How Vocal Abuse And Public Speaking Go Hand-in-hand

One of the greatest challenges for those whose careers involve public speaking is vocal abuse. We see it with many who make a living by addressing an audience – from political candidates like Hillary Clinton to world-renowned motivational speakers like Anthony Robbins. Other career choices that involve heavy use of the voice include aerobics instructors, coaches, teachers, ministers, business trainers, and even stay-at-home moms who may be inclined to yell a lot throughout their day. The problem with vocal abuse is that unless you change the placement of your voice, it will continue. Chronic hoarseness, persistent sore throats and loss of voice are the common symptoms of this type of abuse. While all three symptoms can be caused by allergies, a cold, or certain prescriptive medicines, it would be wise to see an ear, nose, and throat specialist if you have any doubts. So what do I mean by changing your voice placement? Most people use four of their five resonators to speak. Unfortunately, of those four resonators, two are usually doing most of the work. While the nose and the mouth cavities play a large role in your speech, it is the throat and voice box that are taxed the heaviest. The resonator missing in this picture is the chest. That cavity is larger than all of your other resonators combined. Once you include your chest in the process of talking, however, you will find the pressure on your throat and voice box immediately relieved. Your vocal cords are a most delicate organ. Without a doubt, plenty of sleep and a nutritious diet are vital to the health of those cords. However, if you are pushing your voice from that area, the best diet and sleep will do nothing to alleviate or stop the abuse. Only when you use your chest cavity as your primary sounding board will the abuse stop. Not only will the abuse be gone, but you will discover a better voice as well. James Earl Jones, Kathleen Turner, Felicia Rashad, Julia Ormond, George Clooney, and Sean Connery have it – a richer, warmer, deeper sound. All of these voices are being produced correctly. In addition to sounding more mature, you will also be able to increase your volume without shouting. This is only possible, however, if you are using your chest cavity to power your voice. Vocal abuse is something you cannot ignore because it will not only continue but it will probably get worse. If you depend on your voice for your income, whether you are a professional speaker, a politician, a coach or a college professor, you must make the change. A little training can go a long way in the preservation of your voice.

5 Questions You Need To Ask When Invited To Speak

Too often we concern ourselves with the How of public speaking and give much less thought to 5 other questions we should be asking of our host. Yes, your public speaking skills may be top notch, however, there are certain things you need to know before you do anything else. All 5 questions begin with the letter W. While I will not say that one question is more important than another, some of your questions are fairly obvious. I suggest you treat your information like a detective. Knowing the why, who, what, where and when for which you have been invited will make the how a whole lot easier! The Why. What is the reason someone is inviting you to speak? This may seem like a ‘no-brainer’ but it really isn’t. How did your contact find out about you or hear about you? Have you started a new business which was reported on by a local paper? Did you write an article that captured someone’s attention? Did you accomplish a death-defying feat? Knowing why you have been invited is important for the next 2 reasons. The Who. To whom will you be speaking? How you address your audience is dependent on your audience. Your language, even your style of delivery will change according to your audience’s needs. In truth, The Who is the most important aspect of your presentation because your audience is the reason for your speaking. That is why knowing your audience beforehand is so valuable. Talking to a group of retired women about your doctoral thesis on ferns will not be nearly as interesting for them as a discussion about the care of ferns and fronds. The What. About what will you be speaking? This, too, may seem obvious but if you have more than one topic, it isn’t. You may want to discuss your new business and your products; whereas the person inviting you may prefer to hear you talk about how you started your new business. The Where. Where are you speaking? It is imperative to know exactly where you are expected to speak. If the distance is local, you will probably be familiar with the address; but, what if it is in another city or state? Do you know how many different types of Marriott Hotels there are in each metropolitan area? That information is vital if you plan on arriving at the right one! The When. When are you speaking? It may seem obvious to arrange the correct date when settling on a day and time; however, it would be a very good idea to say the day of the week in verifying your date. Many mistakes have been made in negotiating a date simply because someone was looking at the wrong month. Don’t miss your engagement because of poor communication. Repeat the information as you make note of it, stating not only the number date but the day of the week as well. There is enough to worry about in creating a good speech or presentation and then delivering it well. Arriving at the wrong place or at the wrong time or delivering a somewhat risqué after-dinner speech to a group of Baptist ministers does not make for a likely career in public speaking. Knowing as much as you can in advance will help make your speech or presentation that much more successful as well as the likelihood of other invitations.

How To Select An Informative Topic For Your Presentation

When I hold a 2-day workshop and explain to the group that their assignment is to give a 4-minute informative presentation, they often look at me and question what to talk about. They also tend to think that 4 minutes is a great length of time. When it comes to public speaking, 4 minutes is extremely short. The proof of my words is the fact that once my students or clients begin, many of them talk for much greater lengths of time. [This is one of the reasons why practicing your speech or presentation out loud is vital. Saying it over in your mind will never give you a true idea of the timing.] It is always rewarding, however, to hear about an event that was exhilarating, frightening, eye-opening, rewarding, sad, humorous, or even death-defying. The secret to the story presentation is that it must be truly interesting, compassionate, exciting or humorous. Telling an audience about the coffee maker you just purchased is not a good topic (unless you are talking to a coffee club). If the coffee maker exploded when you plugged it in or shot the water at your ceiling, you might have a worthwhile topic. The more your audience can relate to your problem, your adventure, your exploits, your mistakes, or your successes, the better your topic. You will need background information to set up your story as well. This is where humor or good anecdotal material relevant to your subject can be of help. Again, if you story deals with an exploding coffee pot, telling them about the buying of that model is not of interest unless there is pertinent information that relates to your story. If you have had other appliances or products that have exploded similarly, you have a great presentation dealing with poor manufacturing, for example. A little creativity can go a long way towards an interesting presentation that others would enjoy. Grab your audience’s attention by opening in a manner that makes them want to listen to you or piques their curiosity. You could begin by asking your audience how many have purchased a product and brought it home only to discover that it does not work. Most in the audience will raise their hand in agreement because most people have ‘been there’ or have done that. Your job at that point is then to tell your story in such a way that they empathize, sympathize, or laugh; but above all else, you must make it memorable. With a little practice, you can tell the story, engage your audience throughout and leave them wanting more. All it takes is a little creativity, a desire to share, and a story that is somewhat different than anything else they have heard. In all my years of teaching I have heard hundreds of presentations and the topics chosen have included speeding tickets, weddings, births, divorces, winning a hockey game, running a marathon, getting lost, and racing at Daytona, to name a few. The subjects are varied; the subjects are many. All it takes is a little imagination.

Too Much Nose In Speaking Is Not A Good Thing!

Excessive nasality or too much nose in speaking definitely has a negative impact on your listeners. A whiny voice can be shrill and is much akin to nails on a blackboard. The good news is that you can eliminate the excess nasal sounds in your voice if you practice and retrain your ‘inner ear’ to hear the difference. While all languages vary as far as true nasals, in the English language, we have 3 sounds which indeed should vibrate in the nose: the n, m, and ng sounds. What this means is that any word which contains 1 or more of those nasals will produce some vibration in your nose. The problem with excess nasality is that other sounds are going up through the nose as well – particularly the long e and long a vowels in certain areas of the United States and Canada. No, you needn’t be a New Yorker to have too much nose in your voice. To see if you are nasal, very gently place your index finger on each side of your nose. Do not squeeze your nose, just touch it. Say the word, tea. Did you feel any vibration? If so, you might consider working on stopping that practice. I recently had a client from Italy who sent me his ‘before’ recording. He wanted my opinion about his voice. This man’s voice was quite nasal and high-pitched. I told him was that there were 2 things he should do to eliminate the excessive nasality: 1. Do some nasality exercises. One of the best exercises is to exaggerate saying the word tea by sending it up through your nose. (Yes, it will sound silly.) Then open your mouth, unclench your jaw, and try saying the same word again along the floor of your mouth. Often excess nasality is caused by a tight or locked jaw. When you learn to loosen your jaw and enunciate your words along the floor of your mouth instead of sending them up through your nose, you will notice quite a difference in the sound. Then practice the same exercise using other words that have the excessive nasal sound. 2. Discover your ‘real’ voice – that richer, warmer sound – which is hiding in your chest cavity. In doing so, you will find that your change in voice placement will also help decrease the excess nasal whine. It is amazing to hear the difference with this voice training technique. Excessive nasality mars a dynamic speaking voice. Get your nose out of your voice and you will be surprised by what you hear!

The Eulogy - Allowing For Your Emotions

I recently attended my uncle’s memorial service and it was wonderful to watch 4 of his 6 children talk about him. There is no doubt that all were experiencing butterflies as they stood at the lectern but they did an excellent job controlling their nervousness. The expression of their emotions, however, varied greatly. With his dry sense of humor, the oldest son held his tears in check as he provided the audience with laugher in his message which was both touching and humorous. Following was his only daughter who gave a loving depiction of her father with gentleness and grace. The next son to speak had the most difficult time of the 4 because he is the most passionate of the all of the siblings. His tears made everyone in the audience cry. The last to speak had tears as well; however, as one who is accustomed to public speaking, he was able to allow for his emotions and continue none-the-less. There is no doubt that my uncle’s children loved him deeply. There is also no doubt that my uncle will be greatly missed. So why did 2 of the speakers cry openly while the other 2 did not? Because of their nature. Those who keep their emotions bottled up inside of them often display less emotion in speaking than those who do not. Unlike other forms of public speaking, the eulogy is different from the wedding toast, the campaign speech, the valedictorian address, or the sales presentation. Because the message is about the death of a loved one, a dear friend, or even a colleague, your emotions play a great role in how your words will be delivered. In that sense there is no right or wrong. Admittedly, you may shed tears of joy or sadness when talking about an extremely emotional experience in other forms of presentations or speeches; however, it is not common to cry when addressing an audience. Such is not the case with the eulogy. Tears of sorrow are to be expected and even welcomed. Yes, the funeral or memorial service runs the gamut of emotions. At times you be may be serious; at times you may be laughing. Whatever your emotional state, do not be afraid to allow for others to see and feel your emotions. Tears are not a weakness – they are a means of showing your love for the person who has passed.

Public Speaking Tips - Making Your Voice Sound Lower

Would you like a deeper speaking voice? Perhaps you are over 21 and think your voice sounds too young. Maybe you feel that your voice is wimpy, strident, harsh, whispery, or nasal. The good news is that you actually have a deeper or lower voice inside of you. It is there just waiting to be discovered. Remember the Ted Knight character on the Mary Tyler Moore Show? As a news anchor, he would drop his chin to his neck in order to speak in a lower or deeper voice whenever it was time for him to go on the air. What he was trying to do was speak at the very bottom of his range. And that is wrong. In order to speak in a lower pitch, your chin should never drop down to your chest because you are then trying to force a sound that is not natural and can result in vocal abuse over time. Yes, the optimum pitch of your speaking voice is definitely located in your lower register, but that does not mean you should be ‘rumbling around’ at your lowest point. (Pitch refers to the highness or lowness of sound and should not be confused with volume which is the loudness or softness of sound.) 99% of the population powers their voice primarily from the cavities of the throat and voice box which means that the pitch of their ‘habitual’ speaking voice is higher than it should be. When I was in graduate school, my singing professor told me that the pitch of my habitual speaking voice was several steps higher than that of my real or resonant speaking voice. So I practiced using that deeper, richer sound when I was at work. Because much of my business was on the phone, I was able to make my ‘real’ voice a habit in just a few short weeks. If you want to discover your deeper voice, you will need to break a few bad habits and instill a few good ones. By learning to use your chest cavity, the largest of your 5 vocal resonators, as your primary sounding board, you will discover a voice which is not only lower in pitch but one that is richer, warmer, more mature-sounding, and resonant. In addition, you will be able to increase your volume without shouting. This is referred to as projection and is only possible if your chest is your amplifying your sound. Anything else is shouting. You have a better voice inside of you. Everyone does; however, most people are unaware that they can improve their vocal image. Keep in mind, the sound of your voice accounts for 37% of the image you project. And that sound is what you hear on your answering machine or voicemail and not what you hear in your head.

How To Compose Excellent Articles

Composition is critical when creating valuable, well-written articles. How you structure your articles will dictate whether people want to read what you have to say or just blow it off. Two of the most important aspects in article writing consist of The Title and The Summary. The Title: From the moment someone runs across your article, your title will either catch their attention or send them searching elsewhere. Not only is that a given, it's a fact! When searchers are looking for a specific subject, their decision to move on or stay will be decided within a matter of seconds. Your title should tantalize your potential readers into wanting to know more about your subject. If your title is dull or vague, readers are just going to move on. How your title is phrased will factor into Search Engine rankings. The top 10 articles are what people are going to look further into. Should you choose a title that is rarely searched, you will receive very little traffic and traffic is the meat and potatoes of your business and articles. Consider this: the highest rated article directories have a great deal of pull and that is precisely why authors submit to them. In most cases, the title of your article will become the title of the page! The last thing you want to do is submit worthless phrases or titles. Take your time when choosing your title. Will your title have keywords that attract search engines? Are your keywords overly saturated on the Internet? Your title should always be clean and direct, enticing searchers to read on. Don't just grab keywords that seem to work in searches, causing your title to make absolutely no sense whatsoever! Your Summary: The summary of your article is a very short, simple highlight of what's to come within the article. It quite simply tells the reader what the following article is all about. Readers browsing articles in directories will quickly scan the summaries of various articles in order to see if it's something they would like to stay with. You need to entice readers in two sentences. In some cases, search engines may use your summary as the actual description in the search results. Depending on whether a specific article directory utilizes summaries in their META tags will dictate the search results as well. Ezine is probably the most powerful article directory on the Internet. The summary never appears on the actual article page, it only shows up on the category page. Whether the summary page shows on an article or not, it is extremely important that you put together an engaging, two sentence description about your article. Read others' articles on Ezine or other article directories. Get a feel on how they are labeling their articles, i.e. Title. Look at their summaries, see if their writing is compelling. Would you want to read on or would you just pass it by. There are some very fine article writers on the Internet and you will know it the moment you research their stuff. Look how they phrase their titles and how they grab a reader's attention with their summaries. Once you get the idea, start writing titles and summaries until you feel you have something that will bring people to your articles and then go for it!

The Truth About Writing Articles For Profit

If you have always had a knack for writing but have been unable to find a way to monetize it, you are now very much in luck. The internet has changed the way in which businesses market themselves, with article writing now very much at the heart of any good marketing strategy. This gives you a couple of great ways to put your writing to good use, both of which are likely to line your pockets with a nice little chunk of change. You can make your unique writing content work for a business of your own, or you can opt to sell your services to other businesses that understand the power of article marketing. If you are interested in starting you own niche business online, unique article writing is something that will really helps give your business a boost. The majority of websites are discovered via search engines like Google, and it is often the inclusion of articles that makes a site land near the top of the search engine rankings in the first place. This can be achieved by maintaining a blog on your main website where you post unique content that is sure to be of interest to visitors to your site. That content will show you to be an authority on your niche, prompting people to but from your site. Another way to use your unique content writing for profit is to make use of the many great article directories that exist online. You simply create a similar type of content that you would for your website and post it in those directories. You are allowed to add a little author’s note at the bottom of the piece, where you can add a couple of links to the site or sites you are trying to promote. If people enjoyed your articles, you can bet that they will want to see what you have on offer at your website. Those visits can quickly turn to sales, which results in profit for you. If you would sooner just concentrate on the writing side of things, you can still make money by creating an article writing service for other business owners. The amount that people are willing to pay for an article writing service goes up every time Google makes a change to their algorithms. Junk content is summarily dismissed, sending many sites from the top of the search rankings to relative obscurity. Site owners that rely on unique content writing now know that each piece has to be of a certain quality if it is going to help their search engine ranking. These are just a couple of ways where you can make you knack for writing lead to a little extra money in your pocket. The more time you can devote to writing, as well as the quality of what you can deliver, can mean the difference between earning a second income or creating a full time job for yourself with an article writing service.