A businessperson's manner of speaking is of utmost importance. This includes facial expressions as well as tone of voice. Since a friendly manner and a warm smile attract pepople, enthusiasm is a necessity. Those who wear deadpan or gloomy expressions appear to be prophets of doom, not hopeful,hard, friendly or hostile, up-building or demoralizing. Selecting the right word can be vitally important.
By looking up words when reading, your vocabulary is enlarged. These words are then used when appropriate. Though we recognize many words we don't use, the object is to use words until they are well-known. Cultivating our ability to speak well requires effort. Mala-prop comedians get laughs when using wrong words, but anyone else could offend listeners and lose clarity. Some words are similar with slightly different meanings, for use in different circumstances. The dictionary is full of synonyms and antonyms. Different expressions have the same meanings or different shades of meaning. Wordiness can bury thoughts, so it's best to express yourself in as few words as possible. When this becomes easy, descriptive words can be added, for color, variety and shades of meaning. The prime object of speaking is still to convey information. If speech is monotonous or too difficult, others will not understand you. Being needlessly technical with those who do not normally know your technical vocabulary is counterproductive. It's not necessary to impress people with complex speech and long words, but it is important that others grasp your meaning. Correct words, which are easily understood, help make speech stimulating, not dull.
Also, pronunciation must be correct. Here again, a dictionary helps. However, listening to those who are well-known for correct pronunciation is even better. To avoid slurring words together, dropping endings and talking through one's teeth, it is necessary to practice good diction. That means an open mouth and distinct enunciation. Mouths are not really as wide open as they feel. (See Exercise No. 4)
Coarse Speech
Vulgar or obscene curse words or rough speech create a poor impression. Those who use four-letter words for emphasis, show a lack of vocabulary and often a lack of consideration for another person's feelings. Your dictionary contains plenty of inoffensive words which are just as forceful - there's no need to imitate the coarse speech of others. Simple language which is clean and correct still works best.
Expressions which clash with correct grammar should be avoided. These are popular with some entertainers and are found in pop music. There is no reason to imitate them and identify oneself with the drug scene, subculture, etc., which uses these expressions.
Angry and abusive speech is inappropriate even when you're irritated. The wise thing is to control the tongue if at all possible. Many things have been said in anger and later regretted.
Some people never pause in their everyday speaking. When this is a problem, it will require conscious effort to pause and let the other person say something. This ability is just as important in everyday dealings with people as it is in giving a speech before a large audience.
Suppose the day comes for you to present your ideas to a group of clients or fellow employees? Unless others can hear it, the value of what you say is lost. However, when a voice is too loud or strident, it may irritate others and will distract from what is said. For someone who is hard of hearing, particular care must be taken to use proper volume. This does not necessarily mean shouting. Proper enunciation is usually more important than a great deal of volume. A voice should be loud enough to be heard comfortably by whatever person or group is listening. When speaking to an audience or a group, your speech must be audible in the back of the room without overwhelming the front row. In any case, volume should fit the circumstances. Distractions, noises from outside, etc., will require compensation. (If using a mike, a little advance preparation in its use is a must.) If a voice has poor carrying quality or is muffled, special exercises or a program of training may be necessary. (See exercises) The reaction of an audience is the test of whether volume is correct or not. Listening to others on a program can also help.
Volume must be consistent with what is said. The material and purpose should be analyzed carefully. Too much volume will drive an audience away, instead of changing their thinking. For action words, volume can be increased. Material that calls for strength is weakened by a soft voice.
Proper placement of pauses can be just as important as volume control. Without pauses, meaning may not come across and main points become obscure. Pauses give confidence and poise, and composure breaks at difficult spots in a speech. Pauses show the audience that the speaker is in control, not overly nervous, and has something to say.
First, of course, you must be convinced that what you are saying is important and merits remembering. Sometimes it's necessary to say something exciting or shocking at the beginning of a talk, to get the attention of the audience. A moment usually provides it.
If there is a time limit on a talk, some of it must be allowed for pauses. Discourse which is overcrowded will usually be rushed through without adequate pauses. However, pauses are essential and shouldn't be neglected.
Pausing for punctuation will clarify thought, set off related ideas, indicate phrases and end sentences and paragraphs. These can be indicated by a change of inflection. The entire meaning of a sentence can be changed when punctuation pauses are ignored. Pausing is essential if a thought is to be conveyed correctly. Reading aloud requires punctuation. It is not always necessary to pause for commas; but semicolons, periods, question marks and a new - paragraph require pause for clear meaning. When pausing is truly a problem, when reading from a manuscript, the manuscript can be marked, drawing small vertical lines for a short pause and an X for a longer one. Using a colored pencil or pen will make it obvious at a glance. When pauses come in all the wrong places, and marks do not help, word-ties can be used, tying all the words in one phrase together and not pausing until the las word in the word-tie is reached.
Reflect Or Absorb
An audience needs a moment to reflect or absorb one main idea before going on to the next. This can prevent misunderstandings: allowing the mind to readjust itself, to see the change of direction and to follow the new thought being presented. It is almost as important for a speaker to pause before changing ideas as for a driver to slow down before turning into another street. When speaking extemporaneously from an outline, inflections can be marked on that outline. Main points can be covered thoroughly, being built up to a climax. Then, after a pause, a new thought is brought out and built upon. Change-of-thought pauses are usually longer than those for punctuation. When overdone, very long pauses could cause your talk to drag or sound affected (except for Jack Benny, of course.)
If there is a sizable disturbance, more than an increase in volume could cover, a pause is needed until the disturbance is over. The audience will appreciate such consideration. If the disturbance is severe enough, they probably aren't listening anyway.
Pauses are necessary in public speaking, but are just as useful in daily conversation. For more interesting, and understandable, speech, pausing can be practiced in daily conversation. Such preparation will help present a new idea to the Board of Directors, to a group of clients or to fellow workers.
What one says and how it is said are of utmost importance in all business situations.
Exercises to improve your voice quality are included in the following.
EXERCISES TO IMPROVE YOUR VOICE
These can be done as you drive to work, if what other motorists think doesn't bother you. I wouldn't recommend them for public transportation, however.
(1) Start off with deep breathing. The upper half of you must be standing up even if the lower half is sitting down, so sit up straight. Breathe in very slowly and deeply until you can feel your diaphragm push down on your stomach. Your stomach will stick out a bit. Hold for 10 seconds and then blow it slowly out through pursed lips. Keep as much control as possible. Don't do more than two deep breaths in a row, or you may become hyper-ventilated.
(2) To improve blood circulation in your throat and wake up your mouth and vocal equipment, puff out your cheeks and the front of your mouth slightly. Keep lips relaxed. With some air in front of your teeth, blow the air out with a puh-puh-puh sound. Do it for a couple of minutes, if you don't mind the stares.
(3) If you'd like a more resonant quality to your voice, try this one. Starting with a sound in mid-range, open your throat with an ah sound. (Ah is the only completely open-throated sound.) Without changing the position of your throat, change the sound to ee. Try to get the ee as close to ah in sound as you can, to keep as open a throat as possible. When you have done this, try ee to ah to oh to ooh without changing the position of your throat. When you do this, make sure that the sound is reverberating off the cheek bones, not through the nose. To check, simply pinch your nostrils together. Any sound this maneuver stops is going through your nose.
(4) To avoid a mashed-potatoes-in-the-mouth effect, here's an enunciation exercise: Starting at mid-range, enunciate broadly: "the tip of the tongue, the teeth, the lips." Raise your voice level one step and repeat. Lower your voice two steps and repeat. About five minutes should do it. Try it in front of a mirror at home, if possible, to see what is affected by each part of the exercise. What you do in an exaggerated manner during exercises will only partially carry over into your every day vocal use, making it sound natural.
(5) For control: Take a deep breath. Let some air out slowly and quietly, before making a sound. As air is flowing, start sound on ah, mid-range. Continue with ah as long as you can control your breathing.
(6) Because a lower range is usually more pleasant in a voice, than a high squeak, here's one to lower your voice. On hah, start at mid-range and slowly lower your voice stepwise to its lowest tone. Let out a sharp breath - a hah sound with each sound. People may think there's something funny, but so what. Here's to a better voice.
Mary Frances Smith is a freelancer with a B.A. in music and French and a M.A. in music. She has experience as a music director and soloist and has taught music and French in schools plus has give private lessons in voice and piano.
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