Download Article
Easy vocal warmups & exercises to help you speak clearly
Download Article
Do you find that you mumble a lot? Are people constantly telling you to speak up or that they can't understand you? Improving your clarity of speech can help. Whether you speak in public on a regular basis or just want to be better understood by the people around you, we've got some techniques that can help. We talked to improvisation coach Dan Klein and public speaking coach Lynn Kirkham to find out what you can do to improve your clarity of speech so you're better understood.
Improving Your Speech Clarity & Diction
Use tongue-twister warmups like "red leather, yellow leather" to help you articulate the words that you say more clearly. When you say them repeatedly and quickly, you strengthen your tongue and make its movements more precise. Slow down and control your breathing to help you speak more clearly.
Steps
Expert Q&A
Search
-
QuestionHow can I sharpen my speech?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.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.
-
QuestionHow can I speak more clearly if I have a lisp?Devin Fisher is a Speech-Language Pathologist based in Las Vegas, Nevada. Devin specializes in speech and language therapy for individuals with aphasia, swallowing, voice, articulation, phonological social-pragmatic, motor speech, and fluency disorders. Furthermore, Devin treats cognitive-communication impairment, language delay, and Parkinson's Disease. He holds a BS and MS in Speech-Language Pathology from Fontbonne University. Devin also runs a related website and blog that offers speech-language therapy resources and information for clinicians and clients.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.
-
QuestionHow do you talk with clarity?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.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.
Ask a Question
200 characters left
Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered.
Submit
Advertisement
Tips
Submit a Tip
All tip submissions are carefully reviewed before being published
Name
Please provide your name and last initial
Thanks for submitting a tip for review!
References
- ↑ https://www.backstage.com/magazine/article/diction-exercise-tips-for-actors-72659/
- ↑ https://www.backstage.com/magazine/article/how-to-enunciate-better-76619/
- ↑ https://www.backstage.com/magazine/article/how-to-enunciate-better-76619/
- ↑ https://www.backstage.com/magazine/article/diction-exercise-tips-for-actors-72659/
- ↑ https://www.backstage.com/magazine/article/diction-exercise-tips-for-actors-72659/
- ↑ https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/communication-success/201911/do-you-talk-too-fast-how-to-slow-down
- ↑ https://www.scienceofpeople.com/how-to-talk-slower/
- ↑ https://www.backstage.com/magazine/article/diction-exercise-tips-for-actors-72659/
- ↑ https://www.scienceofpeople.com/how-to-talk-slower/
- ↑ https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/communication-success/201911/do-you-talk-too-fast-how-to-slow-down
- ↑ https://hbr.org/2019/09/how-to-rehearse-for-an-important-presentation
- ↑ https://www.ensembleschools.com/grace-music/diction-exercises-singers/
- ↑ https://www.backstage.com/magazine/article/how-to-enunciate-better-76619/
- ↑ https://www.backstage.com/magazine/article/diction-exercise-tips-for-actors-72659/
- ↑ https://www.backstage.com/magazine/article/how-to-enunciate-better-76619/
About This Article
Article Summary
X
To improve your clarity of speech, start by taking your time when you’re speaking. Focus on controlling your breath, and start a sentence when you have completely breathed in. If you tend to speak quickly, focus on talking slowly and deliberately so that others can hear what you have to say. If you sometimes mumble or are misheard, try swallowing your saliva before you start talking. To improve your diction, try saying tongue twisters and reading aloud to yourself. For more tips, like how to exercise your mouth muscles to improve clarity, scroll down!
Did this summary help you?
Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 1,211,539 times.
Reader Success Stories
- "My speech problems began when I developed essential tremor at age 30, and had brain surgery to implant a device which sends electric signals to various muscle groups, designed to ameliorate tremors in my head, neck, and hands. Unfortunately, treatment of the tremors, though effective, caused a reaction in my mouth and tongue leading to a troubling amount of dysarthria. I had a course of speech therapy at a famous medical clinic, but the instructions in your article are so much better. Speaking with a cork between my teeth is the most effective treatment for my particular problem of being unable to enunciate clearly what I want to say. After only one short session with the cork I felt a significant improvement. My sincerest thanks for posting this article." ..." more
Advertisement
100%
of readers found this article helpful
.
Click a star to add your vote
% of people told us that this article helped them.
"My speech problems began when I developed essential tremor at age 30, and had brain surgery to implant a device which sends electric signals to various muscle groups, designed to ameliorate tremors in my head, neck, and hands. Unfortunately, treatment of the tremors, though effective, caused a reaction in my mouth and tongue leading to a troubling amount of dysarthria. I had a course of speech therapy at a famous medical clinic, but the instructions in your article are so much better. Speaking with a cork between my teeth is the most effective treatment for my particular problem of being unable to enunciate clearly what I want to say. After only one short session with the cork I felt a significant improvement. My sincerest thanks for posting this article."
..."
more
"I found this article extremely helpful. Since Spanish is my primary language, and I have a learning disability, I am finding it more difficult to speak clearly and pronounce words correctly. I have saved this article and will continue to follow directions to help improve my speech. Thank you."
..."
more
"Points 1 and 2 of Method 1, take your time while speaking, are excellent tips for improving public speaking skills. I tend to speak fast, and this reduces the effectiveness of my speech. I will use this tip in my next speech in Toastmasters club."
..."
more
"Thanks to this, I remembered to put enunciation in every single word like l were the world's best speaker, how he would speak and pause. How would Caesar give a speech to his troops before war. His posture, crystal clear clarity of intent. "
..."
more
"This article is very useful, helpful, and practical. I hope many articles like this come up in your site. Thanks. It really helps me a lot. Keep up the good work. I hope you continue sharing knowledge to everyone. God bless your site."
..."
more
