Q&A for How to Develop a Perfect Speaking Voice

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  • Question
    How can I sharpen my voice?
    Patrick Muñoz
    Voice Coach
    Patrick is an internationally recognized Voice & Speech Coach, focusing on public speaking, vocal power, accent and dialects, accent reduction, voiceover, acting and speech therapy. He has worked with clients such as Penelope Cruz, Eva Longoria, and Roselyn Sanchez. He was voted LA's Favorite Voice and Dialect Coach by BACKSTAGE, is the voice and speech coach for Disney and Turner Classic Movies, and is a member of Voice and Speech Trainers Association.
    Voice Coach
    Expert Answer
    Use your voice to express yourself. Your voice is as unique as a fingerprint and can express your personality and communicate how you feel. You can expand your speaking voice and vocal range to better communicate your thoughts and feelings with others.
  • Question
    Can I use any drink or food to help my voice?
    Community Answer
    Usually, lemon honey tea helps. Water is always useful for helping your voice.
  • Question
    How can I improve my voice so that adults will take me seriously?
    Community Answer
    Try using a larger vocabulary of words, words that are more rare to hear coming from someone younger. Speak in a lower pitched tone, as high pitched voices tend to be treated as less mature and can be considered annoying by some. Speak slowly and clearly, don't jumble your words together.
  • Question
    If I don't speak fast, I will forget what I am going to say. What should I do?
    Community Answer
    Practice speaking slowly in front of a mirror. If you do this regularly, you'll learn to adapt and you'll be able to speak slowly and hold onto your thoughts at the same time.
  • Question
    How can I stop stumbling over words?
    Community Answer
    Try speaking slower and taking deep breaths. You are probably speaking too fast, or even thinking too fast, making your tongue disconnected from your brain.
  • Question
    How about speaking softly? Is this considered "perfect"?
    Community Answer
    Speaking softly can be ideal for some personalities, suggesting that you're a kind and sweet person. If this is the style of voice that suits you, then yes, it's perfect too.
  • Question
    Is it normal to hate the way my voice sounds when speaking or singing?
    Community Answer
    Yes. This is a common problem. It is important to address this issue as it can make you shy about public speaking or affect your self-esteem.
  • Question
    How can I loosen up if yI'm literally mortified of people hearing my voice?
    Community Answer
    Practice all the above steps, with a voice recorder until you start to enjoy listening to your recorded voice. Once you're happy with what you hear, you will feel more confident having people listen to you.
  • Question
    How can I stop myself from stammering?
    Community Answer
    Stopping your stammering can be very difficult, but there are a few things you can do. To start, think through what you want to say completely before saying it. Don't start speaking until you've thought out everything you intend to say. Find someone who is willing to be a conversational partner for you and practice speaking to them daily; this could help you become more comfortable with speaking quickly. wikiHow also has some articles that might help you, like [[Stop Stammering|How to Stop Stammering]].
  • Question
    How can I smile and speak without looking ridiculous?
    Community Answer
    Keep it simple and small. Soft and subtle smiles are the best choice because they look natural even when you are nervous. You don't need to smile the whole time, especially when you're talking about something serious.
  • Question
    What should I do if I am not able to speak properly?
    Community Answer
    See a voice coach. If you are unable to do that, try watching videos of people talking online and copy how they speak. Try saying one syllable at a time. Once you've perfected that, put every syllable together and perfect that. Do this with every word you have trouble pronouncing. Record yourself speaking and see how it measures up against the speakers you've been copying.
  • Question
    What can I do if I forget my speech?
    Community Answer
    Stay calm, look confident, and make up the whole thing by saying the summary of what the speech was about with a few "big" words thrown in. Tell a story you know well and relate it back to the theme of the speech. At least the crowd will have been entertained.
  • Question
    My voice sounds okay when I hear it normally, but it sounds a lot deeper and horrible when I record it. They are very different, and I don't know which others hear, so I can't improve it effectively.
    Community Answer
    People don't usually hear themselves the way others hear them, and recordings of your voice are usually more accurate than what you sound like in your head. If you want to be sure, ask friends or family to what extent the recording sounds like your real voice. You can improve your voice by recording it until you like the sound of what you hear, then just practice using whichever manner of speaking you used to create that. And you can always ask others for feedback as well.
  • Question
    How can I speak faster?
    Community Answer
    The answer is simply repetition. If you have a rehearsed line, repeat it over and over, going faster and faster each time.
  • Question
    I'm a girl and I have a deep voice. How can I change this?
    Gamer Chick
    Community Answer
    Try talking in a higher pitched voice and talk a bit faster then you usually do. It will help improve your "speaking" voice and your "talking" voice.
  • Question
    Should I eat or drink certain foods?
    Community Answer
    Avoid spicy foods that can harm your vocal chords.
  • Question
    How can I have a less annoying voice?
    Community Answer
    Open up your throat and take a really deep breath. This expands your diaphragm. While speaking, do not strain your head in any way, remember the breath, and push the air from your diaphragm and out your mouth.
  • Question
    How could I raise my voice pitch while giving interview?
    Community Answer
    Speak from your diaphragm and with confidence. Practice by recording yourself and playing it back until you're satisfied with how it sounds.
  • Question
    How can I improve my voice so that my friends will find me easy-going and fun?
    Community Answer
    Pay attention to your tone to sound light and pleasant. If you find yourself sounding too serious, smile as you speak to lighten your tone and give off a more pleasant vibe.
  • Question
    How can I make myself seem less nervous, like not shaking or having my face turn red?
    Community Answer
    Smile and take deep breaths and act confident. Practice often, especially if you have a debate or public speaking engagement coming up. The more sure you feel about what you're going to say, the more confident you will be.
  • Question
    I have a weak voice. How can I make it stronger?
    Community Answer
    If you are talking about having as a smaller voice, in general, it helps to stand straight up on both feet with a straight posture, put all your weight on your feet and breathe so your stomach rises first and not your chest. If your chest rises first, that's shallow breathing.
  • Question
    How can I change my monotone voice?
    Community Answer
    Try to add some vocal variance. Listen to the expressions other people use when speaking. If there is a particular person whose voice you rather admire, use that as inspiration. Listening to music with clear vocals can also help you learn how to incorporate different tones into your voice.
  • Question
    Sometimes I mispronounce words. I'm afraid I will look like a fool who doesn't know English. So how can I stop mispronouncing words?
    Community Answer
    Everyone (even native English speakers) mispronounce words sometimes. You can Google a word you're unsure of to see how it's pronounced. Then, repeat the correct pronunciation several times (out loud) to cement it in your memory.
  • Question
    Is it true that eating chocolates can destroy the clarity of your voice?
    Caeiia
    Top Answerer
    No, that is not true.
  • Question
    How do I control a shaky voice?
    Community Answer
    I have this problem at times, but I have found that taking a deep breath before talking helps to control it. You could also sip some water to help as well.
  • Question
    I have a big voice. How can I change that while talking to the customer on the phone?
    Community Answer
    Practice using a softer voice while on the phone. Talk as gently as you can.
  • Question
    Are there any tips to voice a boy if I am a girl?
    Community Answer
    Lower your pitch, and push out that deep sound with your diaphragm. Don't strain yourself while doing this.
  • Question
    How I speak slowly?
    Community Answer
    if you are rehearsing lines, at first say them much more slowly than sounds normal. Keep doing this long after you think you need to; then, when you try to say them normally, you'll have slowed your voice down. Record yourself talking at different speeds, pick one, and try to keep that same speed up the whole time.
  • Question
    What about being afraid of large audiences or crowds? How do I minimize my public speaking fear?
    Hannelore Claes
    Community Answer
    Picture the audience in their underwear, a lot of people say that that helps with public speaking fears, or you can pretend that you're speaking to just your friends, that can help as well.
  • Question
    How do I stop from stammering?
    M
    Community Answer
    Try speaking slowly, and feel each word come out of your mouth. Focus on one word, then the next.
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