In Friday’s post I mentioned that passionate speakers use vocal variety in their presentations. But what does that mean and how do you do it without sounding canned?
First, if you are passionate about your topic, you will most likely use vocal variety in your speech instinctively. Vocal variety means that you change your speed, volume and pitch throughout your presentation.
Changes in vocalization that can give a key point emphasis include:
Increased volume … going from a quiet voice to a louder voice. I’m not talking about shouting here, just raising your voice up a notch or two.
Increased speed … increasing the pace of a few words or sentences. Basically talk faster, but not so fast that people can’t understand what you’ve said.
Reducing speed … incorporating pauses in between your words. Speaking more slowly can bring attention to a key point just as much and speaking more rapidly.
Silence … add an extra long pause before a key point. This works particularly well when you ask a question and pause before the answer. This is verbal equivalent of a cliff-hanger ending.
What is your biggest challenge around giving presentations?
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