Starting today, I am launching a new weekly Friday post. I’ll be  answering public speaking questions submitted by readers, clients, and others. If you have one, feel free to submit it here:

Here are three great questions.

How do I develop good vocal variety?

Many speakers are monotone. This means their voice is stuck in one gear in regards to their volume, speed, and pitch (high notes / low notes).

In speaking, my default mode is an enthusiastic voice (strong and fast). Though enthusiasm is contagious, it also can be monotone if a person stays in that gear. My mentors have emphasized the need to add variety (which I am doing).

Its difficult for the audience to listen to a monotone voice.

What if your favorite artist’s voice and music was all the same key/note? Would you quickly shut it off?

Audiences can do the same for us.

We want our voice to be like a good orchestra with changes in:

• Speed
• Volume
• Pitch

Here are two steps that have helped me and  will help you:

Step 1. Read about how to have vocal variety. Check out the following posts:

Find Your Natural Voice in 5 Seconds

How do I stop being Monotone and have Vocal Variety

How to have Vocal Variety

Step #2: Practice for 10 minutes a day.

Do you have kids or a spouse who likes to be read to? Read for 10 minutes day. Not only will help parental bonding, but will help you develop this flexibility in your voice. Exaggerate. Kids love it.

If you don’t have kids, just practice out loud. This will help you to quickly develop a flexible voice.

Where can I find Videos of Good Speakers

One of the best ways to become a better speaker is to watch and learn from experienced, successful speakers.

Ten years ago it took extra time and money to find great speakers. Now its as simple as doing a search on the internet.

Hop over to Youtube and type in “Motivational Speaker”. You’ll see short clips of literally hundreds of speakers.

Here are  few good speakers to look up:

Zig Ziglar

Rory Vaden

Craig Valentine

Tony Robbins

Brian Tracy

Watch and learn as you remember my father’s advice.

Listening to a speaker is like going through a food buffet line. Take what’s good and leave the rest.

Every speaker does some things really well, yet also has areas to work on. Just because a popular speaker races around the stage, does not mean its the best practice.

Notice how Brian Tracy may not be as  dynamic as the others, but he as riveting content. Each has their own style.

Action Plan: Watch at least 10 minutes of a good speaker every day.

Why do you recommend pausing for several seconds before starting a presentation?

Pause for several seconds before you speak. I have shared this many times in my coaching and on the blog. Why?

First, pausing allows you to collect your thoughts and to breathe. It allows you to plant, focus, and launch into your presentation.

Second, it calms the audience.

Depending on the audience, if you start the second you are on stage, you are now competing with dozens of side conversations. Pause for several seconds and let people calm down. You’ll notice a hush will fall over the crowd. Sometimes, if you are not introduced, you may have to grab the audience’s attention yourself

Third, it creates tension and anticipation.

Silently standing in front of an audience is not normal. That’s why you may feel nervous doing it. The audience will feel and increase in tension, but more importantly: anticipation. “What is he/she going to say?”

This will help successfully launch you into your speech.

Learn about the Ed Tate Pause and use it in your next presentation.

Thats it for this Friday’s public speaking question and answer post. Submit your question or leave a comment.

Also, check out my latest program Become a Better Speaker in One Eveing™

(C) Arlen Busenitz

Arlen Busenitz

Arlen Busenitz is an experienced speaker with over 650 presentations. He is Author of several books, CD's,and creator of Become a Better Speaker in One Evening™

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Question #29: How do I talk with a natural voice that sounds pleasant?

Have you recorded yourself? Do you like the way your voice sounds?

Most people despise listening to themselves. Why? What we hear when we talk is different than what others hear.  You may have good reason for disliking how you sound.

Many people are not speaking with their natural voice. Are you one of them?

Here is a simple way to find your natural voice, train it, and develop a voice that is easy to listen to.

Step #1: Record yourself reading a paragraph, talking, etc.

Step #2: Check out this article on the Instant Voice Press

The Instant Voice Jiggle is a holistic technique that basically gives you the correct tone focus, natural pitch level and range, and the sound of your real voice.

It is a simple 3-for-1 procedure that may give you everything “in a nutshell.”

Step #3: Practice the Voice Press for about 10 minutes.

Now record yourself again. If you have not been projecting and speaking right, you’ll notice a good improvement. Keep practicing with the voice press and you will develop a voice that is pleasant to the listeners ears. You’ll train your voice to sound the way it was meant to sound.

Combine this with other vocal variety techniques and you will develop a great public speaking voice. You will speak with confidence and power.

(C) Arlen Busenitz – Speakinginfo.com

Arlen Busenitz

Arlen Busenitz is an experienced speaker with over 650 presentations. He is Author of several books, CD's,and creator of Become a Better Speaker in One Evening™

More Posts - Website

Have you suffered from a monotone voice? Would you like more vocal variety and a public speaking voice that sounds like music to the ears of the listeners?

In high school I was chosen to be a narrator for the spring concert. Confidently I stood on stage and delivered to several hundred people. My speech was clear and easy to listen to. However, it lacked vocal variety.

The music director told me I was emphasizing every single word. It is like having a sentence with EVERY WORD IN CAPS. Or as one of my speech mentors said, “It was like listening to a machine gun fire.”

Do you remember the old records and how sometimes they would get stuck on the same phrase and repeat over and over again. Many people get their voice stuck in one gear. They may be loud/fast, slow/soft or any combination. When it stays the same, it is monotone and can put an audience to sleep or make it difficult to concentrate.

How to Improve Your Vocal Variety

Patricia Fripp, an executive speaking, coach taught me the following public speaking technique.

Vocal Variety Technique: Only emphasize 2-3 words in a sentence.

Look at the following sentence:

To be successful you need to have goals and a plan to reach them.

To deliver with vocal variety you may say:

To be successful you need to have goals and a plan to reach them.

In high-school I delivered the line like this:

To be successful you need to have goals and a plan to reach them.

Every word was emphasized. You can improve your voice and vocal variety by following Patricia Fripp’s advice: emphasize 2-3 words a sentence. Do this and it will sound like music to your audience’s ears.

To emphasize a word, change how you say it. Even pause for a micro second beforehand. This subtle shift in your voice will cause the words to stand out. Record yourself before and after. You’ll notice the extra vocal variety and your audience will love you for it.

Practice for just a couple minutes a day, and you soon develop good vocal variety and avoid being monotone.

(C) Arlen Busenitz – Speakinginfo.com

Arlen Busenitz

Arlen Busenitz is an experienced speaker with over 650 presentations. He is Author of several books, CD's,and creator of Become a Better Speaker in One Evening™

More Posts - Website

In high school I was chosen to be a narrator for the spring concert. Confidently I stood on stage and delivered to several hundred people. My speech was clear, easy to listen to, but lacked vocal variety. The music director told me I was emphasizing every single word. It is like having a sentence with every word in caps.

This made me easy to understand but can quickly bore the audience.

What’s the answer?

Presentation Tip #10: Only Emphasize 2-3 Words in a Sentence.

Look at the following sentence:

To be successful you need to have goals and a plan to reach them.

If you were delivering it, you might say:

To be successful you need to have goals and a plan to reach them.

In High-school I delivered this line like this:

To be successful you need to have goals and a plan to reach them.

Every word was emphasized. You can improve your voice and vocal variety by following Patricia Fripp’s advice: emphasize 2-3 words a sentence.

To emphasize a word, change how you say it. Even pause for a micro second beforehand. This subtle shift in your voice will cause the words to stand out.

Record yourself before and after. You’ll notice the extra vocal variety and your audience will love you for it.

Arlen Busenitz

Arlen Busenitz is an experienced speaker with over 650 presentations. He is Author of several books, CD's,and creator of Become a Better Speaker in One Evening™

More Posts - Website