How to be Vocally Expressive So That You Captivate Your Audience
Lacking vocal expressiveness is a common problem and sounding monotone won’t captivate your audience. Here is a solution to help you become more vocally expressive:
Expressive individuals use a wide range of pitch variation in the message. Many people don’t realize how much pitch they have available to them. The first step towards improving expressiveness is to become aware of your pitch range and become comfortable using it!
- Start by imitating the sound of a siren. Say “ah” and start low in pitch and move slowly up as high as you can go. Once you are as high as you can go, come back down still saying “ah”. Take breaths as you need them. Repeat this activity over and over again. This entire range is what is available to you in speech. You can stretch this range with practice.
- Next, try counting while producing the siren. Count out loud while moving up and down with your voice.
- Say your name and address while producing the siren.
- Read material (a book, newspaper, children’s books, etc.) while exaggerating your pitch. Try to use as much pitch range as you can. Tape record yourself if you can.
- As you become comfortable with using more pitch, start using more variation of pitch in conversational speech. Use phone conversations as your first place to concentrate on incorporating more pitch variation. Tape record yourself if you can and then listen back to the recording to see if you changed your vocal pitch adequately. Monitor what words you stressed with pitch changes? Did you end sentences with falling pitch and questions with rising pitch at the end of the sentences? TIP: Speak slowly to accomplish adding variation.
If you follow this plan, you are well on your way to developing vocal expressiveness and becoming fascinating to listen to!
Lynda Stucky is an expert at working with people to develop communication skills which enhance skills like intelligibility, credibility, and influence. Get her awarding winning book, Voice Branding For Executive Leaders: How to Align Your Speech, Language, and Voice Skills with Professional Goals
Tags: vocal expressiveness, voice branding, voice control