- 27 Apr, 2024
- 0 Comments
- 2 Mins Read
If it were me…
If it were me wanting to grab attention whether in business, workplace or personal life this is what I would do.
Let’s say you’ve got the gear, drive the car, do all the things to walk the walk. But do you talk the talk? And even if you do talk the talk, do you sound the part??
Are you tired of having your opinions overlooked? Instructions not followed? Talked over? All of those things that are deeply frustrating, here’s a few simple exercises you can do to build up your visibility and be noticed.
- Learn how to breathe from your diaphragm and control the outflow of your breath. This will give your voice a power behind it when you speak. You’ll be able to get all your words out in one breath so you are less likely to be interrupted and people will listen. This brings authority to your voice and you are less likely to be interrupted as you are speaking. (side note – it also helps control stress, anxiety and reduce pesky nerves before you speak).
- If you listen to someone speak and think “they have such a nice voice” they will have a rich, resonant tone. We can develop our voice to have this quality too. It’s easy, it just takes practise. This is what I mean about talking the talk. Not just looking the part but knowing what you are talking and sounding like you do too. Crucial for those in sales.
- If you are a bit shy and don’t really want to speak in front of others, or make your point in a meeting discussion, you may be inclined to speak quietly or too quickly. One excellent tip is to open your mouth up a fraction wider than you usually would. This has multiple benefits – you automatically speak up, sounds and words come out more clearly, and it slows your speech down. One major problem many people have is speaking too quickly, so this technique is brilliant for slowing down the rate at which you speak.
- A really overlooked or not completely understood thing about great speaking is when to pause. Those that know this, whether consciously or not, “there is nothing more effective than a perfectly timed pause” Mark Twain. There are many types of pauses; to take a breath, for what you are reading or saying to make sense, for dramatic pauses (when you really want people to listen). The best way to practise this is to record yourself reading out loud and follow the punctuation cues in the text. When you listen back, you’ll know if you have paused in the right places and the effect this has on what you were reading.
- Learning how to project your voice forward takes a lot of practise but is really necessary so the audience can clearly hear you, without you shouting and putting a strain on your voice. Being relaxed and breathing for maximum capacity are key components. Exercises for this can be found in the free PDF at the bottom of the home page at www.sayitclearly.co.nz
Any questions do get in touch.
Have a great week, Miriam.