Dynamic Marketing Communiqué

CHARM your way through your audience’s minds. Use these tips in your public speaking engagements! [Wednesdays: “Speak on the Shoulders of Giants”]

August 18, 2021

How do you picture someone who is charming?

Amiable?

Friendly?

Adorable?

We know what a charming person is when we see or meet one.

… but have you ever heard of the term, voice charm?

In the book, “The Art of Public Speaking,” author Dale Carnegie said,

“Musical, joyous tones constitute voice charm, a subtle magnetism that is delightfully contagious.”

Voice charm pertains to how pleasant your voice sounds in your audience’s ears. This is one of the factors that help sustain their attention throughout your talk.

What are some elements that help improve the sound of your voice whenever you deliver a speech or presentation?

  1. Posture

    How you stand and carry yourself affects how your audience views you as a speaker

    .… and it also affects the way you sound.

    If you’re in a slouching position while delivering your talk, chances are listeners will see you as uninterested and your voice will also sound weak.

    On the other hand, if you maintain a proper posture throughout your talk, not only will you exude confidence and authority but you’ll also make your voice sound stronger.

    Here’s how you can practice proper posture for public speaking:

    • Stand up straight and make sure your feet are aligned with your shoulders.

    • Keep your stomach in and your chest out comfortably.

    • Keep your neck straight and your gaze forward. Avoid looking towards the ceiling or the ground.

    Practice these steps in front of a mirror to check if you’re doing them correctly. This will help you maintain a proper posture that enables you to speak with charm and confidence during a speech or presentation.

  2. Breath

    Some speakers breathe shallowly during a talk because they feel nervous. Others rush their way of speaking to get everything said in one breath.

    Here’s the thing:

    You wouldn’t get on a road trip on an empty tank of gas. In the same way, you won’t be able to communicate clearly with your audience if your breathing isn’t proper or you’re out of breath.

    So… what can you do to make your voice stronger and your statements more impactful?

    Use your Diaphragmatic Breath!

    This type of breath involves fully engaging your stomach, abdominal muscles, and diaphragm while breathing. This enables you to relax your upper body while giving you enough power to speak with impact.

    Here’s how Diaphragmatic Breathing works:

    • Stand in front of a mirror and make sure that your upper body is still.

    • Place one hand on your belly and inhale through your nose.

    • Allow your inhale to expand your stomach outward and feel it using your hand on your belly.

    • Afterwards, exhale and allow your stomach to retract.

    Using this type of breathing during a speech or presentation will give enough power for your public speaking voice and enable you to effectively get your message across to your audience.

  3. Enunciation

    Speaking clearly and accurately is one of the foundations for a good speech or presentation―this enables you to sound credible and intelligent.

    However, if you’re struggling to enunciate words properly, one of the things you can do is try tongue twisters and practice them on a regular basis.

    Here are some tongue twister exercises you can practice before your talk:

    • She sells seashells by the seashore.

    • You know New York, you need New York, you know you need unique New York.

    • I thought I thought of thinking of thanking you.

    First, practice saying these sentences out loud slowly. Then, as you practice frequently, gradually increase your speed in saying these tongue twisters out loud.

    Do this exercise until you are able to say these tricky statements quickly, clearly, and confidently. This will train your speech organs to enunciate properly, allowing you to charm your audience through your voice.

  4. Pitch

    Pitch is the quality that enables you to judge a sound as higher or lower in a sense associated with musical melodies.

    However, singers or musicians aren’t the only ones who have to think about the pitch they’re using. In fact, each one of us speaks using different pitches all the time!

    As a speaker, you have to know and identify the optimal pitch for your voice so you gain public speaking authority and voice charm.

    This is because an optimal pitch makes you sound better whenever you’re delivering a speech or presentation without straining your voice.

    Here’s how find your optimal voice pitch:

    • Identify your voice type (Soprano, Alto, Tenor, Bass).

    • Select a particular phrase to read out loud. This can be one of the tongue twisters we mentioned above.

    • Read your chosen phrase aloud using a pitch that matches your voice type.

    Doing these steps will enable you to identify the optimal pitch for your voice. After that, all you have to do is figure out how to use that pitch to make you sound professional on stage!

  5. Tone

    Your voice tone has a huge impact on how your audience perceives you as a speaker.

    For example:

    If you speak tensely, listeners will wonder if you’re mad at them or delivering a sermon to them.

    Meanwhile, if you speak too softly, your audience might not hear you clearly, not take your words seriously, or feel sleepy while listening to your talk.

    That’s why as a speaker, you have to know how to balance your voice tone depending on what segment or topic of your talk you’re in.

    Avoid speaking in a single tone throughout your speech or presentation as this might lead to a monotonous talk, which has negative impacts on you and your audience.

    Instead, maintain a mix of different, appropriate tones to keep your talk lively and engaging until the end.

    This will have a positive impact on your public speaking performance.

Aside from these factors above, another important quality that you have to cultivate as a speaker is enthusiasm. This produces a positive feeling towards your topic, your audience, and your opportunity to deliver a message.

Enthusiasm is also reflected in your voice. When you’re enthusiastic to speak in front of your listeners, your positive energy will manifest in the projection of your voice and in how you interact with your audience.

According to Carnegie, your voice charm is connected to your overall personality―not just as a speaker but as a human being.

He said,

“It is impossible to think selfish thoughts and have either an attractive personality, a lovely character, or a charming voice. If you want to possess voice charm, cultivate a deep, sincere sympathy for mankind. Love will shine out through your eyes and proclaim itself in your tones. Your character beautifies or mars your voice. As a man thinketh in his heart, so is his voice.”

The bottom line?

Developing your public speaking voice is an incredibly valuable skill that is not just improved through practice but is also connected with your character.

So, do your best to enhance your voice power and make sure your reputation as a speaker is consistent with your overall personality! This will do wonders for your career and help you effectively communicate with your audience.

Apply these tips as you prepare and practice for your speech or presentation!

You’ll see, these guidelines will work to your advantage and you’ll be amazed at how remarkable and charming your voice can get!

About The Dynamic Marketing Communiqué’s
“Wednesdays: Speak on the Shoulders of Giants”

In a meeting with one person

…a boardroom with five people

…or a huge venue with hundreds of people

—whatever the situation or setting, it’s very important to learn and eventually master the art of public speaking.

No matter what, you always need to effectively get your message across.

What good is a presentation with awesome content if you don’t deliver it properly?

Every Wednesday, we publish different tips, insights, and secrets on how you can improve your presentation skills to captivate your audience and lead interesting discussions.

The need for great presentation skills applies EVERYWHERE.

(Small meetings with your team, big meetings with your boss, an important marketing pitch, speaking engagements for events with a big audience, etc.)

Learning these skills is not just for the corporate world. Being in other industries such as the Arts, Information Technology, Medicine, and Education while knowing how to present well will definitely give you an edge.

Have that advantage.

Hope you’ve found this week’s public speaking tip interesting and helpful.

Stay tuned for next Wednesday’s Speak on the Shoulders of Giants!

Cheers,

Kyle Yu
Head of Marketing
Valens Dynamic Marketing Capabilities
Powered by Valens Research
www.valens-research.com

View All

You don’t have access to the Valens Research Premium Application.

To get access to our best content including the highly regarded Conviction Long List and Market Phase Cycle macro newsletter, please contact our Client Relations Team at 630-841-0683 or email client.relations@valens-research.com.

Please fill out the fields below so that our client relations team can contact you

Or contact our Client Relationship Team at 630-841-0683