Clearly Speaking
Clearly Speaking

How to use your phone to overcome speech and voice problems

Lynda Stucky Develop Your Speech, Develop Your Voice

I know that changing a habit isn’t always easy so I decided to find some helpful resources to help achieve your goals. Here are some ways to use your phone to overcome speech and voice problems that you may be experiencing.

  1. Siri or Cortana: Record messages and see if your “listener” can understand what you say. If not, try it again.
  2. Timer: Set your timer at intervals that are good for you to practice your new skill on the spot. Make intervals hourly or every other hour. When the timer rings, you use that time to practice predecided activities that will help you achieve your goal.
  3. Camera: Use your camera to record certain physical tasks (exaggerated mouth opening, breathing, or even giving a presentation). You may squirm at first to see yourself but watching can be a revealing turning point.
  4. Dictionary: Use this app to search words that you aren’t certain how to pronounce. There is an audio icon to click on that gives you an audio example of how to pronounce the word in question.
  5. Notes: Take notes (verbally or by typing) immediately after something interesting happens to you or that you see around that can be used in a story to make a point when you give a presentation. You can also download an app called Voice Memos to record your notes. This particular recorder is also useful to identify and become aware of instances of glottal fry or uptalk.

Here are some other apps you can purchase that are especially helpful for pronunciation and diction:

  1. Get help learning the International phonetic alphabet (IPA) to help you pronounce sounds and words correctly with Sounds of Speech app.
  2. Practice reading and writing the IPA alphabet with the Sounds app.
  3. Use the app Speech Tutor to see how sounds are made in your mouth.
  4. Drink Water Reminder–a daily hydration monitor. Drinking enough water each day is vital for overall health and for well-functioning vocal cords. This app reminds you to drink more water at intervals that you select.
  5. Feeling stressed? Anxious? Can’t sleep? Aura: Calm Anxiety and Sleep app will help you with 3 minute mindful meditations.
  6. Need a mindset shift to overcome negative feelings? Try the Omvana app. With this app, you can mix music to the meditations. There are shorter meditations and longer ones (up to 20 minutes). These meditations are also calming and give you an opportunity to give gratitude and feel confident.

An Indian client of mine, who was working on American English intonation patterns, told me that he loved to listen to podcasts so that he could mimic pitch changes that were used by the speaker. He did this exercise every day in his car on the way to work. This particular exercise gave him greater awareness of the melody and rhythm of American English.

These are just a few creative ideas to use which are in the palm of your hand!  Do you use any apps to help you develop a habit or become a better speaker? We’d love to hear!

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