Can you speak up please?
When a speaker thinks of volume they may tend to think of that opening phrase. We all want want we say to be heard and this applies even if we are using sound equipment to amplify our voice. Volume of course can also be used wrongly in that there can be too much and we may end up deafening our audience!
However there is more to the use of volume than simply being too loud or to in being too quiet to be heard.
Volume can be used to convey feeling or raise interest in what we say. If we are coming to an important point in our talk we could raise the volume to attract attention or even lower the volume to increase the intensity and concentration of the audience. Do not go so low as not to be heard but enough to make them strain a just a little. We could illustrate this by the phrase “Shhh – do you want to know a secret” and we all know that is said more quietly and it certainly attracts our attention.
When you prepare your talk you may find it helpful to mark your notes if you find that using volume does not come naturally. Just a mark to say where you will increase of decrease the volume will make you aware of this need and eventually you will find that you will develop a natural use of volume in your presentations.
Volume is practiced in our Intensive Public Speaking Course.
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