Voice is a powerful tool for presenters. Your voice can make the difference between success and failure when it comes to engaging your audience. Whether it’s sales meetings, company updates, or technical meetings, it’s critical to keep your audience engaged and interested in your feedback. Learn how to stretch your voice by understanding the 5 P’s of voice control, including pitch, rhythm, pause, projection, and personality.
Tone
Pitch refers to the ups and downs of your notes when you speak. We all have the ability to speak from a vocal range, which includes higher notes and lower notes. However, it takes a lot of awareness and practice to become aware of your own tone and consciously change it. Why is tone important? A monotonous voice bores the audience, and a bored audience is less likely to remember your key points or take action. To play with pitch, try thinking of popular characters who have voices at either end of the vocal range, and then practice speaking (or singing!) like them. For example, you can think of Michael Jackson’s high-pitched voice and then compare it to Barry White’s deeper tones. You can also simulate the voices of movie actors to start expanding your own range. Over time, your knowledge and practice with tone will allow you to vary your voice as you speak, all with the goal of drawing your audience into your comments. Now that we’ve seen Pitch, let’s move on to Pace.
swing
Pace refers to the speed at which you speak. Just as monotonous is boring, so is mono-rhythm. A good speaker knows the value of changing the pace as he speaks. For example, when he introduces an interesting topic, he may speed up the pace of his voice. On the other hand, when he wants people to focus on him, he may slow down for emphasis. The general point is that variation is the key to success here. So play with your timing the next time you speak to see the impact on your audience. Now that we’ve explored the Rhythm, we’ll move on to the Pause.
Pause
Pausing involves pausing momentarily in the middle of your comments. It is a tool that is used hand in hand with the Rhythm variation. It is better to use a pause before or after a significant point as a tool for emphasis. Pause is also a great tool for nervous speakers who tend to speak too quickly. By dwelling on key points, the speaker allows the audience to process the key points before moving on to new material. An easy trick is to underline key points in your notes and then put the word PAUSE in big letters to remind you to stop talking for a few seconds. Actively playing with the pause will have a profound effect on the progress of your presentation. Now that we’ve covered Pause, let’s move on to the powerful Projection tool.
Projection
This aspect of voice is by far the most important as it correlates with your audience’s ability to hear your feedback. Even the smartest presenter can’t have the desired impact if the people in the room can’t hear her key points. With projection, everyone can hear your comments without straining to listen. However, there is still value in varying your projection to add intrigue and interest to your comments. For example, you may want to soften your voice to emphasize a key point, and then increase the volume for another point. In either case, you need to make sure that all members of the audience can hear each and every point. Practice projecting your voice by imagining that everyone is sitting against the back wall of the room. Make sure they can hear you and that you are speaking from your diaphragm. Now that we’ve discussed Projection, let’s take a look at Personality.
personality
Personality refers to the color, warmth, and meaning that comes from hearing your voice. The personality of your voice will dictate whether people get “turned on” or “turned off” when they hear you. Adjusting the pitch and volume will undoubtedly improve the quality of your voice. Adding emotion will add color and warmth to your voice. So will a smile that softens and warms the vocal tones that people hear. Personality can range from passionate, boring, serious, lighthearted. What personality do you look for when you talk about a certain topic? Give it some thought and choose a word that captures the tone you want your voice to convey. Write that word at the top of your notes so that you consciously strive to infuse your voice with the personality that will help you make the most impact.
Using the 5Ps of Voice Control Together
When you’re just starting out, you may want to focus on one P at a time and then add more until you can stretch your voice to reveal all 5 P’s in a given presentation. By playing with every aspect of vocal control, you can imbue your voice with interest, warmth, and personality! Use each of the P’s including Tone, Rhythm, Pause, Projection and Personality to actively engage your audience and keep them wanting more. For additional information on honing your presentation skills, visit our website for a free copy of the Mastering Your Presentation Skills report at http://www.boldnewdirections.com
