We need a speaking tape containing:

  • Your half of a phone call
  • A minute of you speaking about anything to somebody
Speech characteristic What to listen for How to improve it
Vocal vitality (tape 2) Are your sentences monotonous? Do they tend to peter out at the end? Are you just *too* aggressive, too punchy, or too loud? Monotonous: Introduce melody in your speech, exaggerate the variations Fading: develop an awareness of the final words. Keep the breath support to the end. Copy sentences of your current usage. Too fast: Change your lifestyle. Read in a slow tempo, then continue speaking with this rhythm and tape-record yourself.
Gender and regional characteristics (tape 2 and 3) Mumbled or monotonous speech. Factual statements that end up in an upward pitch. Mumblers: Observe how well-trained speakers move their mouth when speaking. Compare with yourself in a mirror. Factual statements: Work on intonation and downward pitch.
Vocal hygiene (tape 3) Extra noises in the tone, difficulty speaking. Glottal fry. Seek professional help
Filler sounds (tape 4) Repetition of empty words and phrases. Repetition of ehms or lip smacks. Overuse of superlatives and intensifiers. Take your bad habit into the conscious domain. Isolate an example; repeat the bad habit ten times consciously; practice the desirable pattern. When you catch yourself doing it in a normal situation, stop and start over again.
Fronting (tape 5) Projection. Is the sound produced in the front or your mouth? Create sensation patterns for more projected patterns Mi-May-Mooh-Maaa Chewing exercise: Aaaaa-Mniaaaaa-Mniaaaa
Tonal range (tape 6) Can you go down 4 notes and up 6 notes from your modal pitch? Find your modal pitch = the pitch with which you spontaneously begin a new sentence. Practice intonation
Articulation and tonal support (tape 6) Can I really understand what I say on the tape? Clarity of the speech. Melody. Staccato or legado? Chewing exercise. Practice tonal support, let words glide through, linked together. Uninterrupted stream from your diaphragm until it reaches the front of your mouth. No glottal attack.
Compelling vocal image (tape 7) Simple declarative statements with pauses or box-carring? Choice of vocabulary: flat and vague words or precise and clear language? Elaborate on a simple word (ex.: toast) with simple declarative sentences. Use colorfoul and precise vocabulary to capture the interest of the audience. Insert silence to make the speech more powerful.
Posture (tape 8) Good posture? Straight head that projects the sound forward, relaxed shoulders. Stand up straight, put a book on your head and look in the mirror.
Other citations
  • Until recently (1960's), we hadn't any way to objectively hear how we sound.
  • “The way you communicate is your personality, as far as the world is concerned.”
  • Some characteristics of a powerful voice: projection, resonance, fluency, intonation
  • “Any relationship you have with somebody is the communication which you have with that person.”
"The 3 great truths"
  • "Whenever you attempt to change the way you talk, the new pattern that you want will feel phony, unnatural, and just playing weird."
  • "Only actual practice will change the way you talk."
  • "There is no automatic transfer of your practice into normal conversations. There is only gradual incorporation with constant effort."