Q&A for How to Improve Your Clarity of Speech

Be aware of your breath when you're talking. Controlling your breathing can fix issues like mumbling. Make sure you're breathing in and letting your breath flow out.

The big thing is looking at your oral motor and the function of the mouth and making sure that the positioning is appropriate. It's a little harder when it's a very specific sound like ‘S’ because you have to also look at how the tongue is being placed. Each sound that we make is done in a certain way with certain positioning. Some sounds can be made in multiple ways. However, if you aren't placing these things appropriately, what we call our articulators – your tongue, your lips, your mouth, even your teeth, and different things within the oral cavity – you in turn can get some sounds that might not sound appropriate or might sound atypical, and that's how lisping comes about. Speaking more clearly takes a lot of repeated practice. It's modeling. Using a mirror as a reference point is helpful. There are some good applications out there that can give that imagery of somebody producing an ‘S’ in a way that is more effective or appropriate and tends to reduce that lisping. Of course, the best thing to do if it's going on for a longer period of time and past the point of what is typical, is to seek out services from a speech therapist.

If you need to give a speech in public, edit it so that it is very clear and to the point. Make sure your speech is short, specific, and useful. Then, rehearse it in a variety of ways. For instance, practice your speech by saying it out loud and recording yourself. Practice speaking slowly and clearly and listen to yourself objectively. Read your speech in front of a mirror. Sing your speech like one of your favorite songs. Read your speech while jumping around.

Bite your "V"s and kiss your "W"s. This means that when you pronounce "W," pucker your lips as if you are kissing someone. When you pronounce "V," bite your lower lip with your teeth.

You can do this, and also try talking to people you know or in front of the mirror while making exaggerated mouth movements. Another way is to sing the words out confidently while pretending to be in front of a theater audience.

Try to say the word slowly, syllable by syllable, like, ''sig-ni-fi-cant.'' Improve each syllable individually then try to join them together.

Breathe in for four counts, hold for two counts, then breathe out through your mouth. Don't focus on how you might mess up -- think about something that makes you happy. See further: How to Overcome Stage Fright .

Try to position your tongue in different ways so you can pronounce it more clearly -- for example, near your canines or at the front of your teeth etc. If it's only one letter that is hard to pronounce and if these tips don't work, then concentrate on the rest of the word because as long as the person you're speaking to can understand the word your saying, despite your lisp, that's fine.

Listen to different people make speeches, and make use of a thesaurus and dictionary.

Take a deep breath and envision the words you're about to say one by one. Clearly pronounce each one, one at a time. Practice and you'll soon get better!

If you're well-prepared, you can focus equally on the content of your instruction and the people whose attention you're trying to keep.

Certainly! Many singers actually use many of these methods, even when they are already experienced. Practicing diction and exercising your facial muscles is especially important. For more information, refer to the sections in this article on "Improving Your Diction" and "Exercising Your Muscles."

This normally happens if your accent causes you to pronounce the E in an unusual way. Try exercises like "eeeeeee", "eh", and "ah-eeh-i-oh-ugh", then try the words again. Listen to how others in your part of the world say the words using online videos and audio, then copy them.

Just practice. Also, if you find a certain kind of tongue twister hard, just practice saying a bit of it every day.

The Southern accent tends to distort vowels. "Pin," "pen," and "pan" all sound the same - I'm sure you know what I mean. The reason for this is that we have what some people call a "lazy mouth;" the tongue is doing the right motions, but the lips stay slack and barely move. The best way to fix this is to practice moving your mouth while you speak. Try over-enunciating each vowel. Stretch your mouth; it might be sore afterwards, but you'll build up muscle. Even better, do it in front of a mirror, or take pictures of your face as you pronounce each sound. Once you master moving your lips in time with each vowel, you should be easily understood.

Encourage them to have a conversation with you and most importantly, show them this article. It will definitely prove useful to them.

Possibly, give it a try.

Try to take some time before speaking to really consider and understand what exactly you want to say. If you're confident in what you're saying, you shouldn't need to pause so much.

Practice in front of a mirror. Take a device and listen to someone pronouncing their "S" and "Th" sounds, watch their mouth closely and try to do the same in the mirror. Go slowly, you don't have to be fantastic on the first try. Some parts you will be very good at will be able to copy immediately, some parts you won't. Do this every day, and you will see improvement.

Try keeping your mouth open by half an inch and say "good" fast and repeatedly without moving your mouth a bit. It will sound like your saying "gudgudgudgudgugdudgud".

Practice the "ur" sound, as in "pure" or "purr." Then, turn to the dictionary's R section and start your practice session.

Try the methods in Lose Your Accent .

The simplest method is to read. Reading books, articles and magazines can increase your knowledge and vocabulary. Try informing yourself about the subject beforehand, so when the topic arises, you do not need to struggle to select the most accurate words. If you want to consciously improve your verbal fluency, try writing in a journal every day for 10 minutes without interrupting your writing to go back and edit any material.

Try to speak these words aloud while singing, like Roosevelt, Rose, Lose Control, Remedy.