voice training for presentations

Conduct a Full Rehearsal
It is important to perform at least one full rehearsal of your presentation, using the cue cards that you have prepared. This will highlight any areas of weakness, any items that strike you as being out of sequence and any cue cards which fail to trigger the spontaneous flow that you had planned. If you make any major changes to the presentation following this rehearsal then you should perform another rehearsal - at least to cover the areas that have been changed.

It isn’t that important who you present to when rehearsing - although having an audience is better than doing it to an empty room. Some people find it effective to rehearse in front of a mirror; and this may help you identify positive and negative aspects of your body language.

Even if you genuinely cannot find sufficient time to physically rehearse then try to conduct a mental rehearsal - visualizing specific parts of your presentation and run through them in your head. Whenever you have spare time picture yourself in front of an audience and mentally rehearse a segment of your presentation that will fit into the time available. This can be carried out almost anywhere - on the train, during a coffee break or even in the bath.

Develop a Professional Sounding Voice
The sound of the presenter’s voice is extremely important, representing 40% of the impact of a presentation. If you want to sound positive and friendly then think that way in your presentation - because voice reflects subconscious thought. The most common effect on a presenter’s voice is a shakiness induced by nervous tension. Some relaxation exercises were outlined in the previous section. In particular the deep breathing exercise should help your voice sound more natural and relaxed. The most pleasant voice to listen to is one of a fairly low, full tone, with plenty of variety of pitch, inflection and rhythm.

People use a much greater range of their vocal register when singing than when speaking. It is a good idea to try and extend your normal range by singing or reading aloud, perhaps try reading from a book or a play where a number of characters are interacting. Listen to yourself both before and after these exercises and see if you can develop more life in your voice - there are few things more tedious than listening to a monotonous speaker. Another common problem when speaking in public is the two-tone voice, where a speaker starts and ends each sentence on the same note, only raising their tone for the middle part of the sentence.

The Correct Pace, Pause and Clarity
People who speak without varying the pace of their voice can become boring to listen to. A good tip here is to speed up a little as you are describing something or generally working through the body of a current segment and then . . . pause . . .and make your point more slowly. The use of a pause can be quite dramatic and a good attention getter, but presenters are often wary of using them. The pause may seem endless to you as a presenter, but in reality it gives the audience time to take your last comments on board and to build up their expectation of what is coming next. Volume can be another source of worry - and some presenters resort to shouting at a large audience to ensure that they are heard at the back. However, shouting leads to sound distortion and can also be very unpleasant for those at the front of the audience. More important than volume is clarity and this comes from clear pronunciation - especially of the consonants. Consonants shape sounds and if you concentrate on pronouncing them it will ensure that you form words at the front of your mouth.

Controlling Verbal Mannerisms
Verbal mannerisms are another common problem when speaking in public. These usually take one of three forms aural punctuation, hesitation or verification. An explanation of each follows: Aural punctuation usually occurs at the end of sentences, where the speaker automatically inserts an ‘Err’ ‘Ah’ or ‘Um’ every time they come to the end of a sentence. One of the most effective ways to break this habit is to take the end of a sentence as a cue to do something else - for example closing your lips or rubbing your index finger over your thumb. Hesitation is normally caused by uncertainty about precisely what to say next. The best way to reduce hesitation is to ensure that you are very familiar with the material and have conducted adequate rehearsals. Try to avoid using aural punctuation and hesitation, but don’t worry about them unless you use them to the extent that they become a distraction. You will naturally use them less as you become more experienced and confident as a presenter.

Verification usually takes the form of ‘okay’ or ‘right’ and is the presenter’s way of asking the audience to confirm that they have understood the point made. This is often confirmed by one or two non-committal nods and smiles. Once again their occasional use is fine; but avoid using them systematically - or it will become predictable and tiresome. If you really want to verify something with your audience then use a more meaningful method - try asking them a question or involving them in a point of conversation. Where you are presenting to an audience that is too large to interact with you should gauge their understanding by reading their body language, facial expressions and by maintaining eye contact with members of the audience.

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