General Speech Training Introduction (Part 1)

2. • It is an act
• It is an expression
• It is a habit

3. • Pleasant tone and sound (Tone and sound)
• Audible (Volume)
• Good pitch (Pitch)
• Easy to understand (Clarity/ Pronunciation)
• Sensible (Intelligible)

4. Pleasant tone and sound (Tone and sound)
A pleasant voice can be achieved by relaxing the
vocal chords. Relaxing the body through deep
breathing is effective in relaxing the vocal the
vocal chords.)

5. Audible (Volume)
Softer volume is more professional on the
telephone. It must neither be too loud nor
too soft.

6. Good pitch (Pitch)
Lower pitch is more professional on the
telephone. It shows that you are confident
and in control.

7. Easy to Understand (Clarity/ Pronunciation)
Follow the Standard American English Accent.
You will be perceived by your customers as
more professional and educated. Learn to
use a dictionary to guide you in improving.
Also, speak clearly. Don’t be tongue-lazy. Do
some tongue-twisters.

8. Sensible (Intelligible)
Make sense. Intelligible speech catches the
attention if it has interesting content.

11. REMEMBER:
Your voice is an important
tool when you are
conversing because
people will build a
perception of you through
your voice.

12. Over the phone, people tend to…
• create a mental picture of what the person look like
• determine whether they like them or not;
Because…
• approximately 60% of our communication (eye
contact, gestures, facial expressions, etc.) is lost over
the telephone.

14. • A very critical component of voice
quality
• Controlling this aspect is
important like the way
accelerator and brake pedals are
controlled in a car
• By using various speed in your
dialogue, you will avoid the
monotonous tone that so often
defines sales calls

15. • Use the “variable speed”
approach:
1. Speed up when you want to quickly
get through a part of your sentence,
or
2. Slow down when you want to gain
your audience’s full, focused
attention.
• It is also best to mirror the pace
of the person you are talking to

16. • Variation in pitch depending on
how they are used, will either
benefit or detract from your
presentation
• Remember to avoid using…
– A deep, low voice that can be
a distraction, especially if it
sounds “froggy”
– A high-pitched voice that can
sound nasal, squeaky or
mousey

17. Control your pitch at or
about a level that makes
it easy for listening and
use an appealing
pleasant voice that can
soothe and attract your
audience

18. • Always vary the quality and tone of
your voice
• Do not use flat, monotonous voice
because it is distracting
• Convey a sense of enthusiasm
to the people you are
talking to
• Vary your tone or
modulate your voice so you
will generate emotion

19. Reasons why we need intonation
• It indicates mood and meaning
• Without it, your speech would be flat,
mechanical and would be confusing
for your listener
• Provides exaggerations to make
a point
• If you use intonation not only
will you be easier to
understand, but you will sound more
confident, dynamic & persuasive

20. How to make intonation
• LOUDER – simply raising the volume
• STRETCH – stretch the word out or
lengthen the word that you want
to draw attention to
• PITCH – change the pitch,
which is the most refined.
This will make your
listeners stop & listen
because they think you
are going to say something
interesting

21. • Clarity is the crispness
of your voice,
enunciation and your
pronunciation
• So speak clearly by:
– Pronouncing words
perfectly and
– Enunciating sounds well

22. • Posture affects voice
quality
• To have good posture –
– Sit or stand upright, back
and straight, with feet flat
on the floor and
– Practice doing things that
do not require additional
work and strain your sound
production

23. • Smile often whenever you
speak or talk, even when you
are on the phone because the
voice projection improves when
you smile
• Be watchful of your expressions
and gestures
• Persuade and generate interest
not only with words but with
your facial expressions and
body gestures
• Avoid annoying mannerisms

24. • Up ending words and sentences
• Fillers
• Reading
• Talking over People
• Rhythm
• Professionalism

25. Up ending words and sentence
• This means your voice raises or gets higher as
you say a word or come to the end of a sentence
• It makes everything you say sound like a
question
• Your voice should actually go down at the end of
the sentence to signal the end of an idea
• Up ending words and sentences makes you
sound unsure of yourself and unassertive

26. Fillers
• Uhms, Er, Ahs, Ya’knows are a few of the
common fillers that you should avoid using
• These fillers tend to undercut the speaker’s
effectiveness because they produce a
perception of uncertainty
• Habitual use of fillers also cause articulation
problems especially when used while stuttering

27. Reading
• You should not sound like you are reading when
speaking
• Instead, one should sound conversational,
personable, having enthusiasm and having voice
inflection will keep you from giving the
impression that you are reading a script

28. Talking Over People
• Talking over people and interrupting them
before they finish talking during conversations
are extremely rude
• This behavior can cause strains in your
relationship with the people you are conversing
with
• So avoid talking over, practice LISTENING first
and wait for your turn before speaking

29. Rhythm
• Placing punctuations where it doesn’t belong
can make it difficult for your audience to follow
• Also, it can cause misconceptions that lead to
misunderstanding s
• So practice