Speak Clearly - The Top 7 Tricks To Instantly Improve The Clarity Of Your Speech
Topics: speech, communication, English, pronunciation, public speaking, presentation
“I’m sorry, what? I can’t understand you.” Have you ever heard this line? Then you probably know how embarrassing it can be to repeat something over and over again. Miscommunication can and will hold you back in today’s fast-paced, international business environment. Too many people are hiding their gifts, talents and knowledge from the world due to a fear of speaking up and being misunderstood. Are you one of them?
Follow these simple tricks to instantly improve the clarity of your speech.
1) Slow Down
It is common sense, really; the faster you speak, the harder it is for your listener to understand. The easiest way to instantly increase the clarity of your speech is to simply slow down.
2) Pause
Pauses are effective little tools that can be employed in a number of situations. Use them to clearly separate sentences and when changing topics.
3) Speak Up
If you want to say something, really say it! Stand up straight, take a deep breath and speak on the exhale. Don’t cover your mouth with your hands, a book or your notes. Make eye contact with your listeners and speak directly to them, not down to the floor or to your slides.
4) Articulate Word Endings
In our haste to get our messages out, we often times fail to enunciate word endings - the grammatical markers at the ends of words, such as the plural ’s’ or past tense ‘ed.’ If you don’t articulate these sounds, it sounds like you’re making very basic grammatical errors.
5) Use Clear Consonants
Here are a few examples of commonly confused consonant sounds: /b/ & /p/, /d/ & /t/, /g/ & /k/, /v/ & /f/. The first sound in each pair is voiced, whereas the second sound is voiceless.
Place your hand in front of your mouth while you say these pairs out loud: gate/Kate, girl/curl, game/came.
If you are articulating the /g/ and /k/ sounds correctly, you should feel an explosion of air when you make the /k/ sound.
6) Use Consistent Word Stress
To a native English speaker, a certain word stress is considered appropriate or inappropriate depending on where the person is from.
“Inappropriate” word stress can really rub listeners the wrong way because it deviates from their norm and indicates that the speaker is an “other” - an outsider. This can be quite FRUStrating (US)/frusTRATing (UK) for the non-native speaker who is just trying to get his point across.
“So which variety is correct?” I always recommend sticking to the form you are most comfortable with. Try to be consistent with whichever variety suits you best.
7. Speak Simply
Never use a long word where a short one will do. This is a common rule most people have heard, but unfortunately very few put it into practice. Your main goal in every spoken interaction should be to have your message understood. Do this by simplifying your vocabulary and using common English words.
Heather Hansen, founder of Singapore-based Hansen Speech & Language Training, is an executive speech and language coach, writer and trainer. Become a star speaker! Join her mailing list today at www.hansenslt.com to receive a free special report and her monthly newsletter, Speak like a Star!
Previous Articles Highlighter:
Working With Animals And Maintaining Hygiene (1)
You should test the water temperature by putting your hand within the water. If the water is too hot or too cold its wrong for the dog. Once you have cleaned the dog you will need to dry them there are three methods that can be used, blast drying, you use a blast dryer to get off excess water, making sure you dont blast dry down the ears.
Fun Pet Products For Birds (2)
These stairways do not have to lead anywhere in particular because birds get a lot of enjoyment just climbing up and down on them. Some models will offer a bird a reward if they climb to the top properly to receive it.
Story-Telling Basics - 7 Powerful Steps To Telling Great Stories! (3)
Know your audience and make sure your story is appropriate When telling stories it is really important to know who you are telling them to and have an idea of how they might react to them.
English Word Stress - Does It Really Matter? (4)
According to linguist Jennifer Jenkins' research on the English language, there are certain factors in English pronunciation that can influence the degree of intelligibility between a speaker and listener. Word stress is one of these factors if you are speaking with a native English speaker, but Jenkins has found that when two non-native speakers interact in EIL, word stress has little influence on intelligibility.
Mold Dogs Are Not Used By Professionals (5)
When sent to a laboratory, they will let you know what kind of mold is in your home and also what level of toxicity you are dealing with. Any company who uses mold dogs is not a professional company that you want to use to remove mold from your home.
Low Cost Airlines And Cheap Fare - Are Indian Budget Travelers Really Satisfied? (6)
For example, as the seat number is done away with there is always a mad rush just like a local bus or train inside the cabin during boarding. It is tougher to allocate resources for betterment of service for the low cost carriers as the revenue is lower but the biggest blunder for the cause of revenue woe and resource crunch is the Re.
The Different Ways To Learn Golf (7)
Just be wary of disguised crooks. Go to a Country Club Country clubs would seem like a very snobbish place with all the high and mighty personalities. Nevertheless, do not be intimidated.
Speak English Clearly And Grammatically, And Boost Your Success! (8)
Put a special focus on word endings such as 'ed' and 's' that act as grammatical markers. If you leave the 'ed' off of a past tense verb (Our profits increase last year instead of 'increased') it sounds as though you are making a very basic mistake in English.
Dish Network Vs Direct TV: Don't Make The Same Mistakes I Did (9)
I figured I'd do a quick Google search, hit a couple of websites, and make my decision. Simple, right? I wish. What a nightmare! First of all, there's something like a million websites and I can't tell you how many are, well, just awful.
Free Things To Do When Visiting Orlando Florida (10)
Parking is not always free but if you have a group of people it definitely pays for it self. Designed after the famous Gaylord Hotel in Nashville but with a Floridian flare.
Newer Articles Highlighter:
How To Improve Gas Mileage To Save Money (1)
5) When stuck in non-moving traffic, it is suggested to turn your car off rather than let it run idle. 6) At stoplights, avoid the temptation to rev up your engine - instead - slowly accelerate as you leave an intersection.
Moving From Round To Flat In Automotive Wire Harnesses (2)
This has the potential for major growth as FFC and flex circuits replace wire harnesses in the instrument panel. Use of FFC in other areas will occur as its advantages are realized as they are now being realized for the instrument panel.
Aerospace Advanced Composites In Automobiles (3)
Advanced composites, which are composed of oriented, high-performance fibers (e.g., carbon) in a high-performance resin matrix (e.g., epoxy), provide enhanced structural, electrical, and thermal properties to numerous aerospace applications. The materials are costly, and the fabrication processes are slow.
5 Things To Avoid When Writing A Resource Box (4)
Don't oversell You want to include a couple of sentences where you sell yourself or your website. However, this is not the time or place to list every product you sell and every detail that makes your website better than others.
Mold Can Hurt Your Pets Health (5)
These dogs are trained to deliberately inhale mold spores, which is something that humans are repeatedly told NOT to do. Humans are told that they should always wear respirators when having anything to do with mold, so why would it make any sense to use a dog to do this job when there are other methods that are so much more effective?
4 Novice Antique Appraisal Tips (6)
Here are some antique appraisal tips to help you evaluate whether your artifact is genuine. First, inspect the item closely. Avail yourself of a good lighting source and carefully check each nook and cranny of the piece you're gauging.
Old Furniture Starting Your Home Project (7)
There are excellent primers specifically made for stone and metal. Tell your paint store rep what youre painting and follow her advice. Use a good latex or oil-based primer for wood surfaces.
This Simple Step Can Save You A Bundle On Airfares -- But Most People Don't Do It (8)
Topics: airfare, travel deals, cheap airline tickets, discount airline tickets, low airfares You may have noticed that airfares aren't as cheap as they used to be. Ever since fuel prices went through the roof, airlines are really struggling to keep prices low.
How To Decide On The Correct Tires For Driving In The Harsh Conditions Of Winter (9)
This is not a hard thing to do if you have the right information to choose your tires in the winter. The first thing you might want to do when going to look and buy tires for the winter is check your owners manual to see what type and size of tire you can put on your automobile.
How To Keep Your Home Treadmill Running Properly (10)
Cloth should be damp not wet. You should also do the following on a monthly basis. Unplug the treadmill and let it sit for 10 minutes, then disassemble the motor cover and vacuum inside the motor area, being very careful not to directly touch the static-sensitive electronics.
Permalink to Speak Clearly - The Top 7 Tricks To Instantly Improve The Clarity Of Your Speech