***5 Tips for Improving Your Speaking Voice

When it comes to public speaking, it never ceases to amaze me how many people profess a desire to improve their presentation skills, learn how to create their material or script properly, and work on their delivery skills, yet never conce themselves with the sound of their speaking voice. In any form of communication, your voice is the vehicle for your words. Could your voice use some work? If you would like to improve the vehicle, I suggest the following 5 tips: 1. Learn to breathe with the support of your diaphragm. I know; I know. What does breathing have to do with your speaking voice? Everything. If you learn to breathe properly, you will not only discover the best means of controlling your nervousness in any form of public speaking, but you will never experience breathlessness again. And, if you have any desire to find your ‘real’ voice, it will not happen unless you are breathing in this manner and speaking at your… 2. Optimum pitch. Most people speak above their optimum pitch. It may be up by a mere ½ step or by several steps. After you discover your optimum range, however, your voice will be deeper and more resonant once you… 3. Begin powering your sound by means of your chest cavity. Presently, you are using 4 of your 5 resonators. Yes, your voice box, throat, mouth and nasal cavities are partially responsible for your sound; however, the one that is missing in this picture is your chest cavity. Larger than the other 4 combined, the chest is the reason for the truly great voices like that of James Earl Jones, Kathleen Turner, Ashley Judd, and George Clooney. If you allow your chest to become your primary sounding board… 4. Your volume will automatically become ‘normal.’ For example, if you are soft-spoken, your volume will increase to what I call Volume Level 1 – the normal, everyday amount of sound most people use throughout their day. If, on the other hand, you are considered loud, your volume will automatically decrease in size. Because you will be powering your voice by means of your chest, the loudness will disappear, the edges will be gone, and your voice will become very warm in quality… 5. As you speak with color, with life, and with emotion, not only in the tonal variety of your voice but also your facial expression and body language. Don’t allow your habitual voice to get in the way of your next presentation. If you sound like an old jalopy, follow the above 5 steps and discover the Cadillac that is inside just waiting to come out!