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I was standing in front of my Toastmasters group, having just given my first speech, a three-minute “Ice-breaker.” The person assigned to evaluate my talk asked me how I thought I had done.
“Not bad, I suppose, for a first time”.
“Do you think that you used any ‘verbal crutches’?”
I thought back through those 180 seconds, and for the life of me, I couldn’t remember one “um,” “uh” or “y’know.”
Then from the evil “Um Counter” came the answer that shocked me into the realization that I was oblivious to the way that I was speaking:
“In three minutes, you said ‘um’ 26 times.”
Everyone talks about how important it is to have good body language. But how often do you focus on your vocal communication? The way our voices sound is critical, particularly when speaking on the phone, as we don’t have the benefit of the visual communication.
We can break vocal communication down into four categories:
- Volume
- Pitch
- Pacing/pausing
- Verbal crutches
Knowing how distracted our listeners are (the average adult attention span is eight seconds), it is up to us to sound as interesting as possible. Vocal variety is what we are striving for. If we present our entire talk in a deadpan monotone, can we blame people for pulling out their Palm Pilots or getting up and leaving?
Volume
Speak loudly enough so that everyone in the room can comfortably hear you. Too often, people are seen as unconfident or unknowledgeable because people can’t hear them. If you are using a microphone, test it out in advance. Quiet down to a whisper to get people’s attention, then get louder and louder as you describe an argument that you witnessed.
Pitch
The key here again is variety. Use a wider range of your voice than usual. And beware of “up-talking” and “down-talking.”
“Up-talking” is the habit of ending each sentence on an up-note. This makes it sound as if everything they say is a question?
“Down-talking” is the tendency some have to trail off the end of their sentences. End strong and clear; you will appear more confident.
Pacing & Pausing
Because most people are scared of speaking and can’t wait to be done, we tend to speak too quickly. And we forget to breathe. The best way to address this situation is to focus on one person at a time and speak to him or her for an entire thought. Then, at the natural transition in your talk, you turn and find someone else and continue speaking with them.
What this does for you is break up your talk, making it sound more conversational. When you slow down and pause, it does a number of things for you:
- Gives you a chance to think/collect your thoughts
- Gives your audience a chance to rest and digest what you just said
- Allows you to breathe & take physical inventory
- Helps you dramatize your message & adds variety to your speech
- Helps eliminate verbal crutches
Though we, as speakers, are afraid of silence, it is the easiest way to get your listeners’ attention. If you have to check your notes, do so silently. Force yourself to take a drink of water. Finish a thought and take a breath.
Verbal Crutches
“Um, uh, y’know, like, and, and-um, basically…”
This is what we say when we are thinking, lost, checking our notes or just any time we want to fill the silence.
Most of us use these verbal crutches more than we should, and they can very easily distract our listeners from our message. The two most effective means of eradicating these distracters are:
- Watch yourself speak on video so you can see and hear what you are saying
- Pause and take a breath instead
The biggest challenge we face as speakers is getting and keeping our listeners’ attention. And one of the most powerful tools we have is our voice. So breathe, use lots of vocal variety, pause and keep the feared “Um Counter” at bay.
Robert Graham
Robert Graham is the Principal of GrahamComm (www.grahamcomm.net), a consulting and training company that helps clients increase their sales and deliver outstanding presentations. He can be reached at 415-652-0763 or Robert@grahamcomm.net.
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We offer this article on a nonexclusive basis. You may reprint or repost this material as long as Robert Graham’s name and contact information is included. Robert@grahamcomm.net, 415-652-0763, www.grahamcomm.net.
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