Posts Tagged ‘Public Speaking’

Public Speaking Tips: Volume and Power

In this article for public speaking tips I would like to explain the use of volume and power.

Volume and power can quite understandably be confused. Loud volume is not necessarily power in the context of public speaking. Volume is the level of sound whereas power is the intensity of the voice. It is possible to speak very quietly and yet have power in your voice.

Public Speaking Tips: Volume

Volume is something that a speaker needs to master. Volume is used more than simply to be heard. The first step though is to make sure as speaker that you can be comfortably heard. Too quiet and your audience will struggle, too loud and you could make them feel uncomfortable. There are of course different levels of volume required when a microphone is being used.

The use of volume makes a talk more interesting and can be used to put across feelings like happiness, sadness, excitement. Varying the volume to suit the topic can certainly help make a talk come alive for your audience.

Volume also needs to be changed to suit circumstances. For example if an outside noise interferes with your environment you may need to speak louder to overcome it and then lower your volume once it has passed.

Public Speaking Tips: Power

The use of power is one of the public speaking tips that many people find difficult to master. Power as I have already mentioned should not be confused with volume. I am sure you have seen those  gangster films where ‘the boss’ wants someone dead. He will say often in a very low tone “waste him” and there is a great deal of intensity and power in the way it is spoken.

We can use power in our talks to emphasise points without being loud. Simply being loud also does not necessarily create power. Power in the voice tends to come from deep down in our throats, much deeper than where loud volume emanates.

Speakers that are naturally quiet will need to exercise their voices to improve their volume and avoid straining their voices. As with all of my public speaking tips you are going to have to practice getting the use of volume and power right. You can practice by reading out loud and making your reading sound interesting by using volume and power as appropriate. Record your reading and listen to it, making notes where you can make improvements.

Look out for more public speaking tips from Roland.

Public Speaking Tips

There are many public speaking tips that I could give you and here is one that you will need to practice to get it right. Like many aspects of public speaking it is practice that makes perfect. Many public speakers will concentrate on what they believe to be difficult elements to master but often it is the simple elements that they overlook which when mastered have a tremendous effect on their performance.

Public Speaking Tips: Pace

The pace at which you speak is one of the public speaking tips that I pass on to all those new to public speaking. Pace is very important and the ability to vary pace even more so.

If we speak too quickly potentially our audience will not be able to keep up with us and will lose interest as they can not follow along with our talk. If we speak too slowly and draw out our sentences they could well become bored with our presentation wishing in their minds that we speed up. Too fast or too slow are both bad for the public speaker.

There are 3 kinds of speakers we need to take into account here.

1. People that normally speak very fast
2. People that generally speak at a good pace (most of us)
3. People that normally speak slowly

I must start off by saying that when a speaker is nervous they are more likely to speak faster so we have to take this into account in our preparation. You could do this by deliberately speaking slower in your practice sessions. It is a good idea to record your presentations as you practice them so you can play them back and judge the pace. Practice will help you control your nerves and help you to speak at a normal pace.

For people that naturally speak too quickly or slowly you will need to practice in your normal everyday speech to adjust your pace. Ask a trusted friend or family member to help you. Speaking at a good pace so that the majority of people can follow you will take daily effort if you are a naturally slow or fast speaker.

Whilst I am giving you public speaking tips about pace you need to consider the section below and not think that you need to master speaking at one good steady pace.

Public Speaking Tips: Vary the Pace

When we are speaking it is good to have a good steady and easy to follow pace. However the pace does need to vary to suit or subject during the talk. If we are describing something exciting we could speed up but make sure you keep clear diction and that the words are pronounced clearly. Do not keep up the fast pace for too long.

There are times we should speak a word, sentence or so more slowly. This could be for something that is hard to understand, very sad or serious.

Varying the pace is something that will take practice and it is also something that we should endeavour to practice in our everyday speech so that it becomes natural to us. Of course many people will find this easier than others as they naturally do this but once before an audience we need to be careful that we don’t falter.

I hope that you enjoy reading my public speaking tips and if you have any comments or questions please leave them in the box below.