Member Article

Undertones

With Simon Raybould at Curved Vision Â

Presentations are about making a connection with your audience - even in business- and this is a tip you’ll have heard in action: I almost guarantee it. If you were ever read a story at school by your teacher you’ll have been on the receiving end of this one! It’s an advance tip in that you shouldn’t go for it unless you’re confident of your technical ability first - but if you are it’s really effective.

It’s also very simple - drop your voice. Just the volume, perhaps the pitch, but not the “projection”.

By doing this you create a greater sense of intimacy between you and the people you’re talking to (think of them as individual people, not an aggregate of people called “an audience” and you’re half way there). If you can combine the clarity of a fully-fledged speech with the cozy atmosphere of a “fireside chat” the effects can be quite startling.

Of course, you can’t just drop the volume out of the blue because you’ll not be heard - you have to make sure of a few other things first or the effect will backfire…

• Check the audience are ‘on your side’; if you drop your voice when people aren’t actively listening to you, all you’ll do is alienate them because they’ll feel excluded and won’t be able to hear you. They have to be interested before you do this
• Check that there’s not too much outside interference; sudden, odd or loud sounds outside your room can be difficult
• Check that you’re breathing absolutely correctly; any significant breathing in your upper chest will make a dropped voice sound more like a Dalek!
• Check that you’re not stopping projecting your voice just because you’re dropping your volume; you still want people to be able to hear you after all

… but if you’re confident and your audience is ready for it - go for it. There’s nothing more effective than an audience already interested in you and your message really buying into the intimacy of the feeling that it’s just you and them having a chat…

As always you can ask any questions about business presentations and public speaking by email me at sme@curved-vision.co.uk.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ruth Mitchell .