Anchoring: Breathing and Articulation

Breathing and Vocal Variety

Vocal Image: how you are perceived by the sound of your voice.

Ideally, you want your content to align with your delivery method and both to align with the sound of your voice.  Vocal variety is all about the sound of the voice and, in this case, that vocal image is created through several aspects of your sound, including pace, pitch, pause, and power.

Pace

Pace is the speed of your delivery. In general, for vocal variety you are encouraged to vary your pace by speeding up and slowing down appropriately for the message you are delivering. However, some people have trouble with pacing due to poor breathing. If you speak too quickly, or if your speaking is labored or too slow, consider the following:

“Vary your pace by speeding up and slowing down appropriately for the message you are delivering.”

Speaking too fast is often the result of not stopping to breathe often enough.

Solution: To slow down your speaking with the breath, consciously take a breath before you begin. Remember to stop and breathe between ideas. The next time you practice a presentation, take time to inhale and exhale deeply five times before you start to speak. Then take one more deep breath and exhale vigorously into your first words.

Speaking too slowly can also be caused by not taking in and using enough air.

Solution: Not using enough air can cause a person to sound dull and lifeless. This may also be caused by poor posture. Practice the breathing technique above, paying special attention to posture. Be sure you move that air with the abdominal muscles as you speak. Overdo the latter when you practice so you really feel the breath in the sound. By breathing deeper and then using all the air in your sound, you create a more energetic sound and you feel more energized, too.

Pitch

Pitch is determined by the notes we use when we speak. Yes, we use notes when speaking just as we do for singing. Speaking notes, however, are random, informally ordered, and usually of shorter duration than notes we sing. To create vocal variety, one uses different pitches to make their sound more interesting.  Sometimes problems with creating variety in pitch can be the result of poor breathing technique. Here are two such problems, their likely causes, and some ways to fix them:

A voice that is too high-pitched and thin can be the result of shallow breathing (without abdominal expansion and support).

Solution: The solution to shallow breathing is to relax the abdomen and drop the air in lower. This also relaxes the larynx so it doesn’t ride so high. A high larynx can create a higher, thinner sound.

If your voice sounds squeezed or strained, or too low, you may not be using all the air you take in.

If you don’t want to be limited to a guttural growl, air should flow freely in your voice. You can improve a strained sound by practicing a breathy sound and then gradually adding more and more vocal sound to it. I call this “energizing the voice.” It also has the effect of making pitch variety much easier to achieve because the voice becomes free to move and create more pitches. If you do this correctly, you will definitely feel the freedom in your voice!

Pause

“Awareness of breathing makes for natural pauses.”

When speaking, pauses are the golden silences that allow your listeners to take in what you are saying. They are the “beats” an actor uses between phrases; they are that special something that leads to “comedic timing.” Importantly, pauses also give us time to breathe.

Here’s how to apply breathing to your pauses:

Breathe before speaking your first words.

Taking that first breath allows you to align everything physically, mentally, and emotionally. It also allows your larynx to be stimulated but relaxed. And finally, it gets the oxygen flowing so that you can think more clearly and look your best.

Be aware of your breathing.

It is amazing to see how many people simply forget to breathe when they are in front of an audience. As you may have experienced, nerves can play a big part in forgetting to breathe and feeling out of breath. So the short term solution to this, as blogger Denise Graveline mentions, is to pause and breathe!  The long-term solution, however, is to practice being aware of your breathing all day long. Awareness of breathing makes for natural pauses. The more you practice, the more likely it is you’ll remember to breathe when you’re speaking in public.

Power

A common misconception about Power is that it is the same thing as volume.  The truth is that vocal power is so much more than how loud you are. Vocal power is all about the impact your sound has on others. Your personal vocal power may be found in the tone of your sound or in how you phrase a thought.  Many people are surprised to learn that power can be heightened or lessened by how they breathe and how they use their breath.

Sound moves on air, so you need to have air to get a powerful sound.  You can speak loudly, but if you aren’t incorporating that air into your sound, you will be shouting. Your impact on others may be quite different than you intended! In addition, keeping the air moving with the sound allows for wonderful control of your voice so that you can use all of your vocal variety techniques more effectively.

A powerful speaker is one who is relaxed and comfortable. A powerful voice is relaxed and comfortable. Breathing deeply relaxes the larynx so the voice can settle into a comfortable, natural sound rather than one that is contrived or forced.

Practical Advice for Daily Life

Try to practice good breathing technique several times a day and soon you will naturally incorporate it into your everyday speaking. Here are a few tips for practicing breathing:

Practice breathing while driving. Your hands are raised as you drive which makes it easier to keep your chest high. And practicing breathing can also ease road rage significantly!

Practice breathing while sitting at your desk when you would normally be slumped over in your chair. Sit on the edge of your chair and take 10 practice breaths three times a day.

Practice breathing when you are about to go to sleep or lying down on the floor at the end of a workout session. When you are lying down, it is easier to isolate the abdominal muscles and strengthen them for proper breathing. (You can even put a book on your abdomen to exaggerate the way you use those muscles for even better awareness of how to do this correctly. Watch the book go up and down as you breathe “with your stomach.”)

The final and real test, of course, will come in how well you incorporate good breathing into your presentations. On the day of your big presentation, remember to consciously practice using the air you take in. Take time to inhale and exhale deeply five times before you start to speak, then take one more deep breath and breathe into your first words. Don’t forget to slow down and breathe from time to time during the course of a talk in front of an audience.

As they say, practice makes perfect. So practice and it won’t be long before you are able to make your learned breathing as natural as the breathing you are using now, and the benefits will be enormous.

ARTICULATION

Articulation focuses on making individual sounds and pronunciation focuses on stress, rhythm, and ... Use of tongue, lips, jaw, and other speech organs to make a sound

Pronunciation has to do with the choice of sounds--like long or short vowels--does that "a" sound like "hat" or "hay", which syllable is emphasized, etc. Articulation can refer to more than one thing. It is often used to mean enunciation--speaking clearly instead of mumbling or slurring.

Being articulate gives people the impression of a solid, full education and cultured mind; it will make people more likely to listen to you and to respect your intelligence. Whether you're giving a presentation or trying to tell your best friends a funny story, if you make an effort to think before you speak and to be more clear and concise on a regular basis, then you will be the most articulate person in the room in no time.

Sounding More Intelligent

Know your subject. Speak on matters where you are able to bring more clarity to others or help add to the discussion. Speaking from a desire to add something or just get your voice heard, will not add to your perceived level of articulateness. Let others speak about things that they are an expert in and add to that discussion through articulate questions. Do your research and know the alternative perspectives but be willing to quit sharing when you move outside your current knowledge.

If you don't know your subject well but have to speak on it, then extensive research will help you sound like you know your stuff.

Think before you speak.

This helps to eliminate the verbal pauses and may prevent you from saying something that does not make sense. It's okay if this slows you down a bit. In fact, pausing before you give a real answer will make you look more thoughtful and intelligent than someone who just blurts out a string of nonsensical phrases as soon as a question is posed.

If someone asks you a question and you really want to think it through, don't be afraid to say, "Come back to me in a minute. I need to gather my thoughts." You will sound much more prepared after you have time to think.

Expand your vocabulary.

Using a variety of words that mean that same thing creates more interest and color in your speech. If you do not understand the words you read, consult a dictionary or thesaurus. The easiest way to expand your vocabulary is to read, read, read. Knowing synonyms for words can be helpful, but you should make sure you use them correctly instead of using a word you've only ever seen in a dictionary aloud for the first time.

You can create vocabulary flashcards and quiz yourself. Make a goal of learning ten new words a week.

Use real words.

Shun slang and contractions. Instead of hi, use hello, instead of yeah, use yes. Never use huh, uh-huh unless in the context of a story or event….if you're giving a formal or even semi-formal presentation, then it's important to use intelligent, full words. Avoid too many contractions (say "I cannot" instead of "I can't") and speak in complete sentences as much as you can, unless you are not doing so for effect.

Use correct grammar.

Study the proper uses of the words following words: I, me, him, his, he, no, not. They are commonly used incorrectly in cases such as double negatives and when listing people. When reiterating a fact you already stated, always say "as I said", never, "like I said". Here are some other tricks to know:

You should say, "He and I were discussing…" instead of "Him and I were discussing…"

You should say, "You can give your report to her or me," instead of "You can give your report to her or I."

You should say, "Such as…" instead of "like…"

Exude confidence.

If you want to sound articulate and intelligent, then you have to look confident when you deliver your message. Make eye contact with the audience, sound like you really mean what you say, and speak loudly enough for people to hear you. If you seem comfortable with your message and like you believe in your words, instead of second-guessing yourself, then people will be more likely to believe in it too.

Make your sentences sound firm and decisive.

Don't end your sentences with a question or with turning up your voice slightly, or you'll sound like you're constantly asking for affirmation.

Improve your posture.

Your posture can go a long way in making you sound more intelligent. Stand up tall and avoid hunching over at all costs, whether you're standing up, walking, or sitting down. Don't cross your arms over your chest; keep them at your sides and use them to gesture. Elongate your neck slightly. Standing up tall will make your words sound more forceful and will make people believe that you know what you're talking about even more.

Prepare  a lot.

If you want to sound smart, then you can't just spout out your latest ideas to a group of people or your close friends without thinking about how you'll frame them in advance. What you have to do is prepare what you're going to say, whether you're giving a class presentation or talking to your girlfriend about a relationship issue. Rehearse what you have to say as much as you need to in order to feel comfortable about saying what you have to say.

It's important to practice and rehearse, but it's also important for what you say to sound natural. Therefore, you should know the material well enough to change things up if it becomes necessary.

Saying more by saying less can make some people shut down or quit listening. Add content to discussions that is as condensed as possible without being vague. Talking until you get to your point will ensure half of your audience has already tuned out. State your point up front and people will know what you are trying to elaborate about.

If you have to give a speech and there's a time limit, don't squeeze in the thirty thoughts that come to your head. Pick the three most important ideas, and elaborate on those.

Eliminate verbal pauses.

Words such as um, a, like, etc... degrade and detract from what you say. They disturb the flow of a sentence and make it detached. A nonverbal pause is much better. When floundering for words, a nonverbal pause, placed correctly, gives the listener the effect of a dramatic or studied thought. It confirms your control over what is being said.

Speaking more slowly, eliminating distractions, and making eye contact will also help you stick to your message.

Speak more slowly.

Another way to speak more clearly is to speak more slowly. You may feel that if you rush and say everything you wanted to say, that you'll be able to get it over with and make people see your point more clearly. However, if you take the time to slow down, think about what you have to say, and pronounce your words in a way that won't make you mumble or confuse your audiences, then you will actually be more well-spoken.

You don't have to speak…so…slowly…that you feel like you're pausing between every word, but pausing in between sentences to give yourself time to prepare your next sentence will do the trick.

If you speak too quickly, there's also a chance that you will say something that you regret or that makes absolutely no sense, and you'll have to do some backtracking to make your audience understand what you really mean; you can avoid all that by speaking slowly to begin with.

Use your hands.

If you keep your hands in your pockets, you are more likely to stutter, forget what you have to say, or to confuse your audience. That's because using your hands to gesture can help you explain what you mean and can get your whole body into the speaking process. Communication doesn't just come from your mouth, but from your posture, your eye contact, your gesturing, and your body language -- it's part of a whole package. So the next time you speak, take those hands out of your pocket. Even if you don't use them to gesture a ton, you'll feel more comfortable if you gesture a little.

Keeping your hands in your pockets will also make you look less confident, which will make your message look weaker.

Limit distractions.

Another way to be more well-spoken is to be really focused on your message. You may be saying "um" and "uh" or forgetting your train of thought every few sentences because your phone keeps vibrating, because you're running late, or because you're worried about a meeting you have later that day. So, stay in the moment and focus on what you're saying when you're saying it as much as you can.

If you are focused only on your message, you'll be able to deliver it more articulately, and your audience will pay more attention, too.

Expand your knowledge base.

If you want to make a lifelong effort to be a more articulate person, then you have to live a more intellectual life. Read contemporary and classic fiction to be immersed in the world of literature. Read non-fiction and the paper to be up-to-date. Watch the news to have a better sense of what is going on in the world, and how relevant issues are expressed. Talk to other intelligent people and make a habit of communicating wisely.

Sure, reading an extra book a month or reading the paper every day may not immediately make you more articulate the next time you have a conversation, but you will able to see it impact your speaking and cognitive abilities in the long run.

Get to know your audience.

Another way to be more articulate is to work to have a strong sense of the group of people you are talking to. If you're giving a presentation on a poet to a group of literary scholars, then you can assume that they understand the vocabulary and concepts you are using; but if you're teaching a group of fifth-grade students to write their own poetry, then the words you use, and the level of explanation you give, will have to be very different depending on who you're talking to.

Being a complete genius won't help you at all when talking to a group of nine-year-olds; to be a professional at being articulate, you'll have to adjust your words and speech to your audience whenever it's necessary.

Tell a story.

If you tell a story, you are more likely to get rid of all that verbal filler or the hesitation, because you will know it like the back of your hand and will be able to move more fluently from one sentence to the next. If you have a story that illustrates your point very well, then you should use it in a speech or when you talk to people, and you will sound more animated and articulate because you'll be speaking from a place that makes you comfortable.

Practicing telling the story in advance, of course, can help you fine-tune it, even if you think you know it pretty well.

Get inspired by famous speeches and speakers.

Go on YouTube or another online source and watch some great speakers, such as Martin Luther King or Steve Jobs, and see if you can learn anything from them. You can also read some great speeches, such as "The Gettysburg Address," to see if you can pick up on how to impress and inspire people. You can also just watch inspiring speakers on the news who are particularly well-spoken and thoughtful, and see what you can learn from them.

Take notes while you watch or read.

You'll see that you can learn a lot about how to be articulate just by watching other people who are well-spoken.