Techniques To Help You Deliver That Speech Your Audience Will Love!
Most of us learn from listening to people. We love listening to speeches even if they’re introducing a speaker, live on a podcast, addressing a meeting or watching the news.
Any top voice-over artists will tell you that having a good voice is a skill like any other. You can get better at it with practice. Here are a few tips to improve your vocal delivery so that others will find listening to you a pleasure:
Use Simple Language
Aim for short sentences, this way you don’t have to pause to catch your breath. Keep your story short, concise and to the point.
Record Yourself
It is easy to record yourself. You can record your voice on your phone and replay. Most people hate listening to themselves. Try to overcome this by asking a friend to listen to your recording, offer suggestions and encourage you to continue to practice your technique.
By listening to yourself, you can see if your cadence is strong and you can test your voice before the speech. You can also test to see (or hear) if one way of delivering a phrase sounds much better than another.
Don’t Forget to Breathe!
Learn to breathe by pushing air out from your stomach. This way your voice will sound deep and you can control your pitch. As opposed to a shallow chest breath where you will have to pause because you have run out of air.
Learning how to breathe correctly is a learned skill. It’s a good idea to invest in voice coach if this is what you do for a living.
Slow and Articulate
Slowing down gives you a chance to articulate your words. Emphasize on the words that matter most for your audience. Shorter sentences can convey something dramatic and exciting.
Read Your Speech Out Loud
This will help you become familiar with the words and the tone. Even better still, stand in front of a mirror and record yourself speaking. I know this is a difficult process, but it will help you see how you come off to your audience. You are your best critic. Being at ease with your delivery will enable a smooth speech. Almost like you are conversing with your audience.
Take Manuka Honey Before You Speak
Manuka Honey keeps your vocal chords moistened and lubricated. If you use your voice for a living consider having Manuka Lozenges or Honey handy before you go in front of your audience or a classroom.
If you do decide to soothe and protect your voice with Manuka Honey, remember that not every product out there is authentic. Indeed, many Manuka Honey products are in fact packaged outside of New Zealand to bypass NZ regulations, the precise reason Pacific Resources International (PRI) always labels each jar with the batch number of the New Zealand beekeepers where its honey is produced and is certified authentic Manuka Honey.
That’s transparency at its best!
