Public Speaking - Volume Control
Every public speaking class or presentation skills training course spends some time on voice projection.
I do in my training programmes and coaching sessions.
Too many people, however, believe that getting heard is all about loud volume.
They ignore an equally powerful speaking tool; the whisper.
Here are some public speaking tips on lowering your volume to increase the power of your message.
The crucial thing to remember about lowering your voice is that it is a tool.
Let me explain...
What do we think when someone lowers their voice to a whisper? Most of us will think that we are being let into (or overhearing) a secret.
And most of us prefer to be in on the secret rather than left on the outside.
So when a speaker lowers his or her voice to a whisper, our subconscious, is intrigued and automatically wants to hear the secret.
So when you lower your voice to a whisper the curiosity in your audience is aroused.
They suddenly stop dayfreaming, soodling or whatever else they are doing (yes, we have all been there!) and strain to hear you.
They are desperate not to miss out on the secret; they are desperate to be part of the in-crowd.
This is not the same as someone delivering a whole presentation in a whisper where people are struggling to hear the speaker from the outset and, after a while, give up.
We are talking about a deliberate act, which actually has people wanting to hear what you have to say.
You are playing on the fact the audience's brains are thinking that you are about to share a secret.
Because you are speaking softly, the audience need to concentrate to hear you.
In other words, they give you a heck more attention than they previously were giving you! strong> You will see seasoned public speakers, like politicians, use this technique.
Story tellers also use this ploy.
In fact, that gives us a special clue to the power of the whisper.
Our presentation should not be a boring recital of facts and figures.
It should take our audience on a journey.
It should appeal to their senses.
Use your volume control to make your speech interesting & engaging.
Let's dace it; we all love stores rather than presentations.
Therefore, if you want your audience to pay attention to a particular point, you might benefit from significantly lowering your voice.
Whisper & be heard.
I do in my training programmes and coaching sessions.
Too many people, however, believe that getting heard is all about loud volume.
They ignore an equally powerful speaking tool; the whisper.
Here are some public speaking tips on lowering your volume to increase the power of your message.
The crucial thing to remember about lowering your voice is that it is a tool.
Let me explain...
What do we think when someone lowers their voice to a whisper? Most of us will think that we are being let into (or overhearing) a secret.
And most of us prefer to be in on the secret rather than left on the outside.
So when a speaker lowers his or her voice to a whisper, our subconscious, is intrigued and automatically wants to hear the secret.
So when you lower your voice to a whisper the curiosity in your audience is aroused.
They suddenly stop dayfreaming, soodling or whatever else they are doing (yes, we have all been there!) and strain to hear you.
They are desperate not to miss out on the secret; they are desperate to be part of the in-crowd.
This is not the same as someone delivering a whole presentation in a whisper where people are struggling to hear the speaker from the outset and, after a while, give up.
We are talking about a deliberate act, which actually has people wanting to hear what you have to say.
You are playing on the fact the audience's brains are thinking that you are about to share a secret.
Because you are speaking softly, the audience need to concentrate to hear you.
In other words, they give you a heck more attention than they previously were giving you! strong> You will see seasoned public speakers, like politicians, use this technique.
Story tellers also use this ploy.
In fact, that gives us a special clue to the power of the whisper.
Our presentation should not be a boring recital of facts and figures.
It should take our audience on a journey.
It should appeal to their senses.
Use your volume control to make your speech interesting & engaging.
Let's dace it; we all love stores rather than presentations.
Therefore, if you want your audience to pay attention to a particular point, you might benefit from significantly lowering your voice.
Whisper & be heard.
