It could be a draft of wind hitting an unprotected neck, or some unwelcome bit of pollen tickling the mucous membrane, or just plain old nervousness, but believe me, there will come that moment when your voice just refuses to obey your brain. Hoarseness can attack even the most seasoned speaker. Do you really want to know when it gets ridiculous? That supremely uncomfortable moment when your voice is so damaged only a high pitched screech comes out. Here are 7 useful tips to combat hoarseness in public speaking.
1) Rehearse.
I know this sounds funny but your best solution begins before the presentation. Rehearse your speech. During the rehearsal do practice deep breathing and voice projection. Listen to yourself delivering the loudest and the softest levels of volume that you plan to use. Here's an exercise that I find helpful: Speak from the throat, expelling enough air to hurt the vocal chords. Now say the same line again but with proper voice production and projection this time. Make a mental note of the difference in voice quality and thoracic health and you will remember to project properly at the live presentation.
2) Breathe properly.
Voice production is all about breathing so if your voice begins to go south in the middle of a speech, slow down and ask yourself "Am I breathing correctly?"
Truth is, if you are an experienced public speaker and you haven't been introduced to voice training, well it's time to sign up for a course. Learn the difference between breathing from the thorax(throat)and breathing from the diaphragm (abdomen).
3) Water the great healer.The jury is still out on when is the best tie to drink water in relation to public speaking. Some experts recommend that you sip water during the speech. Some recommend that it is better to drink a liberal portion 35 minutes before speaking. I have tried both. Personally, I believe in both methods. So remember to drink a glass or two of water about one hour before your speech. Do keep a glass of room temperature water handy to sip from durng the presentation.
4) Watch that draft.Fresh air is good for health but there are time that you must control your exposure to the passage of air especially through a room. You don't want a draft - a current of air in a confined space - rushing at you from an open door or window. Some kind soul might have placed a high speed fan above your head, supercooling your face and neck. This will chill your throat and your speech. Stop in the middle of your speech and request the necessary measures to protect your throat, your voice, and the speech. Turn off the offending fan which is causing supercooling. Close or adjust the drafty door or window. This is the time to reach into you briefcase and pull out tht scarf or towel you brought along for this very problem. Wrap it around your neck, the warmth will improve voice production. Adjust it for comfort and body heat.
5) Focus on volume instead of pitch for vocal variety.
The onset of hoarseness will limit your ability to vary the pitch of your voice. So you simply modulate the loudness or softness of volume to compensate for vocal variety in pitch.
6) Ask the audience to do some talking too.If you are presenting several sessions in,say, an all day seminar, take an unscheduled break and change the type of activities. You were probably doing too much of the talking. Involve the participants some more.
7) When all else fails conclude your speech.You will live to speak another day. Summarise the rest of your points and save whats left of your voice for an enthusiastic conclusion.
At some point in your speaking career you will be afflicted by hoarseness in the middle of a speech. On some occasions you will breathe or sip your way through it. In acute cases you will jump to the end of your presentation in order to protect your vocal chords. Whatever you choose to do, do it with elegance and confidence. Don't draw too much attention to the problem, stay on topic.
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Monday, February 25, 2008
5 Ways To Use the Power of the Pause
Well apart from the fact that we speak in rhythmic patterns with words which by themselves are units of thoughts and meaning, and thus spoken with split second gaps between them if not liaised, yes apart from the automatic gaps, when do I deliberately and noticeably pause in the middle of a speech?
The first time to pause is actually before the speech. As soon as you have placed your portfolio or notes on the lectern or podium you look your audience over with a smile if the occasion does not decry a smile, and you say nothing. Then you insert your energy into that moment of expectation as you open your mouth with the preamble, the icebreaker.
A second effective use of the pause is to place a sustained silence between the icebreaker and the introduction. Especially in a sermon it denotes a movement from the mundane to the divine; from the friendly to the theological; from the casual conversation to the expanded conversation; from the informal to the formal.
The pause for emphasis is a third and very important use of the pause to allow time to consider the content that is either about to be spoken or had just been said. If it is anticipatory then you pause in mid-sentence, if it is conclusive then you pause at the end of a sentence. A repetition may follow a pause made after a statement.
Pausing for dramatic effect is the fourth use of the pause. This is when you engage the audience in an enthusiastic moment of real connection. You are telling a story or stating a major point, you can feel the positive spirit of the moment, and the audience is really with you. So to heighten the drama or just to stimulate thought, you pause to allow them to suggest the end of the story or the answer to a problem. In many instances you do not wish to state everything, you simply pause and gesture to indicate the nature of what the audience has obviously concluded. That unspoken thought is then suggested in your next statement.
The fifth use of the pause is to deliberately inject sanity into what may otherwise be a too rapid delivery. It rescues the health of the speech, and if used wisely by the speaker will also rescue the breathing apparatus which powers the voice. This is a moment to ask yourself if there is another point you need to insert or omit. You are smiling and looking confident so the audience doesn’t know that this is a survival pause.
Attention, transition, emphasis, dramatic effect and catching your breath are five very important reasons we should not overlook the importance of the simple…pause.
The first time to pause is actually before the speech. As soon as you have placed your portfolio or notes on the lectern or podium you look your audience over with a smile if the occasion does not decry a smile, and you say nothing. Then you insert your energy into that moment of expectation as you open your mouth with the preamble, the icebreaker.
A second effective use of the pause is to place a sustained silence between the icebreaker and the introduction. Especially in a sermon it denotes a movement from the mundane to the divine; from the friendly to the theological; from the casual conversation to the expanded conversation; from the informal to the formal.
The pause for emphasis is a third and very important use of the pause to allow time to consider the content that is either about to be spoken or had just been said. If it is anticipatory then you pause in mid-sentence, if it is conclusive then you pause at the end of a sentence. A repetition may follow a pause made after a statement.
Pausing for dramatic effect is the fourth use of the pause. This is when you engage the audience in an enthusiastic moment of real connection. You are telling a story or stating a major point, you can feel the positive spirit of the moment, and the audience is really with you. So to heighten the drama or just to stimulate thought, you pause to allow them to suggest the end of the story or the answer to a problem. In many instances you do not wish to state everything, you simply pause and gesture to indicate the nature of what the audience has obviously concluded. That unspoken thought is then suggested in your next statement.
The fifth use of the pause is to deliberately inject sanity into what may otherwise be a too rapid delivery. It rescues the health of the speech, and if used wisely by the speaker will also rescue the breathing apparatus which powers the voice. This is a moment to ask yourself if there is another point you need to insert or omit. You are smiling and looking confident so the audience doesn’t know that this is a survival pause.
Attention, transition, emphasis, dramatic effect and catching your breath are five very important reasons we should not overlook the importance of the simple…pause.
Sunday, February 24, 2008
What Should I Speak On?
Having difficulty selecting a topic for a speech? You are no doubt facing that universal question which every public speaker must confront: What should I speak on?
So you have been invited to address an audience of your peers, or worse yet, an unknown audience. And you’re scratching your head and wondering what to talk about.
Here are three tips that I’ve learned over years of doing several types of speaking.
Firstly, the speech is for the audience, not for you. You were invited to be of service to the listeners. They should get something new and exciting form your content. Theres the rub. What should I talk about? Well stop worrying, get on the phone or computer, contact the person who invited you, and ask him or her to specify a theme or topic that is of concern to the group at this time. In many cases the contact person will say “I’m sorry, I thought I gave it to you. The theme for this year is…”
That’s usually easy, for there is the odd occasion or two when you are simply told “Choose your own topic. We just want to hear from you.”
How does a public speaker deal with this? You do what is called audience research. You ask “Tell me about the age group, the jobs, the income group, the sociology of the target audience?” In research you are checking demographics (all the facts and figures about a target group).
Once you get the demographics the next thing you want is the occasion. Usually it’s the first thing. What is the event? For the occasion will determine the type of speech. Are you speaking to inform, to persuade, to motivate? Or is it a special occasion speech such as a wedding or funeral. For some of these you will need further help for which countless books are available. The occasion will determine the specific topic, the duration and even how you dress.
So you have researched your audience, you know the occasion and the topic, but there is one final thing you must blend into the speech.
You! Yes you! You were invited because they wanted to hear from you, not John F. Kennedy, not Abraham Lincoln but from you. So you may quote great men and women of the ages as authorities, and you will need good anecdotes humour, and quotations to spice up your points but remember they invited you because they wanted your story. Not your bio, but your passion, your enthusiasm about the topic and somewhere in there you own experience with the problems and solution within the topic.
Love you audience, know your topic, and be the real you, and you are guaranteed to shine.
So you have been invited to address an audience of your peers, or worse yet, an unknown audience. And you’re scratching your head and wondering what to talk about.
Here are three tips that I’ve learned over years of doing several types of speaking.
Firstly, the speech is for the audience, not for you. You were invited to be of service to the listeners. They should get something new and exciting form your content. Theres the rub. What should I talk about? Well stop worrying, get on the phone or computer, contact the person who invited you, and ask him or her to specify a theme or topic that is of concern to the group at this time. In many cases the contact person will say “I’m sorry, I thought I gave it to you. The theme for this year is…”
That’s usually easy, for there is the odd occasion or two when you are simply told “Choose your own topic. We just want to hear from you.”
How does a public speaker deal with this? You do what is called audience research. You ask “Tell me about the age group, the jobs, the income group, the sociology of the target audience?” In research you are checking demographics (all the facts and figures about a target group).
Once you get the demographics the next thing you want is the occasion. Usually it’s the first thing. What is the event? For the occasion will determine the type of speech. Are you speaking to inform, to persuade, to motivate? Or is it a special occasion speech such as a wedding or funeral. For some of these you will need further help for which countless books are available. The occasion will determine the specific topic, the duration and even how you dress.
So you have researched your audience, you know the occasion and the topic, but there is one final thing you must blend into the speech.
You! Yes you! You were invited because they wanted to hear from you, not John F. Kennedy, not Abraham Lincoln but from you. So you may quote great men and women of the ages as authorities, and you will need good anecdotes humour, and quotations to spice up your points but remember they invited you because they wanted your story. Not your bio, but your passion, your enthusiasm about the topic and somewhere in there you own experience with the problems and solution within the topic.
Love you audience, know your topic, and be the real you, and you are guaranteed to shine.
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