Pitch: It’s all over the place for statements
Talking tip #9: In statements, our pitch usually starts low, goes up and down, and then it rises highest on the most important word of our message before falling back down at the end. What is pitch? Pitch, the highness and lowness of sound, is another important...
Our tongues: What do we do with them?
Tip#8: Your tongue is vital to your speech Have you ever considered how important your tongue is to talking? Without it, we would be hard-pressed to make our speech sounds. Our tongue is vital to speaking. It moves in the most intricate ways to make all of...
The Lip Factor
Tip #7: Our lips are a primary player in how we speak. Our lips are an important factor in our speech. We use our lips in a variety of ways to make our speech sounds. When speaking North American English, our lips move and make different shapes to help our listener...
Jaw: My speech elevator
Talking tip #6: Our jaw assists our speech. Have you ever thought of your jaw playing a role in your speech? Yes, it holds our teeth and anchors our tongue, but is that all it does for us when we are speaking? Not exactly. The Elevator The jaw can be...
The eyes have it
Tip #5: Our eyes are a tool for communication. There is a phrase we say in North American English, “The eyes have it”. There’s another “The eyes are the windows to the soul”. What on earth do we mean? Are Americans obsessed with eyes, or is there some other...
Body language: Watch me
Tip #4: Make good use of body language, both in what you see and what you do. Why is this important? It has been said that well over 50% of our message is conveyed nonverbally. That means without words. One of the primary modes of nonverbal communication is...
Ears: Have you heard?
Tip #3: Listen when you listen and when you speak. What? How are ears part of talking, you might ask? Well, our ears are not just part of talking but instead are part of the bigger picture of communicating. We use our ears to listen to ourselves as we speak,...
Voice: What’s the buzz?
Tip #2: Understand your voice. Have you ever paid attention to the buzz of your voice? Where is it coming from? How is it made? Our voice is generated in our voice box, known as our larynx. It sits at the top of our windpipe (trachea). Our larynx houses our...
Breath. It’s the floor.
Tip #1: Support your speaking with your breath. Did you know that your breathing, your breath support, is a critical piece of how you talk and convey your message? Many times we really don’t consider our breathing. It’s automatic. It’s something we do...