. In fact, ... Views: 3284
For all the years that I have been teaching people how to find their ‘real’ voice, what never ceases to amaze me are the numerous benefits that can result which have nothing to do with the speaking voice. The reason is simple; however, unless you are pointed in the right direction for finding ... Views: 3281
One of the best pieces of advice I give to my clients is to paint a picture with your voice, with your facial expression, and with your body language when speaking. Those who read audio books are marvelous in this respect because their job is to depict everything they are saying so that the ... Views: 3280
When it comes to improving your presentation skills, only one voice matters – yours! Have you ever considered what your speaking voice is saying about you? Have you ever listened to a recording of yourself? No, I mean listened, truly listened to how others recognize your voice.
Most people ... Views: 3279
Are you plagued with a voice that is luckluster when you speak? Have others told you that you sound boring when you talk? The good news about speaking in monotone is that you can change it. As long you allow yourself to do so.
That is where the difficulty lies. If you express little ... Views: 3278
A big complaint I hear from many women is that when they answer the phone, the caller asks to speak to their mother. Does that ever happen to you? There is no doubt that this is a problem for the woman who is looking to succeed in her career.
Women have enough difficulty competing with ... Views: 3275
While nervousness or fear of the speech or presentation is researched frequently on the internet, some of the finer points of one’s personality and delivery are often excluded. Once you are able to control your nervousness, it is important to recognize some of these finer points, the most ... Views: 3273
In today’s world of public speaking, standing out from the crowd is one of your first priorities in establishing a career at the podium. Your success depends on it.
In order to market yourself and your own individuality, you must have something that sets you apart from all others. What is ... Views: 3261
Whether you are looking for a job, firmly ensconced in one, or in the midst of starting your own business, improving the sound of your voice is something you might consider especially if the sound of your voice on recording equipment leaves much to be desired. Yes, it is unfortunate that we do ... Views: 3258
Women often wonder why men don’t listen. There are a number of possibilities, one of which could be that your voice is irritating. If you have a whiny, high-pitched, nasal sound that is reminiscent of a poorly-tuned violin, then the image you are projecting is definitely not one of warmth, ... Views: 3258
You’ve been invited to speak or perhaps your boss has ‘requested’ you speak. Whatever your reason for speaking, if you are like most people, nervousness takes over as you begin the process of anxiously awaiting the date. Hopefully, you create your speech or presentation well in advance and ... Views: 3241
There is no question that excessive nasality, also known as hypernasality, can be like nails on a blackboard. Just listen to Fran Drescher for any great length of time and you may find that her whiny, nasal sound becomes quite annoying.
There are 3 sounds in the English language which ... Views: 3236
A common complaint for those giving presentations or speeches is that they run out of air and can never seem to catch up on their air supply. The biggest problem with breathlessness is that your body is starved for oxygen because you are not allowing yourself the luxury of breathing. Instead, ... Views: 3233
Recently, I had the opportunity of working with a group of young professionals in a corporate workshop on voice and presentation skills. Comprising six women and one man, the group was under 30 years of age except for one woman who was 32. Smart, savvy, outgoing and most able, this group took ... Views: 3229
Imagine nails on a blackboard and how it makes your skin crawl or how the hair on the back of your neck stands out. Now imagine a nasal voice similar to those who hail from Brooklyn or the Bronx. After hearing a sound like that for any great length of time, you might get the same reaction that ... Views: 3228
When I first started teaching voice improvement, I had no idea how many fantastic benefits would result just by discovering your ‘real’ voice. Yes, the voice that is powered by means of your chest cavity versus your throat and vocal folds (cords) is richer, warmer, deeper and mature-sounding. ... Views: 3224
In today’s multicultural world, many people are looking to eliminate their accent and I have a better suggestion. Instead of trying to get rid of your dialect or accent, why not clean it up?
You may believe that your accent is keeping you from getting the job you want or moving ahead in ... Views: 3217
While the after-dinner speech is as old as mankind, this type of oratory became most popular in England in the early 1900’s. Although its purpose was originally intended to be a light-hearted speech after the evening meal, the after-dinner speech today is often given after a business lunch or ... Views: 3213
One of the most frequent questions I hear is how do I tell my spouse, my friend, or a colleague that they need to improve their speaking voice? This really is a tough issue because if you approach someone advising them that their speaking voice needs some work, they are probably going to be ... Views: 3204
When you are delivering a presentation, do you know that your body is speaking as well as your voice? Watch all great presenters and you will see that they use their bodies to express their feelings, their thoughts, and, most importantly, their confidence.
If you walk to the podium with ... Views: 3177
I am working with a woman who taught kindergarten for many years and is now in the process of changing her career. Susan would like to become a professional public speaker and consultant. Regarding her voice and presentation skills, her delivery is similar to that of a kindergarten teacher ... Views: 3175
While there are various methods and suggestions as to how to make your voice deeper in pitch, the difference between those approaches and the one that is correct lies in the word make. As soon as you make your voice do something it shouldn’t, you are forcing it. When you force your voice into ... Views: 3175
While the majority of those who stand to address an audience are nervous, there is a small percentage of people whose nervousness is debilitating. And, their first reaction is often to feel sick to their stomach. If the thought of public speaking makes you want to ‘bring up lunch,’ there are a ... Views: 3170
Getting a job is not easy with today’s high rate of unemployment. It is certainly to your advantage to not only have the right education and experience but also the best presentation skills as well.
When you think about the image you project, what does your voice say about you? In order to ... Views: 3159
While public speaking may seem like a war in which you are doing battle, it really isn’t. In truth, it is not that different from standing at your desk among a group of people and explaining to them how you successfully won a long sought-after account. It is not unlike sharing a story about a ... Views: 3155
One of the most common complaints I hear from clients is that they run out of air at the lectern. If this is a problem for you, let me ask you a question. Do you experience breathlessness in normal conversation? Your answer is probably No. If you do not run out of air when you are speaking ... Views: 3153
While I believe there are 5 things you must do to gain control of your nervousness and actually put it to good use, the most important of those 5 is something many people do not do and never think to do. To make matters worse, the only time many speakers are aware of it is when they have ... Views: 3153
You have probably heard the statistics: when you meet someone in a face-to-face situation, 37% of the image you project is attributed to your speaking voice; 55% of your image is the visual and a mere 8% your content. Whether those percentages are true is not the issue. The issue is whether ... Views: 3144
Unless you are planning to become an actor, I see no reason to try to get rid of your accent as long as you speak clearly. This is a prerequisite for success. It does not matter where you live or what language is your mother tongue.
Along with your education and experience, your ... Views: 3126
I love all the articles and advice on the internet today which deal with quelling nervousness, combating nervousness, eliminating nervousness and ending those nervous jitters. Unfortunately, most of them do not discuss the benefits of nervousness in public speaking or in the job interview and ... Views: 3125
One of the reasons people contact me is because of lack of air at the podium, in the webinar, or in a sales presentation. So I have a question for you.
Do you ever experience breathlessness when in conversation with family, friends or colleagues?
More than likely, your answer is No unless ... Views: 3124
When clients tell me they want to be like Anthony Robbins or Zig Ziglar, my first question is why? Yes, I understand that they may want to be as famous or as rich or as talented, but why would they want to imitate either one of them?
While your audience would probably love to see Robbins ... Views: 3123
One of the best pieces of advice I give to my clients when teaching presentation skills is to always be prepared for the unexpected and that goes for your clothing as well as your visual image. Without a doubt, what you are saying and how you are saying are the most important aspects of your ... Views: 3111
While it is definitely easier to speak to female audiences, you can have as much success with male audiences if you understand the differences between the two. In addition, knowing the makeup of the particular male audience you are addressing will be to your advantage.
If the group to whom ... Views: 3091
One of the best courses I had in college was an English class on the 18th Century Novel. My professor assigned one book per week and would ask one question per book for which we were allowed to answer on only one typewritten, double-spaced page. The problem was that the question asked could be ... Views: 3089
With the start of the New Year and the resolutions we vow to keep, there is one change that can improve your life – both professionally and personally – simply by discovering your ‘real’ voice. Easy to accomplish and guaranteed to get better with age, your ‘real’ voice is deeper in pitch, ... Views: 3083
If you are plagued by a great deal of stress on a daily basis, do you know what it is doing to your speaking voice? You are probably aware that it is affecting your sleep, your diet, your mental health, your physical health and your overall well-being. But what do you think it is doing to your ... Views: 3082
In public speaking, the anecdotes you include in your presentation can say a lot about you as the speaker. Simply put, the anecdote is a very brief retelling of a true account which can be humorous or interesting, but more importantly, is relevant to your topic. The value of the anecdote is ... Views: 3080
If others continually ask you to repeat yourself, what do you think that says about you? If you are striving to achieve success in your career, do you think your soft-spoken voice might be jeopardizing your goals? Have you ever considered that your lack of volume is possibly what could be ... Views: 3072
While there is no doubt that a loud voice can be most painful to your listeners’ ears, have you ever considered how your loud voice affects the image that you project? We are all concerned about image. Look at the number of articles and books written today on image and what it means for your ... Views: 3070
A surprising number of young men email me regarding the difficulty they are having being heard at the club scene. What is happening is that they are yelling and are ending up with sore throats. Is there a way to solve this problem aside from not speaking?
The answer lies in learning how ... Views: 3065
If your answer is ‘yes’ to that question, then the chances are good that you are female and that you are juggling family, career and everything else that is being thrown at you. At least 95% of the women with whom I work complain of tension in their shoulder and neck regions on a daily basis. ... Views: 3062
For those of you refuse to interrupt your sentences to breathe, you have a mass of listeners who are frustrated because they do not catch the 2nd half of your sentences. Do you know why this is? I’ll give you a clue. It’s got something to do with oxygen.
Without air, there is no voice. ... Views: 3061
I cannot tell you how many of my clients have admitted to me that they do not prepare for their presentations. When I hear that I am always stunned. If you know in advance that you are to speak to a group of people for whatever reason, how can you not prepare in advance? This is a no-brainer ... Views: 3059
When it comes to image, everyone is concerned about how they look, how they project themselves, what they say and what they wear. Yet few are aware that the sound of their speaking voice accounts for a large part of that image. So, my question to you is, do you like hearing your voice on your ... Views: 3053
Nothing is more frustrating than listening to a public speaker deliver a speech or presentation at 100 mph. A few minutes at this speed is one thing; however, 50 minutes or more at that pace can easily lose your listeners. Talking too fast is tiring for both you as the speaker and your ... Views: 3049
When I was in graduate school studying music composition, my singing professor told me that the pitch of my speaking voice was too high and proceeded to show me my ‘real’ voice. Deeper in pitch, warm and resonant, my ‘real’ voice no longer exhibited whiny, young-sounding qualities.
At the ... Views: 3042
Last week I was not looking forward to my upcoming 2-day workshop in Chicago. I had gotten a cold/flu the previous Sunday, after attending my high school reunion the night before – and hopefully not infecting everyone who was there.
In any event, I so wanted to cancel the workshop because ... Views: 3026
As a voice specialist, I have known for many years that a good voice improvement course can be an excellent means of accent reduction. Yesterday, I received an email from a Taiwanese man studying in Boston. His 1st language is Mandarin Chinese; and, he has been enrolled in an accent reduction ... Views: 3025
In Shakespeare’s King Lear, Lear is carrying the dead Cordelia and says, “her voice was ever soft, gentle and low, an excellent thing in woman.” Those words epitomized the image of how a woman handled herself in society and is in direct contrast to the loud, outspoken and sharp-tongued Kate, ... Views: 3023