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"One dollar bid, now two, now two, will ya' give me two? Two dollar bid, now three, now three, will ya' give me three?"
If you've ever been to an auction (or seen one on TV), you might have been mesmerized by the auctioneer's chant—the rhythmic repetition of the number of the current bid and the asking price to outbid peppered with filler words to make it seem like the bidding is moving fast.
The auctioneer isn't saying much. He's saying somebody will pay a dollar and asking if someone else will pay two dollars. He repeats himself and talks rapidly, creating a sense of urgency. The auctioneer is communicating loads through his vocal variety. His pitch, speed, and volume all contribute to the immediacy of the auction. Bidders have no option to put money on the next bid, it seems, or else the items will be lost.
Research shows that auctioneers with underdeveloped vocal variety use their gavels more often. (Source)
In our last lesson, we focused on volume and pitch. We pointed out that one-note, monotonous voices risk undermining their message. Developing vocal variety also requires you to pay attention to your rate of speech, when you pause, which words and syllables you emphasize, and even how resonant your voice is.
In today's lesson, we'll offer some strategies for honing your vocal variety so the way you speak contributes to and strengthens your message. You might not create the same sense of urgency in your audience as you would with an auctioneer's chant, but we guarantee nobody will go home mad for spending too much on an antique lamp.
DEVELOPING VOCAL VARIETY
Emphasis
Emphasis
No matter what our first language is, we grow knowing how it's supposed to sound. Long before they know the meanings of words, children string together nonsense syllables that sound like language, emphasizing syllables and raising or lowering pitch to convey meaning.
Even though the sound of language is hard-wired, occasions for public speaking can sometimes tamper with our internal software. We're so focused on remembering what we want to say, that we forget that how we say it is just as important. Knowing which words to emphasize and which syllables to stress can add to your audience's overall enjoyment as well as serve the strengthen the message.
Consider the following sentence:
He said he did not eat the cupcake.
How do you say it in your head? What does the sentence mean?
Check out how the emphasis can change the meaning of the sentence:
He said he did not eat the cupcake.
She didn't say so, he did.
He said he did not eat the cupcake.
He said he didn't eat it, and I believe him.
He said he did not eat the cupcake.
Someone else ate the cupcake.
He said he did not eat the cupcake.
He didn't eat the cupcake yesterday, but he might eat it in the future.
He said he did not eat the cupcake.
He threw the cupcake in the compost bin. It was moldy.
He said he did not eat the cupcake.
He ate another cupcake, not the fancy one we're talking about.
He said he did not eat the cupcake.
He ate the ice cream instead.
As you practice your speech, consider a few run-throughs in which you focus solely on your emphasis. Listen to a recording of yourself, or gather feedback from friends and family. Ask them: are you emphasizing words and phrases in a way that conveys what you intend to communicate?
Pace and Pause
Pace and Pause
Pace is the speed at which you speak. We've all met some fast talkers that spoke so rapidly we felt like we might be getting bamboozled. Similarly, we might grow restless when we find someone speaks too slowly.
Well-timed and purposeful pauses can help you pace your speech just right. A pause allows your message time to sink in, indicates the importance of the phrase leading up to the pause, marks a transitions to a new topic, signals a shift in tone, or calls out a turning point.
You'll want to avoid vocalized pauses—those little verbal ticks like "um," "ah," "like," "you know?" can make your speech sound less polished. At the same time though, keep in mind that these expressions are a perfectly normal part of human speech, and don't beat yourself up for giving your mouth a moment to catch up with your thoughts—particularly if you're speaking on the fly.
They say timing is everything, so use purposeful pauses to modulate your speech in order to sharpen and strengthen your message. Consider the following statements and possible ways to say them. How do pauses change the meaning of each sentence? (We'll use standard punctuation to indicate pauses in our examples below.)
Most of the time travelers worry about their baggage.
(Time Lords say airlines are the worst.)
Most of the time, travelers worry about their baggage.
(Airlines are the worst about keeping track of luggage.)
Let's eat Grandpa.
(Grandpa would make a delicious entrée.)
Let's eat, Grandpa.
(Grandpa, join me in devouring this roasted chicken.)
A woman without her man is nothing.
(It's a man's world…)
A woman: without her, man is nothing.
(I am woman, hear me roar…)
Woman finds inspiration in cooking her family and her dog.
(The family and the dog contribute to a fine stew.)
Woman finds inspiration in cooking, her family, and her dog.
(Food, family, and Fido inspire this woman.)
Just as punctuation clarifies meaning in writing, pausing denotes similar meaning. If you want to avoid embarrassing gaffes in your own public speaking, consider the commas you use in the written version of the speech. Are the used correctly? Are you pausing when you've indicated a comma in your draft?
Inflection and Resonance
Inflection and Resonance
Treasure refers to "prosody" of speech, the musical inflections we hit in order to communicate our meaning. Inflection is how we indicate a question by vocalizing the last few words of a sentence in increasingly higher tones. Just through the rise and fall of our voice, we indicate sarcasm, earnestness, joy, resignation, authority or weakness.
You might not think of speaking in terms of songs or notes, but you know how important pitch—the high or low tones of natural speech—when you hear a monotonous voice. (Bueller? Bueller?)
If you want an engaged audience that fully understands your message, rehearse using the same relaxed, conversational pitch you'd use when speaking to a friend. Audiences relate most to speakers who use their natural voices. Think back to the speakers we watched in the last lesson—their natural pitches and pacing only strengthened their messages.
Resonance
Resonance
Watch the video contained in this article: "The Man with the Golden Voice."
It's about a homeless man named Ted Williams who performed radio tags with a large, deeply resonant voice.
In the video, you'll hear Williams describe how he developed the voice: as a teenager, he went on a field trip to the local radio station and was taken with the fact that the announcer didn't sound at all like what he sounded like. The announcer told Williams that radio is "theater of mind'—and Williams took it to heart.
You might also notice that Williams' conversational voice is different from his announcer voice—his announcer voice is deeper, amplified, and more clearly articulated. Williams' talent eventually landed him a steady radio gig, proving that no matter where you start, the sound of your voice carries weight.
So what strategies can you use to have a golden voice like Williams? First, consider pitch: with high-pitched or tiny voices, sound emanates from the mouth and nasal passages—the head. Lower pitched, louder, more resonant voices are projected through the chest—the diaphragm and throat.
Here are a few ways you can check your pitch:
Ever hear yourself on a recording and think: "That doesn't sound like me"? Actually, it does, but being inside your own body makes you experience your own voice a little differently. Record a conversation between you and your friends and play it back for yourself. How does your voice sound in comparison with others? This will give you clues about whether you need to adjust your pitch up or down.
Shmoop likes to call this the "Seashell Effect": close your hands around your ears as you speak to get a more accurate idea of the sound of your voice.
Use an app like My Voice or Passaggio to get visual feedback regarding vocal pitch.
Once you have an idea of where your pitch needs to go, start working on producing sound from your diaphragm and throat.
First, loosen your throat by yawning, relaxing the jaw and throat muscles. So this several times until it feels like a natural state.
Then press your tongue flat along the bottom of the mouth, touching the bottom teeth without retracting your tongue. Keep the throat and jaw relaxed and breathe in a few more times.
Press one hand to your sternum and the other at the top of your belly just under the ribs. If you're using your diaphragm, your ribs and belly should expand when inhaling and contact when exhaling.
Now, hum a note that's a little higher in your vocal range and slide down the scale as you feel the sound vibrating in your chest. Feel how the notes vibrate differently.
Practice sliding up and down the scale by saying ah. Remember to keep your tongue flat against the bottom of your mouth and your jaw open and relaxed.
To keep your pitch lower consistently, as you want to during a speech, put on your red suit and cap rehearse your most booming "Ho! Ho! Ho!" You might even parlay your vocal practice into a Santa gig at the mall this Christmas.
(Exercises adapted from It's the Way You Say It by Carol A. Fleming)
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