Kate's Voice

Creating interest as a speaker is hugely important.  Not only does it keep your audience tuned in to you, but it also helps them remember you and your message.  That’s why Toastmasters lists Vocal Variety as one of the most important skills to develop as a public speaker.

I call this using “color” in the voice, and the general idea is that you can paint a picture that connects you to your listener and evokes an emotional response by using variety in the sounds you create.

But many people tell me they don’t know how to create that color.  Think of the following characteristics of sound as some of the colors on your palette , your words as the picture, and your voice as the brush. Being connected to your message and the meaning behind it is the artistic inspiration of you, the artist.   Use them together to create an image in your listeners’ minds.

Pace is the speed at which you deliver your words. You can speak swiftly or slowly and at varying speeds in between.  When you want people to respond with energy, pick up the pace.  When you want them to take in what you say and digest it completely, slow down. Create contrast and color by stressing some of your words by varying the pace of delivery.

Rhythm is a pattern of sound that is created by contrasts and alterations of different recurring sounds.  Speech can have patterns that are formal, as in a poetic rhythm like “iambic pentameter,” or such as occur with alliteration (a series of words that all begin with the same consonant.)  However, speech may contain informal patterns of sound, too. Use rhythm to create color in phrases.

Pitch is a property of sound that describes the actual frequency of the sound waves that produce a particular sound.  A faster sound wave produces a higher sound, while slower sound waves produce lower sounds.  Pitch is not determined by the loudness or volume of sound, but rather by the notes we use when we speak. Some people actually do sound a bit like they are singing when they speak, and others use so little variety that we call them “monotones.” Practice varying the pitch of your voice to create color.

Volume is the loudness or softness of your voice:. Are you whispering?  Are you shouting? If you speak too softly, you can project a weak image; if you speak too loudly, you may sound forceful, anxious, or even angry.  You can use volume to emphasize your words or ideas.  Contrast is an important part of color.  Try emphasizing your words by speaking more quietly at times, without diminishing the energy.

Duration of sound is how long each word hangs on.  Musicians use the term legato to describe a smooth sound that is drawn out rather than clipped short.  They work hard to blend the notes together in a phrase.  Staccato is the clipped sound.  There is space between the short notes.  You can do this with your voice too. Create color by clipping some words short, and elongating the vowels in others.

HOW TO PRACTICE USING COLOR IN YOUR VOICE

We all laughed when Lionel had the King shaking his face,  swearing out loud and rolling on the floor to learn to speak without a stutter in the oscar winning movie, The King’s Speech.  However, that kind of extreme experience is the best way, indeed sometimes the only way,  to change the way you’ve been speaking all your life.  In the case of color, exaggerate the color element you are working with when you practice.  And practice that exaggeration over and over.  Then go back to a more normal delivery but with the added color. To do this, select the words that you want to emphasize.  Try out the various color elements.  It’s also helpful to highlight the “color words” with a different color visually so that you rememer to emphasize them when you practice.

When you combine these colors with the skills of cadence, emotional memory, and pausing, you begin to create a very different picture when you give a speech or have a conversation that matters.  And just as each visual artist has his or her own unique style, so do you.  Using color is a beautiful way to bring out your authentic self while increasing your vocal impact.

Related articles:

Beware of being a presentation robot, from Professionally Speaking by Kathy Reiffenstein

18 Paths to Pathos, from Six Minutes, by Andrew Dlugan

Speaking Science: The sounds of sadness, on the Eloquent Woman

The case for expressive speaking, even on earnings calls, on Kate’s Voice

Stage fright is a very real issue for many speakers and singers.  For those people, just when they need clarity and focus, the  mind is scattered and their head is filled with critical self-talk that can be immobilizing, or at least distracting at the very least .  The internet is full of ideas for dealing with this situation.  Some involve drugs, some meditation, and some perseverance. The latter two are my preference over the drugs, but I won’t rule that out for those who choose to explore that path. The problem with drugs is that they do also seem to take the edge off of a performance, so my advice is to pursue them only when all else fails.

But what are the other choices?  Since you have to be able to observe and learn (and grow) as well as “perform” you don’t want to simply ignore the voices in your head.  They might be useful. Instead, you need to develop the ability to both observe and talk at the same time. That’s hard to do when the voices are so loud!! So let’s try to understand what’s going on with stage fright to better understand how to deal with it.

What makes me lose control when I need it most?

The feelings of panic or lack of clarity you experience are probably due to the increase of  adrenaline that is released in your body when you get in front of people.  The effect of this chemical is so strong that in 2007, The Royal Society of Chemistry gave out the Olivier Stage Fright award to honor the power of adrenaline to get us through tough situations!

Some studies indicate that both the audience and the performer’s psychological makeup have a lot to do with stage fright.  The size of the audience seems to matter, with stage fright increasing when faced with a large crowd.  In addition, a high need for approval can intensify the demands felt by a speaker.   I didn’t have stage fright until being on stage meant a pay check!

Where can I go when there’s no place to hide?

However, what I found most appropriate was the work at New York University Medical Center that suggests stage fright is a learned behavior which can be unlearned.  How?  Through a clinical process of desensitization.  Not everyone has to go through a clinical treatment program, though.  Through systematic desensitization, or repeat opportunities for public speaking or singing in public, you can desensitize yourself to the fear of doing what makes you fearful.

As you desensitize yourself, you turn your fear into your teacher.  A new book by Paul Sullivan tells stories of  some remarkable people who did NOT let fear get the best of them. The book is  called Clutch: Why some people excel under pressure and others don’t. The author outlines lessons learned about dealing with fear as an asset rather than an enemy.  The lesson on stage fright has to do with learning to be present.  If you remember what you are supposed to do and stay focused on the work and intention, you will spend far less time fearful of what will happen or what others will think.  That’s a lesson learned by actor Larry Clarke on the first day on the set of Law and Order. He completely clammed up until he remembered to “be here now.”

5 Tips to Feel the Fear and Do it Anyway

1. Make sure you have eaten before you speak so that low blood sugar doesn’t make the adrenaline rush turn into nausea, dizziness, or  out-of-control trembling.
2. Instead of thinking that you are fearful, try to see the anxiety as anticipation and excitement.  It probably is!!
3. Be prepared.  Get to know as much about your audience ahead of time as possible.  Then when you arrive, shake hands and mingle so that you have a more personal feeling about them. In addition, practice your presentation or song over and over until you are sure you know it well!
4. Breathe.  Deeply.  Oxygen will help to calm you down and focus. When you feel nervous, breathe!! This will also help to remind you that you are in your body which is another way of keeping you present and in the moment.
5. Instead of waiting to be asked, take more opportunities to speak in  situations where you have control.  Be prepared to speak at family gatherings. Volunteer to give presentations at non-profits you support. Then, take the plunge and give an impromptu speech at a luncheon you are attending.  Go to networking meetings and talk to everyone there.

Do you have suggestions for unlearning stage fright?  Share them with us in the comments below.