Are You Heard When You Speak?
Are you always heard when you speak? There are many people who wish to project their voice more to be better understood.There are many people who wish to project their voice more to be better understood. In fact, many executives both male and female, ask me why others have a hard time hearing them and what they can do to project their voice.
There are two primary reasons that a voice lacks volume:
1) Inadequate breath support,
2) Inadequate mouth opening
First, an inability to project comes from inadequate breath support. The vocal cords need to be supported by the muscular action of the diaphragm. Since our vocal cords vibrate because of the air we force from our lungs, it is a simple matter of forcing more airstream. Many people take inadequate breaths. We develop bad habits for a number of reasons throughout our life. One common reason is that as a young adults, we learn to tuck in our tummy for the appearance of a flatter stomach. But this behavior prevents us from breathing correctly and we often develop chest breathing (the lifting of our shoulders when we inhale). If you are breathing improperly you can learn to dismantle your poor breathing pattern and use good breath support even while talking.
The second reason some people don’t project well is because they don’t open their mouth wide enough when they speak. There are native English speakers and non-native speakers who have learned to barely open their mouth when they speak. The mouth and muscles around the opening may even be clenched tightly leaving a small opening for the sound to travel through.
If you think of your vocal tract as a megaphone that begins at the small opening of the vocal cords and opens up wider and wider so that your mouth is the end of the megaphone, the wider the mouth opening, the better the sound will carry out of your mouth. Stand in front of the mirror and practice exaggerated mouth movements. Compare the sound of that voice to the sound of the voice with a clenched mouth opening. Does one sound louder? Work on these two skills and your voice will improve in volume and you will never have to worry about not being heard when you speak!