348. Five Habits of Great Speakers
1. They work on their articulation regularly
Try reading the tongue twister from app Get Rid of Your Accent UK1 App (iOS / Android) 3 times outloud and record yourself this before your next speech/meeting:
Scissors and string, scissors and string,
When a man’s single he lives like a king.
Needles and pins, needles and pins,
When a man marries his trouble begins.
2. They stress keywords in each phrase/sentence
Read this sentence from the app Fluent English Speech App (iOS/Android) out loud, record it without stressing and than with stressing the keywords that I have highlighted:
The cat who was called Ginger was the terror of the neighbourhood.
3. They work on their voice projection
The voice projection depends on breathing, breathing is connected with our posture and lung capacity. You can find useful voice projection exercises in the Lesson Power from the app Power, Pitch, Pace, Pause (iOS / Android)
4. They Use Pauses
In my experience, 99.9% of speakers need to work on the use of pauses. I have noticed that highly intellectual people with quick-thinking minds and energetic temperaments often speak too quickly because their thoughts are racing ahead of their words. Rushed speech lacks gravitas and works against them. Moreover, it is hard to listeners to follow their message.
5. They constantly work on Active Listening
Speaking is not a performance that happens in isolation. Great speakers pay attention to their audience. Are people following? Are they engaged? Do they look confused? Is a question needed?
They also listen carefully when other people speak. Listening develops your awareness of language, tone, pauses and communication styles — and it makes you a better speaker.
Olga Smith