Why Voice Control?

A golden voice is certainly an asset for

Lincoln and Churchill
a public speaker, but some of the
learned to control their
most famous speakers in history have
voices. You can do the
had undistinguished voices.
same thing.
Abraham Lincoln had a harsh and
The aspects of voice
penetrating voice; Winston Churchill
you should work to
suffered from a slight lisp and an
control are volume,
awkward stammer.
pitch, rate, pauses,
Like them, you can overcome natural
vocal variety,
disadvantages and use your voice to
pronunciation, and
the best effect.
articulation.
 Vocal Tools : Volume

• It is the loudness or softness of the presenter’s voice.

• A powerful, loud voice was essential for an orator. Today, electronic amplification allows
even a soft-spoken person to be heard in any setting.
• In the classroom, volume is essential, because you will speak without a microphone. When
you do, be sure to adjust your voice to the acoustics of the room, the size of the audience,
and the level of background noise.
• Remember that your own voice always sounds louder to you than to a listener.
• Soon after beginning your speech, glance at the people farthest away from you. If they look
puzzled, are leaning forward in their seats, or are otherwise straining to hear, you need to
talk louder.
 Vocal Tools: Pitch
• Pitch is the highness or lowness of a speaker’s voice.
• The faster sound waves vibrate, the higher their pitch; the slower they vibrate, the
lower their pitch.
• Changes in pitch are known as inflections.
• In ordinary conversation, we instinctively use inflections to convey meaning and
emotion. People who use no variation in pitch are said to speak in a monotone, a trait
whose only known benefit is to cure insomnia in one’s listeners by inducing sleep.
• Although few people speak in an absolute monotone, many fall into repetitious pitch
patterns that are just as hypnotic. You can guard against this by recording your
speeches as you practice them. If all your sentences end on the same inflection—
either upward or downward—work on varying your pitch patterns to fit the meaning
of your words.
 Vocal Tools: Rate/Speed

• It is the speed at which a person talks. People in the United States usually speak at a rate
between 120 and 150 words per minute, but there is no uniform rate for effective
speechmaking.
• Franklin Roosevelt spoke at 110 words per minute, John Kennedy at 180. Martin Luther
King opened his “I Have a Dream” speech at 92 words per minute and finished it at 145.
• The best rate of speech depends on several things—the vocal attributes of the speaker, the
mood she or he is trying to create, the composition of the audience, and the nature of the
occasion.
• Two obvious faults to avoid are speaking so slowly that your listeners become bored or so
quickly that they lose track of your ideas.
• Novice speakers are particularly prone to racing through their speeches at a frantic rate.
• Use a recording device to check how fast you speak. Pay special attention to rate when
practicing your speech.
 Vocal Tools: Pronunciation

• It is the accepted standard of sound and rhythm for words in a given language.
• Every word leads a triple life: It is read, written, and spoken.
• In other cases, we may mispronounce the most commonplace words out of habit.
• The problem is that we usually don’t know when we are mispronouncing a word.
• If we are lucky, we learn the right pronunciation by hearing someone else say the word
properly or by having someone gently correct us in private.
• If we are unlucky, we mispronounce the word in front of a roomful of people, who may
raise their eyebrows, groan, or laugh.
• So you should check a dictionary or look it up on You Tube.
 Vocal Tools: Articulation
• Articulation refers to how clearly and precisely we say words or sounds.
• It’s like the way you move your mouth, tongue, and lips to shape the sounds you make when speaking.
• Good articulation means you pronounce words in a way that’s easy for others to understand.
• Articulation and pronunciation are not same. Sloppy articulation one of several causes of mispronunciation,
but you can articulate a word sharply and still mispronounce it.
• For example, if you say the “s” in “Illinois” or the “p” in “pneumonia,” you are making a mistake in
pronunciation, regardless of how precisely you articulate the sounds.
• We know that “let me” is not “lemme,” that “going to” is not “gonna,” that “did you” is not “didja,” yet we
persist in articulating these words improperly.
• If you have sloppy articulation, work on identifying and eliminating your most common errors. Like other
bad habits, careless articulation can be broken only by persistent effort.
Vocal Tools: Tongue-twister
• A name or set of words, sentence or phrase that are difficult to pronounce,
especially when repeated quickly and often.
• "She sells seashells on the seashore" is a well-known tongue-twister.
• “Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled pepper.”
• “Lesser leather never weathered wetter weather better.”
• How do you become good in dealing with the tongue-twisters?
• You should start by saying the tongue twister slowly, repeating it and then building up speed.
• Try to say the tongue twister a few times in a row, as fast as you can, for a bigger challenge.
• Practise the different tongue twisters several times a day and see if you notice any
improvement in your pronunciation.
 Vocal Tools: Pause
• It is a momentary break in the vocal delivery of a speech.
• Learning how and when to pause is a major challenge for most beginning speakers.
• It can signal the end of a thought unit, give an idea time to sink in, and lend dramatic impact to a
statement.
• “The right word may be effective,” said Mark Twain, “but no word was ever as effective as a rightly
timed pause.”
• Developing a keen sense of timing is partly a matter of common sense, partly a matter of
experience. Make sure you pause at the end of thought units and not in the middle. Otherwise, you
may distract listeners from your ideas.
• Most important, do not fill the silence with “uh,” “er,” or “um.” These vocalized pauses can create
negative perceptions about a speaker’s intelligence and often make a speaker appear deceptive
 Avoiding Negative Vocal Habits: Vocal Fry
• Vocal fry is a speech habit where the speaker dramatically lowers the pitch of
the voice right at the end of the speech, usually trailing off and lingers on the
last sound.
• It gives the voice a popping, gravely sound (uhhhhhhh), and in a sentence can
sound like this:
• All of us vocal fry from time to time – dropping our tone and losing air at the
end of our sentences happens to just about all of us, especially if your voice has
some damage (like being irritated by a cold) or is naturally gravelly.
• But in presentation vocal fry causes problems:
• “If we want to secure the partnershiiiip, than tomorrow’s the last day we can get
that contract siiiigned.”
• This should sound like: “If we want to secure the partnership, than tomorrow’s
the last day we can get that contract signed.”
 Avoiding Negative Vocal Habits:
Speaking too fast or too slow

• One of the most common vocal mistakes is speaking at an inappropriate pace.

• Speaking too fast can make you sound nervous, rushed, or unclear, while speaking too
slow can make you sound bored, dull, or unprepared.
• To find your optimal speaking pace, practice your presentation out loud and time yourself.
• Aim for a natural and comfortable speed that allows you to emphasize key points, pause
for effect, and breathe properly.
• You can also record yourself and listen for any areas where you need to slow down or
speed up.
 Avoiding Negative Vocal Habits

Using fillers or crutches

• Fillers or crutches are words or sounds that you use to fill the gaps or pauses in your
speech, such as "um", "uh", "like", "you know", or "so".
• They can make you sound hesitant, uncertain, or unprofessional, and distract your
audience from your message.
• To avoid using fillers or crutches, plan your presentation well and rehearse it until you are
confident and fluent.
• If you need to pause, do so deliberately and silently, rather than filling the silence with
unnecessary noises.
• You can also practice with a friend or a coach who can point out your fillers or crutches
and help you eliminate them.
 Using a monotone or a sing-song voice
• Another common vocal mistake is using a monotone or a sing-song voice.
• A monotone voice is when you speak with the same pitch, volume, and tone throughout
your presentation, which can make you sound boring, unenthusiastic, or robotic.
• A sing-song voice is when you go up and down in your cadence, giving a rhythmic and
musical sound that doesn’t correspond to targeted conversational flow. In short, it sounds
more like singing than talking. You may sound childish, insincere, or annoying.
• To avoid using a monotone or a sing-song voice, vary your pitch, volume, and tone to
match your content, mood, and intention.
• Use a higher pitch to show excitement or curiosity, a lower pitch to show authority or
seriousness, a louder volume to show confidence or emphasis, a softer volume to show
intimacy or sensitivity, and different tones to show emotion or sarcasm.
• Another common pitch problem that can detract from your credibility, known as “up-
speak’ or “uptalk,” happens when you raise the pitch of your voice at the end of a
sentence so that it sounds like a question.
 Mispronouncing or mumbling words

• Another common vocal mistake is mispronouncing or mumbling words.

• Mispronouncing words can make you sound uneducated, uninformed, or disrespectful, while
mumbling words can make you sound lazy, unclear, or inaudible.
• To avoid mispronouncing or mumbling words, research and practice the correct
pronunciation of any unfamiliar or difficult words in your presentation, especially names,
acronyms, or technical terms.
• You can use online dictionaries, pronunciation guides, or native speakers to help you.
• To avoid mumbling words, speak clearly and articulately, enunciate each syllable, and open
your mouth sufficiently.
• You can also practice tongue twisters or exercises to improve your diction and clarity.
 Adapting Vocal Delivery to Different Presentation Styles

• Your vocal delivery refers to how you use your voice to communicate your message and
express your emotions.
• For formal presentations, one should use a prepared and organized framework that has
been well-practiced- all aspects of vocal components.
• Your vocal delivery must include appropriate volume, pitch, tone, rate, pause, and
emphasis.
• Your vocal delivery can affect how your audience perceives and responds to your message,
as well as how they feel and relate to you as a speaker.
• Therefore all negative vocal attributes must be identified and corrected well before the
presentation.
• For an informal presentation above-mentioned attributes can be somewhat relaxed yet
they should be used to attract and retain the attention of the audience.
 Tips to improve your vocal pace:
• Make a conscious effort to vary your vocal pace, slowing down for important
information so that listeners can understand, yet periodically speeding up a bit
to highlight familiar points and keep listeners engaged.
• If slowing down is difficult for you, practice pausing in places where you would
use a comma in written language. Take a breath at the end of each sentence or
paragraph.
• In terms of pitch: Instead of ending your sentence with an up tone, use a
downward inflection pattern that gradually returns to your ideal conversational
pitch as you reach the end of a sentence.
 Tips to improve your vocal pace
To prevent audible pauses and fillers:
• Follow these steps from Forbes to rid your speech of those “ums” and other unintended
audible pauses
• Listen to a recording of yourself using fillers liberally. Remembering a cringe-worthy
performance can be a powerful motivator to drop those audible pauses.
• You’re more likely to ramble and add fillers when your content lacks organization.
Establish a rhythm with a few sentences around one idea, then pause. Repeat that
rhythm around an organized set of points and you’ll get out of the habit of using fillers.
• Plan transitional phrases to take the place of those fillers, such as “Let’s move on…” or
simply stop talking and allow a second or two of silence to allow your point to sink in.
That’s how to use a pause to your advantage.
To Create a Positive and Memorable Impression Using Voice

Develop effective speaking qualities by aiming to develop a voice that is:

• Pleasant, conveying a sense of warmth
• Natural, reflecting your true personality and sincerity
• Dynamic, giving the impression of force and strength – even when it isn’t
especially loud
• Expressive, portraying various shades of meaning and never sounding
monotonous or without emotion
• Easily heard, thanks to proper volume and clear articulation