Everyone who speaks in front of an audience needs to learn speech technique, clear diction, and a pleasant voice. There are many speech and voice problems that interfere with a speaker’s sense of confidence as well as disrupting the communication process and creating an unpleasant attitude toward the speaker or speaker. It can be monotone or fast tempo of speech, squeaky or quiet voice, violation of the technique of pronunciation of sounds.
Fortunately, there are many exercises for speech technique and voice production that can be done at special speech and diction classes, as well as at home using a self-study textbook. We suggest familiarizing yourself with the most common and effective of them.
The main thing is to speak out loud and practice in front of the audience, taking advantage of every opportunity.
Work on speech technique consists of three main areas: practicing diction, practicing speech technique, and development.
Speech Lessons: Diction Training
Diction is the distinct pronunciation of sounds and syllables within a word. Good diction is the key to success in many areas of life. Clear intelligible speech contributes to pleasant communication and influence the interlocutor. To achieve a clear and distinct pronunciation, you need to train your diction regularly. This process is very time-consuming and requires a lot of work and a high degree of self-organization.
Three main articulators are involved in sound formation: the tongue, lips and lower jaw. The cheek muscles, breathing, mouth, palate and pharynx also affect the quality of sound. For perfect pronunciation, you need the correct articulatory organs for each letter of the alphabet. To check the condition of your articulators, there are a number of exercises that are performed in front of a mirror.
It is possible to correct slurred articulation with the help of special exercises. By doing them systematically, the diction will become clearer and clearer. Start right now.
- Do warm up the articulation apparatus;
- Repeat difficult letter combinations and shorthand phrases;
- Pronounce individual sounds, especially paired consonants;
If necessary, record your speech on a tape recorder and analyze your pronunciation.
The most common defects are: lisping, mumbling, whistling, swallowing certain sounds, and stuttering. If there are violations, you should not neglect to visit a speech therapist. To get rid of a serious speech disorder, you need a comprehensive work of a specialist. By determining the cause of the problem and its development, a speech therapist will develop an individual plan. Even if you are far from a child, a specialist will help you get your pronunciation right.
Speech training
Working on speech technique involves working on some of its no less important components:
Speech exercises: Intonation
Intonation shapes the sentence and emotionally colors speech. Intonation helps a phrase to acquire a certain meaning, it is easier to understand. The most important words in a sentence are emphasized by stressing. Diction becomes “alive” and colorful. Intonation reflects the emotional state of the speaker (dissatisfaction, appreciation, anger, favor, mockery).
Professional work on intonation is carried out on the material of sounds, small phrases, poems. Some effective exercises:
Pronounce the sound “a” with different intonation:
- Joyful;
- Sad;;
- Cheerfully;
- Frightened.
Model the situation and answer “yes” to the imaginary question:
- Questioningly;
- Thoughtful;
- Indifferent;
- Sadly;
- Determined;
- Boldly;
- Ironic;
- Saddened;
- Benevolently;
- Regretful.
Say phrases with different feelings in your voice, for example:
imperative: Stop! Stop! Take it! Don’t touch! Go away! Stand up! Read! Think! Go! Speak! Come back! Don’t cry! Wake up! Watch out!
What? There? There? Where? Who? Where? May I? Why?
Affirmative: Yes. No. Hello. Goodbye. It’s time.
Asking: Gimme. Help. Draw. Write it down. Read. Excuse. Help! Help!
Enthusiastic: Magnificent! Brilliant! Beautiful! That’s great! Well done! Bravo! Say the phrases with different feelings:
“Come over to me” – sad, happy, annoyed, sympathetic.
“Well done” – enthusiastically, anxiously, sadly, happily, mockingly.
“Sit down” – affectionate, surprised, wary, sad, rude.
Read texts and poems with expression. Imagine yourself as an actor on stage, try to express the emotions of the characters as convincingly as possible.
Diction tempo
One of the basic skills of public speaking is the ability to vary the speed of phrasing. If the speech is too slow, the interlocutor becomes uninterested, the thread of the conversation is lost. Fast – makes you strain your ears, the meaning slips away. By the way, it is noticed that the more often the speaker changes the pace of speech during a speech, the more interesting it is to listen.
Tempo is strongly associated with the temperament of the person and is often difficult to adjust. To transform your diction, you need to strive for optimal tempo, to be able to vary it depending on the semantic load.
There are exercises to change the tempo of speech. Take any poem, read it at different speeds – then slowly, as if chanting, then at the highest possible rate, then at a normal pace. Complicate the task, saying in diametrically opposed speed every lines.
After a while you will be able to say the text at any tempo. To slow down the pace, you can read so-called “slow sayings. These are phrases from classical works, arranged from long to short. Pronounce them as slowly as possible, in no case speeding up the tempo. Slow the pace can be either by stretching vowel sounds, or by increasing pauses, breathing. Various slow sayings of all styles can be found freely on the Internet.
Loudness and strength of voice
A person who whispers or bursts into a shout is unlikely to interest the interlocutor. It is important to watch the volume and the power of your voice. This is especially important when speaking in public. Flexible changes in the strength of the voice makes diction more interesting and varied. The volume of your voice depends on with whom and where you are communicating and on the distance between the interlocutors. If it is a trusting conversation with a friend or comforting a person, you should speak softly, not loudly. If it is necessary to attract the attention of the audience, a loud voice is more appropriate. That said, speaking loudly in a public place will be seen as rude and bad tone.
One of the simplest exercises for voice power is to play the train whistle. Make the “Woo-woo” sound, first of the approaching train, then of the departing train. Do this systematically, reaching the lowest and highest possible volume.
Volume of voice
A voluminous or chest voice, sounding as if from the chest, is considered more pleasing. It is much lower, deeper. To develop and get the volumetric voice will allow a simple exercise: putting a hand on your chest, you need to pronounce the vowels – A, O, Y, U, E. During the pronunciation you should feel the vibration in your chest. It should be strengthened. Carry out such exercises daily for 5-10 minutes to get the effect.
Breathing
Breathing is the basis of speech technique, as the sounds are produced when breathing out. Regular breathing is different from speech breathing. During a long monologue, normal physiological breathing is not enough. Speech requires a large supply of air and its effective expenditure. Therefore, it is important to learn how to breathe correctly, to develop their breathing capabilities. There are a large number of breathing techniques. One popular exercise is blowing out three imaginary candles on a cake. The task is to distribute the air, so that for each candle you took in the air carefully, rather than greedily grabbing it with your mouth. Gradually increase the number of candles, breathing in more and deeper. You can also read a poem as a breathing exercise, using one exhalation for each part of the poem.
Breathe! Don’t breathe!
That with your voice did not fail, there were no muscle clips, cramps, “coma” in the throat, preventing free speech, and just did not shake his hands and feet, you should own your breath and strive to set it correctly. Setting the voice and speech is not possible without an exercise aimed at breathing.
To utter the whole sentence or a large segment in one breath, you should learn to take a large volume of air into the lungs, then, if necessary, either to delay it, or sparingly spend it. The breathing apparatus is easily taught by regular exercise.
During a pause, the speaker must draw in air of sufficient volume again before a new logical pause occurs. Arbitrary breathing makes the reading of the text unemotional and not logical. Also it is necessary not to overdo it and not to make strange sounds during the inhalation, drawing in air and exhalation. The breathing process should be put in such a way that it is as silent as possible, and the air is gained in a short time.
Developing Diction
The correct construction of sentences is the basis of competent speech. Being able to articulate your thoughts and convey meaning is an invaluable skill. It’s possible to learn how to speak beautifully and make sense. If you put in as little as an hour a day of training as needed, you can see the first signs of progress after just a month.
Incorrectly constructed sentences impair the quality of speech. In the course of communication or a long conversation there are long pauses, the speaker tries to pick up words or compose the wrong speech constructions. To comply with the logic of his story, it is necessary to observe the order of thought and logical construction of the phrase.
Some tips for dealing with a speech problem:
- Keep a journal. Write in it every day the events of the day, describing all the details and emotions. It is important to state thoughts as they come to mind. After rereading what you have written, make a note of unnecessary things. The next day, try to pay attention to it and avoid making such mistakes.
- Start a journal of aphorisms. Write down quotations of great people, interesting phrases and sayings. Reread them. That way you will memorize them and use in your conversations. Aphorisms diversify speech and teach how to form correct sentences.
- Listen to audio books. Beautifully constructed speech develops the habit of articulating your thoughts correctly.
Increase vocabulary
A limited vocabulary makes speech ugly and monotonous. It is unattractive to the interlocutor, because it shows limited and triviality. You can increase the vocabulary with the help of simple recommendations:
- Look up every unfamiliar word in the explanatory dictionary. Make sentences with it to better remember the meaning.
- Solve crossword puzzles.
- Select synonyms. They enliven diction.
Get rid of parasitic words
Using parasitic words “litter” speech. “Well”, “as if”, “this very”, “shorter”, “in general”, “actually”, etc. you fill pauses while you pick up the right word. To cope with such an illness can be. Enough to use the following techniques:
- Stop the story instead of using parasitic words.
- Replace the unnecessary word with a deep breath.
- Retell a book or movie to someone you know. Every time a parasite word is used, they should stop you. Pause and continue the narration.
- Practice. There should be plenty of it. Stories, speeches, Skype conversations.
Modern life contributes to the reduction of speech skills. A large number of messengers allow many things to be conveyed in writing. Talking goes into the background. And to train your speech you need conversational practice. Discuss books, movies, and the events of the day with your friends. During the conversation, try to present your thoughts consistently, coherently, capacious.
Read books. Give preference to classical, scientific and specialized literature, poetry. Reading develops memory and thinking, enrich the vocabulary.
Describe things. Every day choose any object (table, chair, TV, etc.) and describe its appearance, purpose, functions in literary language. This will teach you how to express your thoughts correctly.
Writing. Before public speaking, write down your speech on paper. Reread it, add as necessary or remove unnecessary things.
Watch famous speakers. Analyze important details: the structure of the speech, the timbre, the sound of the voice, the tempo of the speech.
A beautiful speech is the fruit of quality work on yourself. By devoting a little time every day, it is possible to achieve quite good results. For this, of course, you need awareness and discipline. Nowadays, there are special training courses in public speaking. This is a great option for those who do not see in themselves the strength to practice on their own. A team of professionals will help make your speech beautiful, bright and refined, and your voice pleasant and enchanting.
Effective must-have exercises for voice, speech and diction
Exercise “Candle” will make the breath on the exhalation smooth. To do this, a strip of paper 15 * 4 close to the mouth at 5-7 cm. Put your lips together into a tube and blow on the paper so that the angle of the paper is the same throughout the exhalation. Avoid shaking the paper or abrupt deviations. Maintain a slight tension of the intercostal muscles and diaphragm.
The pierced ball exercise allows you to exhale smoothly and at the same pace. Imagine piercing the ball and imitate the sound of “ssssssss.” Wrap your arms around the sides of your chest and press down on the “ball,” letting the air out without tension. Your hands should tend toward each other and collide slightly with resistance. The air comes out slowly and smoothly under the sound of “ssssss”.
Exercise “Painter” is performed as follows: move your hands as if you were painting window frames “Up and down, up and down…”. Hands are relaxed, movements are free and easy. Pronounce the short words “and up and down and up and down.” Then movements become more confident and more expansive, no longer from the hand but from the elbow, the words are coarser, the voice is higher. Then we work from the shoulder. Vowels become wider, voice higher and lower. Remember: in a speech it is important to raise and lower the voice, which indicates the speaker’s stamina and his excellent possession of the vocal cords.
To improve your diction, pronounce the syllables not only in vowels, but also in explosive consonants. Speech technique and voice production is not without exercises in front of a mirror for voice production and correct articulation.
Select your tone of voice with a teacher of public speaking and vocal training, take care of your throat, watch how your tongue moves during vocal exercises. Expand your range and vocal capabilities while singing to your favorite music.
Learn to feel the audience is very important for the speaker, so the best public speaking lessons, they will help you learn the techniques of making eye contact, find answers to the points of interest, create a comfortable environment with the audience, using humor, interruptions, visuals.