How not to be mumbling and learn to speak clearly. Theater studio tips: how to learn to speak clearly and distinctly

With so many enemies, you can't fight like in the gym - just lifting the barbell in several poses. Each of them requires its own approach, that is, either work with different specialists, or self-study different items. Courses in stage speech, oratory and others of a similar nature solve the problem and allow you to learn to speak clearly and distinctly, but in an average and on a general basis. Home work one way or another will fall on your shoulders.

goal setting

Before we go somewhere, let's clarify where exactly we need to go. That is, if you decide to learn to speak clearly and distinctly not from idleness and curiosity, then there must be some kind of motivating factor in the form of a specific inconvenience from speech defects. It is impossible to set a task like “I want to speak well”, this is a blurry goal, and a blurry goal leads to blurry actions. Ask yourself why you need it. For example, "I want to be heard." This is the goal. A person who cannot speak suffers from a lack of attention, because listening to him is uninteresting, difficult and tiring. Such a person needs:

1. Learn to speak without eating letters, pronounce. Set diction and voice.
2. Learn to spell correctly. Work out the presentation of information in the optimal form.
3. Learn to intrigue. Add a certain element of artistry to the speech, learn to keep your attention.

And now, you already know what exactly you have to work on.

emancipation

The main enemy of diction is not speech defects, as is commonly believed. Even a person with perfect speech can instantly lose all its virtues, begin to “mumble”, draw out words, stutter, stutter, “chew” endings and do everything so that the interlocutor does not understand him. This happens, of course, not voluntarily, but purely psychological reasons. It’s not a fact that this will happen to you, just don’t flatter yourself thinking that the whole range of problems can be solved with one tongue twister.

Just being able to speak quickly and clearly may not be enough. The hardest thing is to learn not to lose the skill under any circumstances.

The culprit of slurred speech is called "extra tension." To understand what it is, conduct an experiment right now: try to strain your neck muscles to the limit. Happened? Now list all the muscle groups that have tightened along with the cervical ones. Face, shoulders, arms, chest? But after all the task was to strain only a neck.

The same thing can happen when you are nervous: tension fetters the speech apparatus, it becomes difficult to speak, the voice sounds muffled, the throat dries up. Only the practice of relaxation will help from this, which can be applied situationally and as a daily exercise. There are a lot of variations of this practice, you can come up with your own. One thing remains unchanged: you need to relax the whole body as much as possible, and consciously control the process of relaxation in the smallest detail.

Speech apparatus and breathing

One emancipation will not do either, after all, the work of specific organs is responsible for speech, and if they fail, then the result will be appropriate. The intensity, depth and technique of breathing affect sound production, allowing you to speak as loudly and confidently as you like without straining the vocal cords. This is the answer to the question why actors and vocalists do not break their voices, even when they shout louder than usual. Breathing exercises it is better to do well in the courses acting skills or vocals under the supervision of a teacher, but you can practice at home. Main tasks:

• learn to breathe abdominal cavity, i.e., take in air not only with the chest or stomach, as is usually done, but fill it with a maximum of free space inside;
• put the sound on the breath, i.e. increase the volume due to the free air flow, and not the tension of the ligaments;
• learn how to use resonators. Resonators are natural body cavities that reflect and amplify the sound directed into them. They are at three levels - head, chest, stomach.

Work speech apparatus responsible for diction. To accurately pronounce words without special efforts, you need to keep your facial muscles in good shape and constantly engage in articulation. Natural articulation is the process of speaking, so if you talk a lot on duty or like to chat with friends, just start paying attention to the accuracy of the extraction of sounds, and your speech will sound clearer.

Do not be afraid to use a voice recorder, it is in every mobile phone today. On the recording, all the shortcomings of diction will be visible at a glance, all that remains is to make a list and start correcting speech.

Working with speech material

The last one is reinforcement. The goal is to learn to speak slowly and clearly for a long time without failures, fatigue and loss of diction quality, to work out intonations in different turns of speech, and so on. This is done in two ways - ready dough and improvisationally.

In the first case, find a longer text, such as a large prose passage, and read it aloud. It is important not just to read, but to come up with a role for yourself. I read it as:

• sports commentator;
• lover Hero;
• prosecutor in court;
• Lenin at the rally.

Do not restrict your imagination. The second option is the same, but the text is invented on the go. You can comment on a football match with the sound turned off so that there is something to build on.

Many people in stressful situations start muttering under their breath. At these moments, speech becomes quiet and confused. It is difficult to disassemble, and this annoys others. In some circumstances, you have to speak as clearly and loudly as possible so as not to end up in an awkward situation. This happens, for example, when telephone conversation when the connection is very poor and unstable. Under these conditions, the subconscious mind helps us adjust our own voice and improve speech. It is quite convenient if such a habit becomes conscious and permanent. Let's talk about effective ways to make speech more expressive and understandable.

Posture work

If you often slouch or even hunch over, your breathing becomes stuttered and it becomes increasingly difficult to pronounce long sentences and complex words. In a situation of increased nervousness, a straight posture not only adds confidence, but also opens the airways, making inhalations and exhalations more correct and stable.

A straight and level spine can be achieved in almost any sitting position. The main thing is to be really comfortable in it. You just need to arch your back a little and pull in your stomach.

Fight your fears

Before you stop being a slur in conversations, you need to understand that the cause of slurred speech or blurry monologues delivered too quickly lies in uncertainty. It grows in stressful conditions, when a person allows himself to get nervous. If you remain calm and unflappable, it will be much easier to maintain an optimal pace of speech.

Do not worry about your mistakes in the conversation and remarks said out of place. With such troubles, you can simply correct yourself, apologize and continue the dialogue. Of course, from the first time such awkwardness cannot be accepted as naturally and easily as possible. But gradually, as a result of regular practice, you can learn not to react to such occasions too emotionally.

Speech Clarity Training

If you are wondering how to learn to speak clearly, use the following guidelines.

• Follow the monologues of professional speakers. Such specialists can be radio hosts, television celebrities. Watch how they pronounce words, remember the correct pronunciation and copy the pace of speech.
• Train as often as possible. During the practice period, do not forget to listen to your speech, recording it on a voice recorder or speaking the text into the computer microphone. Note which of the words are given to you the worst.
• You can also practice pronunciation of words. They need to be read and pronounced very slowly and as clearly as possible. If slurred speech starts again in the middle of the text, you need to return to the beginning. It is recommended to repeat the exercise until the perfect result. You can also pronounce vowel sounds separately by opening your mouth wide.
• Read any text aloud for at least 10 minutes a day. Also say tongue twisters to the recorder, which will help identify problems with diction and check the quality of the pronunciation of letters and words.

How to make speech clear or how to stop talking through your nose

• It is difficult to achieve perfect diction with clenched teeth. So always open your mouth as wide as possible.
• Watch for articulate speech. Do not forget to hold your breath in time so that the vowel sounds are separated from each other, and the voiced and deaf consonants standing side by side do not merge into one sound.
• If you speak too fast, the interlocutor will have difficulty understanding you. In addition, you will betray your nervousness. Therefore, during the conversation, slow down the speed of your speech as much as possible.
• Set a goal to always speak a little louder than usual. This will require an increase in the respiratory process and will make speech slower and more articulate.
• Don't forget about intonation. The ending of interrogative questions should always be ascending, and affirmative- vice versa. Pay attention to which words you emphasize. Intonation can be exaggerated, imagining reading a fairy tale little child. If you add more energy and power to the voice, the speech will become much livelier.
• Train your diaphragm by engaging your abdominal muscles. Even with small talk correct breathing ensure speech clarity. It is enough to fold your palms under the ribs and feel how the muscles move during the dialogue.
• Try to start singing. This will help develop the voice and create an automatic habit of making the most of it. Through singing, you begin to understand how air, articulation, and phrasing should be used.
• Try to scream sometimes. Such an exercise has nothing to do with a high-pitched screech or a simple raising of the voice. It is necessary for some time to keep the tonality at a single height. So you can understand what is the maximum volume of your voice. Moreover, you will be able to control the flow of air at the time of the cry.

• Perhaps the main thing you need to learn and educate in yourself is to understand how not to be a mumble.- it's believing in yourself. Do not doubt your words and thoughts so that your presentation of ideas is as clear as possible. Remember to reflect and rethink your speech. Just follow the content of the monologue and analyze it.
• In an excited state, speech is always crumpled and very fast. Therefore, calm down in time and think about your future words in advance. If you are in a situation of doubt or are nervous, consider intelligible speech on your part as a sign of respect for the interlocutor.
• Your friends and family members can listen to your reading practice and comment on your results.
• Try to speak louder than your colleague. Especially loudly you need to pronounce those words that you have difficulty pronouncing.

Some people have natural eloquence, bestowed by nature. The rest have to master oratory on their own or at trainings. Target public speaking- to convey information, to convince that one is right and to encourage listeners to take further action.

Communicating with people, it is easy to see that not all of them can hold their attention for a long time with their conversation. And all because they do not know how to speak beautifully.

What does it mean to "speak beautifully"

To speak beautifully means to speak clearly, intelligibly, with the right intonation, moderately emotionally, so as to convince the interlocutor or interlocutors of the correctness of their reasoning and conclusions. A person who speaks beautifully is said to have the gift of eloquence or oratory.

Eloquence can be natural and acquired. With natural, everything is clear - some people have it by nature. Acquired eloquence is oratory, or the art of eloquence, which must be learned. Nowadays, he is taught in all sorts of trainings. And it arose back in ancient times in ancient Greece, where the first schools for teaching the art of eloquence appeared, and gradually grew into a science - rhetoric. In public speaking classes, both before and now, they teach how to turn ordinary speech into oratory.

As the French philosopher wrote:

"A beautiful thought loses its value if it is badly expressed."

Why do you need to speak beautifully

Speech at all times has played a huge role for mankind, because it is a means of communication and thanks to it the thoughts of one person are transmitted to another.

There is a proverb:

"They meet by clothes, but see off by the mind."

And a person demonstrates his mind (or lack of it) just with the help of speech. That is why it can be called calling card man: whether he wants it or not, his speech reflects his essence.

As an ancient Greek philosopher said to a constantly silent young man:

"Speak so I can see you."

And the Persian poet Saadi wrote:

“Whether you are smart or stupid, whether you are great or small, we do not know until you have said a word.”

People who can speak beautifully and clearly express their thoughts have always been valued. This is indicated by the existence of schools of oratory in ancient times. BUT ancient greek sage Skilef noted that "Eloquence is more precious than money, fame and power, for the latter are very often achieved through eloquence." He was echoed by the American political figure Daniel Webster, who lived many centuries later: "Take away from me all that I have, but leave me my speech, and soon I will have all that I had."

The French emperor and commander believed that a person who could not speak beautifully would never make a career.

Nothing has changed even today. Employees who master the art of eloquence make a career much faster than those who do not know how to correctly express their thoughts. Moreover, it often happens that sensible and knowledgeable employees who do not understand what it is that makes their further career growth unlikely. Of course, professionalism, knowledge, skills and experience are very important, since no one needs non-professionals.

But even those who have experience and knowledge, but are not able to convey them to the listener, explain, prove, convince and convince, someday they will definitely have big problems. After all, the higher the official position of an employee, the more often and more he has to communicate with colleagues, subordinates, clients, etc. Therefore, he must definitely be able to logically and intelligibly express his thoughts, influence the interlocutor and convince him.

What prevents people from speaking beautifully

The importance of mastering the art of eloquence does not require proof. However, many people experience fear when they have to perform in public or speak to strangers. Such fear in psychology is called “logophobia” (or “verbophobia”). It is curious that, according to psychologists, the fear of public speaking takes 2nd place in people after the fear of death.

People suffering from this phobia are terrified of speaking not only in front of a full audience, but also in front of a small group of people. They are thrown into the heat, then into the cold, they begin to tremble, stumble, and cannot concentrate. This has psychological and physiological reasons.

Psychological reasons are related to the fact that a person does not believe in himself, in his abilities, knowledge, experience, that his speech will be of interest and he will be able to keep the attention of listeners.

As for the physiological factor, as we know, in dangerous situations, the human adrenal glands begin to secrete the stress hormone adrenaline into the blood, the action of which is aimed at consolidating all protective forces. The same thing happens when a person is nervous before a performance or some kind of conversation.

However, adrenaline induces a person to physical actions, such as running away, during which it is consumed. In a speech or an exciting conversation, such physical activity no, therefore adrenaline is not fully used, and its excess only brings harm. As a result of strong excitement, instead of a brilliant performance, it can turn out to be uncertain and crumpled.

Success in learning. And most importantly, remember: to learn something, even though it is hard.

Content:

Success largely depends on the ability of a person to master the word. This applies not only to public speaking, where the ability to speak beautifully is especially important, but also Everyday life, often requiring our eloquence skills. Therefore, it is simply necessary to learn how to correctly express your thoughts, clearly articulate ideas, values ​​and problems, express feelings and communicate.

It is known that the words themselves play a minor role in the impression we make on others. The non-verbal aspects are much more important.

Rice. How do we communicate

Since it is a two-way process, the interlocutors must perceive each other's words and understand what in question, and for this they need to express their thoughts clearly and clearly. If one of them did not hear the words of the other, consider that they did not sound.

Shakespeare's Hamlet told the actors: "Conform actions to speech, speech to action." Thus, eloquence lies in the ability to match words with actions. Eloquence provides the ability to:

• speak easily;
• explain complex plain language;
• be persuasive;
• communicate your idea to the audience;
• speak clearly and distinctly;
• pause correctly.

Talking is easy

By your speech, others immediately understand how educated, competent and successful you are. Numerous studies show that a person's success is directly dependent on their vocabulary, but most of us manage with only a small part of it.

Big lexicon- it's good if you use it regularly, but just knowing a lot of words is not enough: it is important to be able to formulate your thoughts in such a way that people are interested in them.

You must learn to speak without hesitation and without rehearsing. For example, how often do you use interjections such as "mmm", "aah", etc.? If so, we advise you to get rid of them as soon as possible. Sometimes we ourselves do not realize how often we use them, so it is worth seeking the help of experts in order to understand the degree of our dependence on these “prop-words”.

Shakespeare solved the problem of lack of words quite simply: he invented about 2000 new words. Dylan Thomas and James Joyce followed suit when the need arose. We offer, of course, not so creative, but enough effective method vocabulary expansion.

First, determine the size of your own vocabulary.

Memorize one new word every day, and in three months you will be able to use almost a hundred new concepts. Check the compatibility of words with each other.
Read: read good books and memorize unfamiliar words, finding out their meaning.
Study: study art, theater, literature, foreign languages, philosophy, science and psychology, which will open up new ways of expressing thoughts for you.
Listen: try to listen more often to those who speak well, do not trust various politicians, athletes and other celebrities, most of whom use beaten clichés.
Chat: Engage in meaningful, intelligent conversations.

Explain complex things in simple terms

“Great leaders are always good at simplifying; they omit reasoning, debate and doubt to offer a solution that everyone will understand,” said US Army General Colin Powell. Usually, a person’s attention can be held for no more than 15 seconds, so you need to learn how to quickly express your thoughts. You can complicate anything, even brewing a cup of tea (by the way, in the UK, the description of this process takes as much as six pages!).

It is very important to express your thoughts as simply as possible. For example, few people really understand what biotechnology is, but that doesn't stop brilliant scientists like the leading theoretical physicist, futurist, and TV presenter Dr. Michio Kaku from talking about it in a way that most of us understand what it's about.

The most violent opponents of simplification, as a rule, are professional fanatics who like to complicate and confuse everything. Therefore, ING Direct, a financial services company, deliberately recruits those who have nothing to do with banking so that they "shake the foundations." The company understands that the "excessive learning" of the staff leads to marketing myopia, since narrow specialists rarely look at things from the point of view of consumers.

When explaining complex in simple terms You can't use professional jargon. Professionalisms help narrow specialists to better understand each other, but using them in communication with an audience, even well-prepared, can reduce the personal impact of the speaker.

So, avoid professional jargon if you want to be understood by your listeners.

Another way to simplify is to explain the main idea without complex technical details starting at the heart of the matter. Film director Cecil B. DeMille once summed up the plot of a film about Samson and Delilah as follows: "A guy meets a girl - and what a guy and what a girl!"

At one time, simplification literally captured Hollywood: the author of the film idea had to express it in a few words or in one sentence.

• Girl meets girl and they fall off a cliff in a car.
• Martians conquer the world, but die from a virus.
• The cute little fish loses its parents but finds them again.

We invite you to do a practical exercise.

Practice Exercise: Simplify

Just for fun, and also to teach you how to concisely state your thoughts, try to retell the plot of the films listed above in one short sentence.

Or choose a dozen films that you know well and briefly describe their contents.

Be persuasive

When the UK government's leading scientific adviser tells the prime minister that the country should do more nuclear energy, he is much more convincing as an independent adviser than, say, as the head of a British nuclear company pursuing exactly the same goal. However, persuasiveness only half depends on the position or status of the speaker. The activities of successful CEOs of profitable companies confirm that many of them do not have a strong charisma effect, but they manage to be persuasive.

In addition to a clear formulation of the goal and non-verbal signs, there are other factors that contribute to the greatest persuasiveness - this is the conviction in your words, that is, your passion for the topic under discussion, and the content of the thought.

Passion

When people seek to share passion and enthusiasm with others, it always captivates them. Check how passionate you are about your ideas, find out what inspires or interests you.

If you are convinced of what you want to say, why shouldn't others believe you? Try to break your thought into small parts to check the extent to which they all arouse your interest and enthusiasm. For example, you have to tell customers about your company's new product, but this does not inspire you with any enthusiasm. In such a situation, do not count on the fact that everything will somehow be resolved by itself, find something in this product, even if insignificant, that will interest you, and focus on it. To convince others, first convince yourself.

Although the words themselves play a minor role in the persuasiveness of your speech, the content of the verbal message can affect the trust of the listeners.

• Expressed thoughts should be supported by a sufficient number of facts.
• Speech should be logical and understandable.
• The speech should not be long so that the audience can perceive it.

For example, in order not to look like a bouncer when applying for a job, it is worth reinforcing the description of your professional experience convincing evidence - examples, statistics, expert opinions and recommendations. Or, defending your opinion on a particular issue before your superiors, you must always give reliable facts, not relying only on your own assumptions.

Speaking at a workshop in front of colleagues, you should confirm your statements with facts and real evidence. Of course, in this case, you will have to spend more time preparing your speech, but otherwise you risk failing, especially at official meetings.

Logic and simplicity of thought increase the impact on others. The point is not only that many fail to maintain attention for a long time, but also that people usually remember only two or three thoughts expressed during verbal communication. So great importance has the order of presentation of information.

The basic rule of persuasiveness is to communicate the most important information at the beginning of the conversation.

How to communicate your idea to the audience

Eloquent people amplify their impact with creative phrases. "We're still dancing," said Chuck Prince, CEO of Citibank, commenting on board disagreements. A memorable visual can also be very effective.

Concluding his famous presentation at the TED conference (the full name of Technology Entertainment Design is annual conference, whose mission is to spread unique ideas ("ideas worth spreading") on a variety of topics such as science, art, politics, business, global problems and others), which was viewed by approximately 500,000 people on the Internet, Professor Hans Rosling ( Swedish doctor, academician, statistician and public figure. He is a professor world health at Karolinska University, as well as the founder of the Gapminder Foundation) declared that the impossible is possible, and swallowed a long steel bayonet to prove his words.

Metaphors and comparisons

Metaphors and comparisons create a memorable picture of events or phenomena. They help clarify complex ideas and concepts, allowing you to simplify thought. Let's give examples of metaphors.
"This family has strong rules."
"There are some black sheep on this team."
Perhaps you refer metaphors primarily to the sphere of literature and art, but we all use them as an integral part of our language, sometimes unconsciously, in our daily lives, since their apt definitions allow us to succinctly formulate an idea. When CEO Lee Iacocca tried to bail out Chrysler, he asked the US government not to provide the company with a "rescue package" but with a "safety net" to keep employees from firing.

Comparisons (“as” or “similar”), as you understand, compare one thing with another. For example.
"He's as insensitive as a rock."
"She's as tough as steel."
“He always comes on time, like clockwork.”

If you want to explain your point to colleagues, try to choose an object or action for comparison that is not related to what you are talking about. Let's say you want to convince your team to take action in a certain direction. What connection can be drawn between this area and, for example, rafting, which you are fond of? Even with all the insignificance of this connection, you can create a memorable and convincing image.

Speak clearly and distinctly

We are so accustomed to our voice that we practically do not pay attention to how we speak, since everyday insignificant communication is enough. low level, as a rule, this is not required of us. Friends understand us, putting up with our manner of expression, but to achieve the effect it is necessary to turn Special attention what and how we say. So, in our speech are important:
- diction - how clearly you pronounce words and sentences;
- voice timbre - how high or low your voice is;
- volume - can you hear well;
- tone - what mood does your voice convey - benevolent or not;
tempo - how fast you speak.

Diction

Usually people do not think about whether the interlocutors understand their speech or not. This can be determined by eye contact with those to whom this speech is addressed.

You can test your intelligibility by asking others for their opinion on your diction or by recording your speech on a tape recorder, which will immediately tell you how clear and simple you are. Or you can ask the interlocutor if he understands your speech. It may be embarrassing for you, but you will be able to get the information you need.

You can also try the following methods for correcting diction.

- Look at yourself in the mirror when you talk. What impression do you get?
- Practice pronunciation of words. The Greek orator Demosthenes practiced with a stone in his mouth to improve his diction until his speech became intelligible. But it is better not to risk with a stone, so as not to choke. Instead, we suggest that you put a pencil in your mouth, which will force you to pronounce the words much more clearly.
- Practice speaking more slowly. If you separate words by a second or two, this will increase your personal impact on the listeners.
Pauses are also effective, as they allow the listener to comprehend what has been said.

The ability to speak clearly and understandably is so important that it makes sense to seek help from a specialist.

Practice Exercise: Voice

Read the following paragraph with a big smile on your face:

“The team is doing great, we have exceeded the plan, and we can say that this month will be a record one. Well done!"

Now read the same paragraph, frowning, barely opening your mouth. Notice how facial expressions affect your voice.

Timbre

People often speak in a monotone without even realizing it. Your voice may seem dull and dry for several reasons: uninteresting topic of speech, reading "on a piece of paper", lifeless, "wooden" voice, that is, unmusical.

Sight-reading your presentation while boringly mumbling under your breath won't do much to enhance the impact of your presentation. Even great actors find it difficult to memorize a part and pronounce their lines in a way that sounds interesting.

There are also other methods:
- breathe deeply and relax;
- focus on important words and phrases, amplifying their sound;
- invest more in what you say;
- Focus on the end of sentences and questions.

To achieve success in this complex area of ​​personal development, a qualified coach will help you, who will tell you how to diversify speech and make it more interesting.

Volume

Businesswoman Karen Darby outstanding personality, who managed to sell her SimplySwitch website for £22m, sounds like she's "trying to yell to the back rows when there's only two of us in a small room," commented a magazine staff member. Guardian in October 2007. And Dorothy Parker, the famous American writer and humorist, on the contrary, deliberately speaks so quietly that people have to approach her to hear her words. She is endowed with a brilliant satirical gift, and this creates a very special impact. Speaking softly, she knows exactly what she's doing, offering listeners just the right amount to keep their attention.

However, speaking too loudly or softly can ruin the effect, so it's worth checking the volume of your own voice. Are you often asked to speak louder or repeat what has been said? If yes, then you most likely have a rather quiet voice, although it may seem completely normal to you.

Practice Exercise: Strengthening the Voice

• Stand up straight. So your lungs will be able to work at full capacity, and nothing will hamper the diaphragm.
• Take a deep breath, filling your lungs with air.
• Speak as if air is coming out of your stomach.
• Speak evenly, without releasing all the air in one phrase, otherwise your voice will seem noisy. After a deep breath, you will have enough air for a whole sentence.

If you think you have a harsh or yelling voice, check the reaction of the audience: whether they move away from you, even slightly, or wince. Or directly ask a workmate what your voice seems to him.

Practice Exercise: Voice Volume

1. Say the sentences quietly.

I did not say that!
Leave me alone.
Give it to me.
Get out of here.
I need this immediately.

I did not say that!
Leave me alone.
GIVE it to me.
GET OUT of here.
I need this NOW.

Notice how the meaning of what is said changes depending on the volume of the voice.

Tone

The tone conveys your emotions - benevolence, anger, cheerfulness, patience, etc., playing important role in creating personal impact.

For example, voice former prime minister Great Britain John Major during public speeches, despite trying to appear calm, always seemed "alien", squeezed. It's hard to sound cheerful, confident, and persuasive if your voice is giving you away: "Do you feel how tense I am?"

In order to achieve a thick, resonant tone, you need to use the diaphragm, vocal cords and sound that resonates in the throat, mouth and head. I know that at first glance it seems very difficult, so I recommend that you seek help from a specialist.

If the simple exercise below does not help you, you can work with a qualified voice coach. He will tell you how to change the tone to make the speech more musical and attractive.

Practical exercise: tone

• Humming something quietly for a long time.
• Put your hand on your neck like it's a tie
• Feel how all the muscles of the neck and under the chin relax.
• Say "hmm" in a normal voice. You will feel the vibration on your face and under the hand resting on your neck. Feel how easy it is to pronounce "mm".
• Now start speaking with the same ease in your voice. Do not hurry. If you lose your lightness, you will lose your breath.
• Relax upper part body - shoulders, neck and abdominal muscles, and your voice will become soft and pleasant.

Pace

Used car dealers, politicians and lawyers usually speak quickly, firing words like bullets. Those who speak slowly drag out words for so long that they can be bogged down like in a web. These types of people use the pace of speech to control their listeners, hoping to increase their impact on them. As a rule, ordinary everyday speech is fast and loud, so speaking more slowly can enhance the effect.

For this:
- take more pauses so that the listeners have time to comprehend what was said;
— diversify the tempo of the voice, sometimes slowing it down, and sometimes speeding it up;
- do not put too much effort into pronouncing words in order to speak softer, without impetuousness.

If you think that you speak too slowly, first of all, check if this is so (ask your colleagues), because this may be your plus, not a minus.

To speed up the pace of speech:
- put more energy into pronouncing words so that speech flows faster;
Do verbal warm-up exercises before speaking in front of an audience (professional actors and presenters often do this).
- read something aloud, marking the time with a stopwatch; practice until you read the text as quickly as possible.

Pause correctly

One who has developed eloquence can effectively use pauses to gather his thoughts. As the American humorist Josh Billings said, “Silence is one of those arguments that cannot be refuted.”

Pauses can create an atmosphere of openness and space – for you and for those around you. In addition, pauses will give more weight your words. Give the listeners time to think, take your time to fill in the gaps left by others, and thus show respect for the audience.

However, there are pauses that can destroy the effect, turning you into an aggressive, unresponsive and unfriendly person. Perhaps you use silence as a weapon, for example, after an argument with friends. Once you understand what you are doing, it will be easier to deal with it. Over time, when you become more alert, you will be able to get rid of this bad habit.
Work on the following:
- identify those periods when you pause;
- find out how you react to pauses;
- learn to feel comfortable during the pause;
Use pauses for positive, not negative purposes.

Practice Exercise: Pauses

• Call a friend and say you want to do an experiment.
• Invite him to just be silent for 1 5 seconds, note the time. Try it and you will be surprised how difficult it is.
• Do the same exercise in person, working up to a full minute. What did you feel? When did you become uncomfortable? What became a sign of discomfort? Did you look at the other person during the pause, or did you avoid their gaze? Were you smiling, laughing, or nervous, trying to make at least some noise (fidgeting in your chair, etc.)?
• Try to use pauses for specific purposes: for example, to have a strong impact on the interlocutor or to give him the opportunity to speak.

By learning to use pauses effectively, you will become more observant and focused. Positive silence will give your thoughts a break, allowing you to relax. Those around you will soon feel this calmness and react appropriately.

With the help of pauses, by the way, you can achieve silence from others. For example, if someone is talking non-stop without giving you a break, you can easily put an end to this chatter with your silence. It is enough not to support the conversation with nods, appropriate facial expressions and other non-verbal signals. When faced with this kind of “immunity,” people tend to stop talking after about two minutes.

Pause at the right time and right place gives a break, allows you to think about the next thought and get the opinion of the audience.

Leaders who communicate effectively usually pay special attention to how and when people pause in conversation. This helps them know if the person is ready to enthusiastically agree to the proposal, or if they are resisting with all their might, or are afraid of a catch. In order to feel this, you need to focus, listen carefully and demonstrate presence. Thus, leaders seek to increase the effect, often without saying a word.

For a speaker, words and phrases that are impossible to pronounce are cause for excitement and tension. Words that are difficult to pronounce lead to “knocking down” the rhythm and “stumbling” during pronunciation. But it is impossible to do without complex words, therefore it is extremely important to write and pronounce them correctly.

For a confident, productive performance, you need to regularly train complex expressions. Then they will pass into the degree of ordinary ones, they will be easy to pronounce and will no longer bring problems.

Compound words are made up of two or more roots.

Examples of expressions that cause difficulties for speakers and announcers when pronouncing:

• patronized;
• used;
• state;
• recorded;
• blessed;
• satellite;
• improvements;
• participating.

What are difficult words for?

The Russian language has a lot of words that are difficult to pronounce. However, these words accurately and concisely convey the essence of the object or phenomenon in the name. Examples:

• agricultural;
• balloonist;
• natural science;
• trendy;
• armored personnel carrier;
• literary criticism.

Compound words are special terms or concepts; the longest and most difficult to pronounce expressions in Russian.

Examples of difficult words and phrases

A huge number of hard-to-pronounce words are chemical names. For example:

• Methylpropenyacid.
• Dimethylalkylbenzylammonium chloride is a substance that protects metals from corrosion.
• Trinitrotoluene - explosive used in ammunition for destruction, crushing.
• Para-aminobenzoic acid dimethylethyl ester hydrochloride is a common vitamin C (ascorbic acid).
• Deoxyribonucleic acid is a molecule in the cell that stores and transmits hereditary information.

Difficult-to-pronounce terms are also found among commonly used words: superman, dance floor.

Difficult-to-pronounce phrases are a means for improving pronunciation, developing the articulatory apparatus, helping to make pronunciation intelligible and distinct. Examples:

• Stripes about vacuum cleaners were changed to half-strips about rugs.
• coconut juice Coconuts are boiled in quick-cookers.
• Kolya swore to Klava on his knees in the maple forest.
• Otters in leggings dig into buckets in the depths of the tundra cedar kernels.
• Pathologists assumed paraganglia pathology.
• In the summer, five-year-old flying squirrels flew to the rally of the flying clan.
• The horsetails grab the horsetails. Not every Khrushchev has enough horsetail.
• The son-in-law was carrying an ide because of the Yauza. Winters on the Yauza are full of ides.
• Sasha walked along the highway and knocked dry.
• Palmists and surgeons characterize rickets with fragility of cartilage and chronic chromosomal hara-kiri.
• A crocodile stole a beautiful crocodile from the edge of a steep tussock. The crocodile gave the crocodile a crocodile.
• The chinchilla in the hut sewed for the chinchillas six shushuns, six pants each, and sixteen shurapkas.
• The frail, suffering Koschei stole a box of vegetables.

How to learn to pronounce difficult words and phrases

Imperfections in speech are easy to correct with patience. Complicated phrases are what you need to develop a clear, well-placed diction, a strong voice. In Russian there are tongue twisters intended for these purposes. They are easy to remember, rhythmic. Compliance with the rhythm makes speech smooth, melodic, expressive. It is not necessary to pronounce tongue twisters as quickly as possible, it is enough to pronounce them clearly, correctly placing accents and observing the rhythm.

The only way learn to pronounce difficult phrases and words - constantly train in pronunciation. Tongue twisters will have in this matter invaluable help. You need to pronounce them with different intonations, changing your voice, tilting your head in different directions, pushing your tongue to your lips. You need to practice reading tongue twisters daily. Active training is recommended once every three days for 15 minutes.

Words that are impossible to pronounce and difficult to pronounce phrases are quite common in Russian and present a problem for the speaker. Systematic training will help get rid of difficulties. Diction and oratory skills are the result of continuous work on oneself.