Do You Sound as Great as You Look? How to Improve Your Speaking Voice

“The human voice is the most perfect instrument of all.”—Arvo Part.

Introduction:

When you get together with friends, your language is probably appropriate for the occasion.

However, in some situations, such as on the job, you may need to use a different way of speaking that emphasizes your seriousness.

Fair or not, people will always think your voice reflects your personality.

Many feel the same way, as did the British statesman Benjamin Disraeli, who said, “There is no index of character so sure as the human voice.”

In other words, Your Voice Is Your Image.

Is this fair?

Maybe not, but that’s life.

Take Edith, a customer service associate who repeatedly lost out on a promotion to a sales representative.

Finally, Edith went to her boss and demanded to know why.

Edith’s boss bluntly told her that her diction was so lousy that she was considered unintelligent and unqualified for a sales position.

Edith was shocked and upset. The following week, she quit her job.

Because of how she talked, Edith defeated her efforts to make a good impression and land the job she wanted.

Perhaps you can identify with Cynthia, a new supervisor with six people reporting to her.

Cynthia’s soft and weak voice was interpreted as a lack of confidence. This made earning the respect and cooperation of her new team difficult.

Cynthia’s subordinates would challenge her at every turn. Consequently, she lost control of her department.

Throughout my teaching and professional experience, I have met people like Edith and Cynthia, who failed to realize their full potential because of how they spoke.

However, there is hope for those like them.

Almost anyone can improve his or her speaking voice by being aware of voice and articulation skills and practicing daily.

This article will show you how.

You will discover:

1. What is a good speaking voice?
2. How to evaluate your voice.
3. Seven tips to improve your speaking voice.
4. What are the rewards of a good speaking voice?
5. Caring for your voice.

Let us begin!

What Is a Good Speaking Voice?

Almost everyone has an opinion on this subject.

There is endless controversy regarding the distinctive elements that characterize the voice, which many consider appealing.

However, most experts agree that a “good” voice means a voice that fulfills the occasion’s purpose.

This article suggests four essential characteristics of effective speech.

An influential voice must be:

Intelligible: Clear, understandable.

Articulate: Avoid slurring. Be mindful not to run words together.

Flexible: Move your pitch around. Avoid high pitches and aim for a comfortable, natural pitch.

Vital: Appropriate loudness and projection. Ensure your volume matches the size of the room or the distance from your listener.

Expressive: Color and variety—the opposite of monotone.

How Can You Learn New Habits?

Habits are difficult to change, and bad voice habits that have persisted for twenty or more years cannot be replaced with better ones in a few short weeks.

However, if you are willing to work to learn new ways of speaking, you can overcome the obstacles.

To establish a new speech habit—or any other habit—requires three steps:

Awareness

You must first realize you have a problem.

Assessment

It would be best to determine how severe the problem is and how important it is for you to make a change.

Action

You must begin a program for self-improvement at once and then transfer your new skills into everyday use.

What Are the Rewards of a Good Speaking Voice?

Credibility

Perceptions of you will change. You will project a more competent and professional image through clear, distinct speech.

Confidence

You will boldly express your ideas, feelings, and opinions and maintain a higher level of self-esteem.

Control

You will gain power over two essential interpersonal communication tools—your voice and articulation.

Note:

Physical, medical, and emotional ailments can affect your speaking voice. See a doctor if you have a severe problem with your vocal expression.

How to Evaluate Your Voice

Begin by tape recording your voice. This is important because, when speaking, your voice sounds different to you than it does to others.

Ask yourself these questions:

1. Is my speech crisp and clear?
2. Does my voice have a pleasing and pleasant pitch level?
3. Can I easily be heard?
4. Is my voice expressive?

If ‘no’ was the answer to any of these questions, here are some ways to change how you sound.

Tip #1 Clarity

Synonyms for articulation are diction and pronunciation. These words mean producing speech sounds clearly and should not be confused with pronunciation, which involves knowing which sounds are to be said and how stresses fall within individual words.

For example, the word “business” is pronounced “biz-nis,” not “biz-uh-nis.”

It is possible to speak crisply and distinctly while mispronouncing a word. (How embarrassing!)

Therefore, check your dictionary to ensure the correct pronunciation of suggested words (more on pronunciation later).

The parts of the mouth, or articulators, we use to produce sounds are the tongue, teeth, lips, hard palate, soft palate, alveolar (gum) ridge, and lower jaw.

While you want your articulation to be clear and precise, your goal is to sound natural, not phony.

Some people have problems with articulation due to speech defects or dental issues such as dentures, partial plates, or missing teeth.

However, for most of us, poor articulation is due to sloppy speech habits.

We might slur or mumble our words.

With daily practice, your articulation will improve.

Note:

When writing this article, you have many tools besides a standard dictionary, such as apps and online tools that pronounce the words aloud for you and help with sentences and paragraphs in any language.

Tip #2 Word Endings

A poor habit that ruins good articulation is dropping the final t, d, and ing.

Completely pronounce your words.

For example, say subject not subjeck; bend not ben; reading not readin’, and so on.

Check your articulation as you read aloud the following words:

 cost           cold           taking

lift               bend          getting

least          fed             losing

test            mud           going

flat              food           giving

just            caused      asking

smart         lived           amazing

ant             canned      nursing

lost            sad            dancing

thought     aid              jogging

 The Lips and Tongue

 Flexible lips and tongue are essential to produce speech sounds.

Sometimes, you must make several complicated and rapid movements with the lips and tongue to say a simple sentence.

Now try these…

The consonants ‘b’ and ‘p’ are made by holding the two lips closed for a moment, then quickly opening the two lips to please the compressed air. To improve the flexibility of your lips, practice the following exercises. Continually say the following words. Make sure to articulate the p’s and t’s clearly.

pit-pat-pit-pat-pit-pat-pit-pat-pit-

pat-pit-pat-pit-pat-pit-pat

Repeat and try to go faster. Careful…

Don’t drop the p’s and t’s.

Say these words:

bee-bay-bee-bay-bee-bay-bee

bay-bee-bay-bee-bay

To exercise the tongue, look in a mirror and stick it out as far as possible until it forms a point. Curl the tip of the tongue up towards your nose and down towards your chin. Keep the movement smooth and steady, and repeat several times.

Or this…

Be a snake with your tongue by keeping the tongue flat as you move it rapidly in and out of your mouth.

Now, try this tongue twister…

Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers.

A peck of pickled peppers, Peter Piper picked.

If Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers,

Where’s the peck of pickled peppers Peter Piper picked?

Finally, try this…

Practice vigorous pronunciation of vowels and consonants in any combination for ten minutes daily. After a month, you’ll be amazed at the difference. Also, read aloud daily for at least five minutes. All of these exercises will do wonders for lazy lips.

(Image of a clock)

Image Breakers

The word ask poses a unique challenge. You may be tempted to reverse the two consonants and put the k before the s rather than after it. This turns the word ask into axe. You can correct this problem in just a few practice sessions if you repeat the correct word repeatedly.

Say the following phrases and check to be sure the ‘s’ (a hissing sound as in the word “sass”) comes before the k:

 Don’t ask questions.

1. Let me ask him.
2. Ask no favors.
3. Did you ask?
4. Please ask first.

 Try these practice sentences:

1. She asked him if he could swim.
2. He was wearing a mask.
3. I told her to be home by dusk.
4. Clean your desk before you leave.
5. I only ask for what is fair.
6. Everyone was given a task to perform.
7. A brisk walk will do you good.
8. Are you willing to take the risk?
9. Ask, and you might receive.

Tip #3 Pitch

Pitch is the perceived highness or lowness of tone or sound.

Many factors can affect the pitch of your voice.

For example, the longer the vocal folds, the lower the voice pitch (men tend to have longer vocal folds).

A medical condition or personality might also be a factor.

However, if you feel your pitch is too high and want to lower it, you must work on proper breath control.

One method is to breathe from the diaphragm, a dome-shaped solid muscle that separates the chest from the abdominal cavity.

Stand or sit up straight. Place one hand on your chest and the other on your abdomen.

Breathe deeply in and out, inhaling through your nose and exhaling through your mouth.

Do you feel your chest and abdomen expand as air enters your lungs?

Another exercise to help you become familiar with the movement of the diaphragm is to lie on your back and place a medium-sized book on your abdomen. This time, inhale slowly through the nose (with the mouth open), exhale slowly through the mouth, and notice as the book goes up and down.

To further observe diaphragm functions, watch the breathing of a newborn baby. 😊

Now, try this . . .

Using your diaphragm, take a deep breath and begin counting slowly as high as possible until you run out of breath.

Start by counting to five, then ten, and so forth.

Try for a goal of fifty.

A word of caution: Repeat this exercise twice and then stop. Rest for at least twenty minutes before repeating it. If you feel dizzy or strained, stop.

Keep a record of your progress.

Try this drill daily, and you’ll soon have better breath control.

Speak slowly. This will lower the pitch of your voice.

Tip #4 Posture

Posture and its effects on the voice cannot be overemphasized.

If you slouch, sag, or hunch over, you can’t breathe efficiently, which will show in your voice.

Poor posture will restrict the sounds you produce in your larynx (voice box).

Good posture means stretching the body and holding its parts in their natural alignment from head to toe.

Stand tall, with your weight evenly distributed on both feet.

Posture and breathing complement each other—good posture makes it easier to practice breathing, and good breathing improves posture.

Now try this . . . 

One voice expert, Janice Dragonette, suggests that since walking is a posture in motion, try to emulate the walk learned by fashion models.

Following a straight line, place one foot directly in front of the other, feet pointing half-past twelve.

When walking, carry the weight of the torso over the forward knee.

If done correctly, this walking exercise can help you attain perfect posture.

And one chiropractor recommends the following exercise:

1. Stand against a wall with the head straight, shoulders down, and heels against the wall.
2. Press your body against the wall. Keep your head straight.
3. Step away from the wall.

Your body will be naturally aligned.

Caution. Good posture does not mean stiff. Try for a posture that is well-balanced, erect, and free of tension.

Tip #5 Relax the Throat and Jaw

The throat and jaw muscles must be relaxed for a deeper, fuller voice.

Once again, the voice will be strained and high-pitched if there is tension.

Now try these . . .

To keep the throat open, practice breathing in and yawning.

Start a leisurely, gentle yawn with your tongue on the floor of your mouth.

Keep the throat relaxed. Whisper ‘ah’ and hold for about five seconds.

Gradually add more voice to the whisper and build it up to a moderately loud level.

Do not allow your throat to tighten, and repeat these sounds:

ee (meet), oh, ah, ow, oo (moon), oi, and uh.

Look in a mirror as you try these . . .

To loosen the jaw, exaggerate the movements as you say the following words four times. These words have vowel diphthongs (the combination of two vowels within the same syllabus), which require the jaw to move from one position to another.

gown           town

howl           mouth

high            buy

twice          mice

moist          joist

choice        noise

Tip #6 Loudness and Projection

Loudness is a relative term meaning the perception of the intensity of sound or volume.

Projection is the act of controlling loudness to be heard at a distance.

Projection is the carrying power of the voice.

Volume or loudness is one of the most critical factors in your intelligibility. If people can’t hear you, they can’t understand you.

In addition, if you speak too softly, people will think you’re shy.

On the other hand, if you speak too loudly, your listeners will think you’re arrogant and coarse.

Proper breathing, a relaxed throat, and an open mouth are essential to adequate projection. Without proper breath control, the voice sometimes cracks and wavers.

Continue to work on breathing from the diaphragm, controlling exhalation, relaxation, and lower jaw exercises, which will help you develop adequate control of your voice’s loudness.

Tip:

To project the voice, imagine “tossing” your voice as you would a ball over a general area or in a specific direction.

Tip #7 Color and Variety

Vocal color and variety are related to pitch, which impacts the meaning you’re trying to convey.

You color your words by emotions you feel when you speak them—happiness, excitement, sorrow, or disappointment.

Vocal variety is how you apply these emotions when you speak. It involves the flexibility, or upward and downward pitch, of your voice, speech rate, and the pauses in your speech rhythm.

For example, a single word can be spoken in various ways, giving different meanings.

Try this. . .

There are many ways to say the word “you.”

Using an upward or downward pitch or a combination of pitch movements, express the meaning in each of the following phrases or sentences:

You come here.

Are you the winner?

Now I know who you are.

Not you again.

People will pay attention to what you say when you use vocal color and variety. If you are inhibited, this might be difficult for you, but without this quality, you will sound dull, boring, and monotonous.

Tip:

Read aloud as often as possible—email, magazines, newspapers, want ads, stories to your children, etc. Why?

• It improves your reading.
• It accustoms you to hear your voice, making you less self-conscious.
• It teaches timing.
• It improves articulation.
• It is the best way to improve your everyday speaking, and vocal variety is the best way.

The rate has to do with how rapidly or slowly you speak.

Do you speak at a dizzying speed or like a slowpoke?

Both are ineffective because they interfere with intelligibility or meaning. Rate is also significant because it affects people’s perception of you.

For example, individuals with plodding and hesitant speech are frequently viewed as less competent than individuals with a fast speech rate.

Your goal is to speak at a rate that is intelligible and matches your message; therefore, you should avoid extremely fast or slow speech in most cases.

Get feedback from your co-workers, friends, and family regarding your speaking rate.

Vary your rate. Speaking with every word uttered at the same rate is boring!

Tip:

Practice reading your favorite poetry selections aloud and create rates (fast, slow, medium). Record your readings and then listen to see if you convey the poet’s meaning.

Tip #8 Pronunciation

It should come as no surprise that spelling is an unreliable guide to pronouncing words in American English.

Therefore, you will find your dictionary to be indispensable.

Another reference is A Pronouncing Dictionary of American English by John S. Kenyon and Thomas A. Knott.

This dictionary gives only pronunciations, not definitions.

Three examples:

Word                    Standard                       Common Error

accessory           ak.sess.uh.ree             uh.sess.uh.ree

athlete                 ath.leet                          athuhleet

chasm                 kaz.um                          chaz.um

Tip #9 Caring for Your Voice

These irritate and dry your throat . . .

• alcohol
• caffeine
• cigarette smoke
• vitamin C (in large doses)
• antihistamines

These cause mucous . . .

• nuts
• dairy products
• dust

Caution. Spicy foods can cause gas. The stomach acids rise to the esophagus, irritating the tissues of the vocal fold.

Tip: Don’t scratch the inside of your throat.

Do . . . DRINK PLENTY OF WATER!

Or, try these . . .

• Lemon and hot water
• Ginger and Ginger tea
• Pure Ginseng Tea
• Herbal teas

Practice, Practice, Practice

 Faithfully practicing the exercises and drills this article shares is the beginning of having a pleasing voice.

However, voice exercises should be done in short intervals, no more than five minutes, throughout the day.

If your throat begins to hurt, feel rough, or scratchy, you’re probably overdoing it or performing the drill incorrectly.

Finally, remember Your Voice Is Your Image.

When you speak, your voice is a window to your personality.

Don’t let your voice misrepresent you!

“Speech is a mirror to the soul: as a man speaks, so is he.”—Publilius Syrus.

So, there you have it!

Wrap-Up

Nine (9) tips to help you Sound as Great as You Look!

1. Clarity
2. Word Endings
3. Image Breakers
4. Pitch
5. Posture
6. Relax the Throat and Jaw
7. Loudness and Projection
8. Color and Variety
9. Pronunciation

Now, go out there and start today!

Increase your confidence!

Have more significant influence and persuasion!

Improve your speaking voice today!

 

“Speak clearly, if you speak at all; carve every word before you let it fall.” Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr.”