What Does Elocution Teach?

Apart from clear pronunciation and good articulation, elocution helps develop control.

What I mean by that is control over how and when we speak.

Today I had a student who tried so hard to sound good that her speech became tense, and as a result, she made pronunciation mistakes. She is not the only one who has this issue.

Tension is not control. Speaking in a relaxed and clear way is.

I would recommend to all my elocution students the following exercises:


1. Start with breathing exercises from the app 4Ps, Power, Pitch, Pace, Pause (iOS/Android) – lesson 2.

2. Then work on pace (lesson 4), and finally use of pauses (lesson 5).

3. Record a one-minute speech, then listen back and note your use of pauses and pace.

4. If you notice tension or rushed speech, try again with deliberate pauses and a more relaxed delivery.

Finally, practising long vowels and diphthongs is a good way to slow down speech and improve clarity—rather than clipping them, learn to lean on long vowels and diphthongs. Lessons 1-5, 16-23 in the apps:

I also recommend being intentional about what you say. Sometimes, it is best to use very few words—or say nothing at all. Being economical with words and using pauses can be a very powerful means of communication—more on this in my next edition.