“Why Am I so Hard to Understand When I Speak So Well?”

Lynda Stucky January 18, 2016 Reduce a Foreign Accent, Reduce a Regional Accent

As an English learner with a great command of the language, why are you still hard to understand?

What is the ideal rate of speech?

Lynda Stucky July 30, 2015 Build Your Brand, Develop Your Speech, Public Speaking

Are you fast talker? If you are, you may be losing the most important person in the room: the listener! A good rate of speech ranges between 140 -160 words per minute (wpm). A rate higher than 160 words per minute can be difficult for the listener to absorb the material. There may be some areas of the country that speak at faster rates but a slower rate is preferable. Too slow of a rate may give the listener the perception of slow thinking, incompetence and being uneducated. If you have a foreign accent though, speaking slowly is crucial since pronunciation may be a challenge for the listener. Use a speed that is closer to 140 words per minute.

Use the “megaphone trick” to improve the way that you sound!

Lynda Stucky June 5, 2018 Develop Your Voice

You’ve heard the expression “kill two birds with one stone” (meaning solving several problems with just one action). I have a speech trick so tremendous that not only does this trick kill two birds with one stone, it kills about five (metaphorically, of course, because I love birds!) What five areas of speech and voice does it help with, you ask?

Here is the list…

Volume–how loudly you speak

Rate–how quickly you talk

Diction–how sharply you pronounce vowels and consonants

Resonance–how full and rich sounding you sound

Intonation–how vocally expressive you are.

Use the megaphone trick to improve the way that you sound! Let me first explain the theory behind the trick: 

Communication Gifts That Your Audiences Will Love

Lynda Stucky December 24, 2014 Build Your Brand, Develop Language, Develop Your Speech, Develop Your Voice, Public Speaking, Reduce a Foreign Accent, Reduce a Regional Accent

While many things can go wrong in a presentation, don’t forget to consider all the things that you do well to awe your audiences. Here are 12 speech, language, and voice gifts to “give” your audiences every time you present. They will love you for it!

1. Optimal pitch–The pitch you speak at every day is your habitual pitch level. But does it match your optimal pitch level? The optimal pitch is where you vocal cords function their best. Too low or too high can be hard to listen to and could damage your vocal cords and make you hoarse.