TheArtofPublicSpeakingByDengHongfengChapterOne

WhyPublicSpeakingIfallmytalentsandpowersweretobetakenfrommebysomeunscrutableProvidence,andIhadmychoiceofkeepingbutone,IwouldunhesitatinglyasktobeallowedtokeepthePowerofSpeaking,forthroughitIwouldquicklyrecoveralltherest.

—DanielWebsterSpeaktowinPublicspeakingaffectseveryaspectofcommunication.Itreferstoyourabilitytogetideasacrossandtoinformandpersuadeyouraudience.Eventhoughmostpeopleadmittodislikingit,everyonehastorelyonhisorherspeakingabilitiesThomasMacaulaywroteaboutWilliamPitttheYounger,whobecamePrimeMinisterofEnglandattheageof24:"Parliamentarygovernmentisgovernmentbyspeaking.Insuchagovernment,thepowerofspeakingisthemosthighlyprizedofallthequalitieswhichapoliticiancanpossess…MacaulayPittExamplesofthecareersoftwoexecutivesatalargemanufacturingfirm.Shewasahighlypersuasivespeakerwhohadstudiedpublicspeakingandrandynamicmeetings.Shereallyknewhowtoinformandpersuade.He,ontheotherhand,wasadullspeaker.Afterfiveyears,shewasvicepresidentoftheirdivision,andhewasstillamanager.Needlesstosay,theexecutivesmaywellhavebeenequallycompetent.Ifyoudon'tusepublicspeakingtoyouradvantage,someoneelsewilluseittohisorhers.ChapterTwo:OvercomeFearTheonlythingwehavetofearisfearitself.

—FranklinDelanoRooseveltThemindisawonderfulthing—itstartsworkingtheminuteyou'rebornandneverstopsuntilyougetuptospeakinpublic.

—RoscoeDrummondFearofFears:tospeakinpublicAccordingtoTheBookofLists,publicspeaking—notbugs,heights,deepwater,orevendeath—istheforemostfearintheworld.TheOriginsofPublic-SpeakingPanicIt'sLonelyintheSpotlightHowAmIDoing?(It'sHardtoTell)IDon'tHavetheGiftFearisnature'swayofhelpingyouprotectyourself.Newordangeroussituationstriggerthe"fightorflight"response.ThefourfearssharedbyallspeakersFearofperformingpoorly.Fearoftheaudience.Fearofembarrassment.Fearyourmaterialisnotgoodenough.FearofperformingpoorlyTamethe4FearsofPublicSpeakingFearofPerformingPoorly

Youarenotalone.Worryingaboutyourperformancecomeswiththeterritory.Ithauntsnoviceandexperiencedperformersalike.Eventhemostpracticedpublicspeakersdobattlewithnerves;it'sasignyou'reatruespeaker.Onenightataconvention,awomanenteredaroomandsawtheevening'skeynotespeakerpacingfrantically.Sheaskedhimwhyhewassonervous."Whatdoyoumean?Who'snervous?"hedemanded."Ifyou'renotnervous,"shereplied,"Whatareyoudoingintheladies'room?"ThePowerofPrivacy

Speakingbeforeagroupmayseemlikethemostpublicactpossible,butyoustillhaveprivacyonyourside.Youdon'thavetorevealyournervousness;youcankeepittoyourself.Yougainnothingbylettingothersknowyou'reworried;ifyouactconfident,youbegintofeelthatway,too.Peoplerarelylookverynervous,nomatterhowjitterytheyfeel.Let’slookattheexampleofthefrightenedboywalkingpastthecemeteryonadarknight.Aslongashewalkedcasuallyandwhistledgaily,hewasfine.Whenhedecidedtowalkfaster,hecouldnotresistthetemptationtorun;andwhenheran,terrortookover.It'sthesamewithpublicspeaking:Don'ttakethatfirstfaststep.Don'tgivein,don'tshowfear,anddon'ttalkaboutyourfear.TapIntoCreativeVisualization.

Expectationshaveawayoffulfillingthemselves.Ifyouassumeyouraudienceishostile,youwilladoptadefensiveandabruptmanner,whichissuretoalienatesomepeople.Instead,formamentalimageofhowyouwanttolook:CreativevisualizationisatechniquethatworksformanypublicspeakersandperformersCloseyoureyesandrememberthepositivepointsandaudiencerapportfromyourlastspeech.Imagineanaudienceoffriendly,acceptingpeople.Substitutethatvisionastherealityinyourmind'seyeandkeepitthere.Imagineapositiveaudiencereaction,andyou'rehalfwaytogettingjustthat.Envisiontheroleyouwanttoplayandactthepart.Don'tworryaboutseemingphony—weallhavemanysidestoourcharacters.Youwanttoshowyourconfidentside;itisthereforyoutotap.Withpractice,confidencebecomesnaturalandcomfortable,andvisualizationisapowerfultoolforgainingthatconfidence.WorkWithYourBody

Thefollowingthreeexerciseshelpyoufeelbetterphysically:Properbreathing.Concentrateondeepnasalbreathingusingyourdiaphragm.Breathethroughyournosesoyoudon'tmakeyourmouthdry.Progressiverelaxation.Workingupfromyourfeet,tensedifferentpartsofyourbodyandthenrelaxthem.You'lllosemuchofthatclamminessandnervousness.Easingneckstrain.Rollyourheadinacirclefromshouldertoshoulder,asifyouwerealimpragdoll.Thisrelaxesyourthroatandvocalcords.Practicethe5Ps:

1.Prana:

PranaisanIndiantermmeaningbreath.Oneofthereasonsthatbreathingthroughyournosehelpsrelievefearisthatthenasalpassagesareconnectedtothelimbicsystem,thepartofthebrainthatcontrolsemotions.Deepbreathscalmyouremotionsandhelpgetnervousnessundercontrol.2.Perception:It'snotwhathappenstousthatcounts—it'showweperceivewhathappenstous.

Publicspeakingisaperceptiveexperience.Themorejudgmentalyouperceivetheaudiencetobe,themorenervousyouwillbe.Mostaudiencesarenottheretojudge—theyaretheretolearnsomethingortobeentertained.Theywantyoutobegood.Theyarepullingforyou.Focusonwhatyouhavetosaytotheminsteadofwhatyouthinktheymaybethinkingaboutyou.3.Psycheyourselfup:Imagineyourselfnotasyouthinkyouare,butthewayyouwanttobe.Heartheapplauseattheendofyourspeech,evenbeforeyougiveit.Useyourcreativevisualizationinyoursparemoments—notonlypriortoapresentation,buteverytimeyouhaveafewsparemomentstodaydream.4.Preparation:Preparationissoimportantthatwewilldiscussitlater.Justrememberthis:Thereisnothingasfrighteningastheunknown.You'repreparedwhenyouknowyoursubjectmatterlikeyouknowyourbestfriend'stelephonenumber;you'repreparedwhenyou'vemadeachecklistofalltheprops,visualaids,etc.,youneedforyourpresentation(andcheckedthelisttwice);you'repreparedwhenyoufamiliarizeyourselfwiththespacebeforeyougetuptospeak.5.Practice:Themoreyoupractice,themorecontrolyouhaveovertheentirespeakingexperience—andthelessnervousyouare.Youdon'tpracticesothatyouwillbeabsolutelyperfect(althoughthatwouldbenice).Youpracticesothatyouwillbecomfortableinfrontoftheaudience,andsothattheycanbecomfortablewithyou."ConfidenceCards."

Aptlynamed,thesenotecardshelpspeakersbyorganizinginformation,includingallthepointsthespeakerwantstomake.Theybringasenseofcontroltowhatoftenseemslikeanunwieldysituation.Itcanbeaclipboardoranythingthathelpsyourememberwhatcomesnextandpromptsyou,shouldyouloseyourplaceorforget.FearoftheAudienceIdentifyWithYourListeners.

Themoreyouknowaboutyourlisteners,themoreyouwillseethemasfriendsandthelessnervousyouwillbe.Whataretheirbackgrounds,interests,needs?Howwilltheybenefitbyhearingyou?Theywanttoenjoylisteningtoyou;howcanyoumakethathappen?GivePassionaPlace

Lauraisnotapublicspeaker,butshetalkswithtotalconfidencetogroupsof300peopleabouttheimportanceofself-defense.Shesaysshe'ssoexcitedabouthersubjectandabouthelpingheraudiencelearntodefenditselfthatshedoesn'teventhinkaboutbeingnervous.CommunicateYourExcitement

Focusonwantingtotellyourlistenerssomething—somethingyoufeelisreallyworthyourtimeandtheirs.Thatkindofexcitementiscontagious;youraudiencecan'thelpbutcatchit.Andconcentratingonteachingyouraudiencesomethingvitalgetsyouthinkingmoreaboutitthanaboutyourself—theperfectantidotetofear.RememberWhotheExpertIs

Afinalnoteonaudiencefear:Rememberthefacts.Youwereinvitedtospeak.You'resupposedtoknowmoreaboutyoursubjectthantheaudience;youaretherebecauseyouaremorecapableofcoveringthesubjectthanmostpeople.Believeit.AsBroadwaystarEthelMermanusedtosay,"IftheaudiencecouldperformbetterthanIcan,they'dbeuphereonstagesinging."FearofEmbarrassmentFASTFACTSaboutStayingCool1>>Wechokeunderpressurebecausesuchconditionsthwartthenormalbrainprocessingoftasksthataresowelllearnedtheyhavebecome“automatic.”2>>Tryingtoconcentrateonmonitoringthequalityofyourperformanceiscounterproductivebecausethecerebellum,whichcontrolscomplexmotortasks,isnotconsciouslyaccessible.3>>Ratchetingupthepressureatyourpracticesessionsisthebestwaytoavoidfailingwhenitcounts.Manypeopleareafraidtogetupandspeakbecausetheythinkthey'lldosomethingfoolish—they'llstumbleoverwords,tripandfall,forgettoincludetheirmostimportantpoint.Thethingis,they'reright!Embarrassingthingsdohappen.Itcomeswiththeterritory.Thegoodnewsisthataudiencesunderstandthatweallmakemistakes.Whattheywanttoknowishowwellyoucanhandlethem.FearthatYourMaterialIsNotGoodEnoughThisistheeasiestfeartoovercomebecauseyouareincontrolofpreparationandcontent.Youwon'tbeonthespotifyouknowyoursubjectthoroughly.ConstructYourSpeechWithCare

Doyourhomework.Research.Prepare.Themorethoroughyourpreparations,themoreyouwillbeconvincedthematerialisgoodenough.Workandreworkyourspeechuntilyouknowitisinteresting,worthwhile,andmeaningfultotheaudience.Theneditit.Allgoodwriterswilltellyouthereisnosuchthingasgoodwriting—onlyrewriting.FearofNewMaterial

Experiencedspeakersareoftenafraidtotrysomethingnew:tochangeanopeningthathasalwaysworked,toaddnewmaterialthathasn'tbeentested.Asscaryaspublicspeakingmayseem,it'simportanttotakerisks.PracticeCanMakePerfect

Practiceuntilyouare100-percentconfident.Onehourforeveryminuteofyourspeechisagoodruleofthumb.Practiceindifferentsettings,atdifferenttimes,testingdifferentpresentationtechniques.Practiceinfrontofamirror,intoataperecorder,foragroupoffriends—anyonewhowilltakethetimetolistentoyou.MindOverFearFearmaynotbewelcome,butitisnormal.Everysuccessfulspeakerhashisorherowntrickstopsychoutfear.Thecerebralcortex(pink)isthesiteoflearningandconsciousthought.Asaskillismastered,thecerebellum(blue)takescontrol.WinstonChurchilllikedtoimaginethateachmemberoftheaudiencewasnaked.FranklinRooseveltpretendedthatthemembersallhadholesintheirsocks.CarolBurnettthinksofthemsittingonthecommode.Thepointis,eventhoughyourmindseemstoworkovertimebeforeaspeech,fillingyouwithdread,youcancounterwithtricksoftheimaginationthatmakeyoufeelconfidentandincontrol.TheBestTipofThemAll:ConfidenceFearhasitsgoodside:Theperceptionofpublicspeakingasdifficultanddemandingaddstoaconfidentspeaker'spower,becausepeopleareperceivedasmoreknowledgeableandconfidentsimplybecauseoftheirabilitytoconquerthedreadedtaskofpublicspeaking.Thatconfidencecomesfromwithin;onceyoubelieveyouhavetheabilitytobeaconfidentspeaker,it'saloteasiertobejustthat.Thebestwaytobolsteryourconfidencebeforeaspeechorpresentationistothinkpositively.Saturateyourmindwithpositivethoughts.Repeattoyourselfanypositivecatchphrasethatappeals:"Iampoised,prepared,persuasive,positive,andpowerful.Ialsofeelcomposed,confident,convincing,commanding,andcompelling."ProfessionalProjects:WorkonYourFearDecideonyourpersonalactionplanforcontrollingyourfear.Forexample:Ifyourvoiceshakeswhenyougiveapresentation,tellyourselfthatyouaregoingtopracticedeepbreathingthenexttimeyouhavetobeginspeaking.Writeitonanindexcardandstudyitbeforeeachpresentation.Neveravoidachancetopresent.Listthreeopportunitieswhereyoucouldvolunteertospeakandwhenandhowyouwillarrangetobethespeaker.Committospeakupatleastonceineverymeetingyouattend.Decideonwhichvisualizationtechniqueworksbestforyouandthenpracticeitconscientiously.ChapterThreePreparation:TheSourceofaSpeaker'sPowerThewilltowinisnothing,unlessyouhavethewilltoprepare.

—AnonymousOfallthewaystobanish—onestandsout:simple,thoroughpreparation.Fortheunpreparedspeaker,theterrorisreal;it'safeelingalltooclosetoeveryone'sclassicnightmareinwhichit'sexamtimeandyoudidn'tgotoclassalltermButthepreparedspeakerknowsnosuchterror.Thereisanoldsayingthataspeechwellpreparedisnine-tenthsdelivered.

Lackofpreparationwouldmakeanybodynervous.

AudiencesSenseandAppreciatePreparationPreparationensuresthatyouraudiencewillneverbeindoubtaboutwhatyouaretryingtosay—andneitherwillyou.Carefulpreparationsharpensyourperceptionsandgivesyougreatconfidence.Themorehomeworkyoudo,themorespontaneous,confident,andrelaxedyouarewhenyoudeliverthespeech.PreparationasProcessHowdoyouprepare?Thetraditionalanswer—takingnotesandmemorizingthem—isjustasmallpartofit.Realpreparationmeansdiggingsomethingoutofyourself;itmeansgatheringandarrangingyourthoughts,nurturingyourideas,andfindingauniquewaytoexpressthem.Aspeechneedstimetogrow;don'ttrytomanufactureoneinahurry.Selectyourtopicassoonasyoucanbutdon'trushtowritedownyourspeech.Startaspeechfileassoonasyouknowyouwillbespeakingandputeverythingthatcomestomindinthisfile:thoughts,quotations,andtopics.Letthethinkingprocessgoonforalongtime—atleasttwoorthreeweeks—dependingonyoursubjectandthelengthofthespeech.Sleeponit;dreamaboutit.Letyourideassinkintoyoursubconscious.Thenbringyourevolvingspeechoutofhiding.Makeitatopicofconversationatthedinnertable.Askyourselfquestionsaboutyourtopic.Writedownyourthoughtsandtheexamplesthatcometoyou.Onceyouhavethepotcooking,keepstirringitandaddingnewideasandillustrations.Exampleswillpopintoyourheadatrandomtimes—jotdownasmanyoftheseinspirationsasyoucan.BroodWiththeBestofThemAsyoubrood,youwillbeingoodhistoricalcompany.AbrahamLincolnwasknowntobroodonaspeechfordaysorweeks.Hecarriedlittlenotestohimselfinhishat.Eventuallyhearrangedthesejottingsinorder,wrote,revised,andshapedhisspeeches.Butupuntilthatlastmoment,heponderedandpolished.OntheSundaybeforehewastodeliverthespeechdedicatingtheGettysburgcemetery,hetoldafriendthatthespeechwasn'texactlyfinished."Ihavewrittenitovertwoorthreetimes,"hesaid,"andIshallhavetogiveitanotherlickbeforeIamsatisfied.“Thenightbefore,heclosetedhimselfawayfromthecrowdsandpracticedhisspeech.Heworkedonitallnightandwasstillabsorbedinthoughtasherodetothecemetery.Whenthemomentcame,hedeliveredthenation'smostcelebrated266wordsinlessthanfiveminutes.The14EasyStepstoPreparationThinkAboutthePurposeoftheSpeech.Isthepurposeofyourtalktoinform,toentertain,topersuade,ortocallyouraudiencetoaction?Everyspeechmusthaveitsowntopicandreasonforbeing.AnalyzetheAudience.Agossipisonewhotalkstoyouaboutothers;aboreisonewhotalkstoyouabouthimself;andabrilliantconversationalistisonewhotalkstoyouaboutyourself.Speaktoyouraudience;knowitsmembersandunderstandtheirinterests,attitudes,goals,andfears.Speaktowhattheyknowandcareabout,andyouareonyourwaytoamemorablespeech.GatherEnoughMaterial.Whatdoyoualreadyknowandbelieveaboutthistopicasitrelatestothisaudience?Whatadditionalresearchcan/shouldyoudo?ThishasbecomesomucheasierwithallthatdatawithininstantaccessontheInternet.Startbycollectingallyourthoughtsandnotes.Afteryouhaveexhaustedyourthinkingonyourtopic,gotothelibrary,askcolleagues,andresearch.Imitatethegreatjournalists—theyneverusemostoftheirresearch,butdoingresearchgivesthemareservetheycandrawon.Itmakesthemmoreexpertintheirtopicsthanbeforetheybegan.Thenbereadyandwillingtodiscardtheunnecessaryfacts.Selectonlyinformationrelevanttoyouraudienceandtothisparticularspeech.Yourtaskisnottoelaboratebuttosimplifyandreinforce.4.ComposeOneConciseSentenceThatClearlyStatesYourPurpose.Thiswillbecomeyourfocus—orevenyourtitle—and,asyouputtherestofyourspeechtogether,youwillconstantlyreferbacktothisonelinethatwillkeepyouontarget.5ConstructanOutline.Wouldyoubuildabuildingwithoutafoundation?Youcouldn't;andyoualsocan'tbuildyourspeechuntilyoulayitsfoundation,whichistheoutline.Intheoutlineyouwillreduceyourideastothreeorfourmainsentencesorkeyphrasesandarrangetheminthemostconvincingorder.6.AddSupport.Nowyouwillfillouttheoutlinebyaddingexplanations,support,facts,anecdotes,andstoriestogivedepthandmeaningtoyourmainpoints.Asaruleofthumb,youcanspend5percentofyourtimedefiningthepurposeandmoodofyourspeech,10percentofyourtimeoutlining,another10percentonvisuals,and25percentpracticing.Thatleaves50percentofyourtimetospendonworkingonthesupportthatcolorsyourspeechandbringsittolife.Yourmoodcouldbeserious,jovial,orcloselytiedwithconcernsfacingtheaudience.Whateverthemood,thesupportyouchoosemustreinforcethemoodyouhavechosenandensurethatyourspeechisneverboring.Althoughit'seasytogatherfacts,theydon'tmakeaninterestingspeechbythemselves.7.PrepareAllVisualAids.Ifyourspeechneedsvisualaids,fine;ifyoudon'tneedthem,oryourmaterialdoesnotlenditselftothem,thendon'ttrytofitthemin.Ifusedproperly,visualaidscanbeeffective.Peopleremember40percentmorewhentheyhearandseesomethingsimultaneously.Butrememberthatvisualaidscanbesimple:Irememberasalesmangivingaspeechsuddenlyholdingupashoewithalargeholefortheaudiencetosee.Hemadehispointaboutthenecessityofpoundingthepavement—andmemorably,too.8.DeviseanOpeningWithImpact.Itmaybehumorous,surprising,informative,challenging—anopeningcanbeanythingoriginalthatworksforyourparticularspeech.Youmakeyourfirstimpressionintheintroduction;itcancloudallthatfollowsorassurepeoplethatwhatfollowsisworthlisteningcloselyto.It'smuchbettertogetyouraudience'sattentionfirstandthenexplainyourpurpose.9.CraftYourConclusion.Builduptoit,evenifyouareendingbysummarizingyourmainpoints.Thenendthespeechwithastrong,dynamicchallengethattellsthemembersoftheaudiencewhatyouexpectthemtodowiththeinformationyou'vegiventhem.Conclusions,likeopenings,mustbememorable.10.WriteYourSpeech,PolishIt,andEditIt.Putitasideforadayortwo,thengobackandrewriteanypartsyouthinkneedit.RememberLincolnandhisneedtotinker.Onewaytoachievehisadmirableconcisenessistoedit—ruthlessly.Don'tbeafraidtocutone-third—orevenone-half—ofyourprose;thiswillleaveyouwithatextthatisstronger,leaner,andclearer.Technicalpresenters,inparticular,arepronetoexcesswords.Distillyourspeechdowntotheessentials,especiallyifitistechnical,soitwillbeeasierforyouraudiencetofollow.Don'tbeafraidofbeingbriefandclear—toofewspeakersare.Effectivewrittencommunicationisdifferentfromitsoralcounterpart.Aspeechisatemporaryevent—wordsfloatintheairandaregone.Yourwordswillhaveabetterchanceofstayingwithyouraudienceifyoutakeadvantageoforalcommunication'sgreaterinformality:Useshortsentencesandwords,colorfullanguage,sentencefragments,contractions,repetition,andquestions.Alloftheseworktomakeyourwordslivelyandmemorable.Andfinally,onceyouaresatisfied,practiceyourdelivery.11HaveYourConfidenceCardsPreparedandReady.Aretheylegiblynumberedsothatifyoudropthem,youcangetthembackinorder?12GetYourTimingDown.Partofpracticingyourdeliveryistimingyourspeech.Wespeakapproximately150wordsaminute,sothreedouble-spacedtypewrittenpagestakefiveminutestodeliver,dependingonhowquicklyyouspeak.Eventhoughyoucannevertimeaspeechtotheprecisesecond,thereisnosubstituteforrecordingyourspeechandestimatingthetime.Ifyouhavealotofjokes,stories,andaudiencequestions,you'llhavetoallowextratimeforthem.Whenitcomestimetodeliverthespeech,keepadigitalclockorawatchonthelecternwhereyoucanseeiteasily,orhavesomebodyintheaudiencesignalyouwhenyouhavefiveminutesleft.Asyouapproachthesefinalfiveminutes,you'llknowyouhavejustenoughtimelefttofinishanimportantpointbeforegoingintoyourclosingstatementorbeforeaskingforquestions.13MakeaLast-minuteChecklist.Akeyaspectofpreparationiscontrollingandpreparingyourspeakingenvironment.Avoidlast-minuteproblemsbymakingsureyoutakecareofallthelittledetails—suchasarrangingchairsinasmallgatheringandclearingawayemptycups—beforethespeech.Otherdetailstoattendtobeforeyouspeakcaninclude:

Decidingwhatyou'regoingtowear.Makingtwocopiesofyourtextornotes.

Bringingyourglasses.

Knowingifyou'llhaveapodium.

Preparingvisual-aidequipmentandlighting.Listscompiledbytrulypreparedspeakersareexhaustiveandcallattentiontoanothercrucialaspectofpreparation:stagemanaging—overseeingallthedetailsofyourspeechthatdon'thavetodowithyourwords.14HaveIorchestratedthequestionandanswerperiod?Getallpossiblequestionsandanswersprepared.

PreparationKnowsNoShortcutsThese14stepsconstitutetheultimateoutlineforapersongivingaspeech.Sure,youcanskipone,orcutafewcorners,buttheaudiencewillnotice.Everyminuteofyourpresentationshouldbesupportedbyanhourofpreparationtime.ProfessionalProjects:BuildConfidenceThroughPreparation

Gothroughtheprecedingquestions.Notefirstyourstrengthsinpreparationandthentheaspectsofissuesyoutendtoavoid.Whatareyougoingtodoaboutthem?Createarealisticactionplanforyourself.Makenoteofhowyoufeelwhensomeoneisnotprepared.Doyouwantyourlistenerstofeelthesame?ChapterFour:MindYourVoiceYourvoiceisthemostimportantinstrumentofcommunicationyoupossess.VoiceQualityHowwonderfulisthehumanvoice!Itisindeedtheorganofthesoul.

HenryW.LongfellowWhenthebodyproducesexcellenttones,thevoiceisnotthroaty,nasal,orforced;itisproducedandresonatedeffortlessly,Ithasstentorian,resonantqualitiesandprojection,fullpitchrange,andrich,warm,colorfultimbre.By"voice,"(orvocalfoldphonation)wemeanexperiencingthebone-conductedtonalvibrationsofthesoundwavesthatresonateandbecomeamplifiedinotherpartsofthebody.Generallyspeaking,"voice"isrelatedprimarilytothevowelsofourlanguage.Whenthesevowelsaresustained,wesaywehearsingingorchanting;whenthevowelsareshorterandtheconsonantsoccupyagreaterproportionoftimeandsignificance,wesaywehearspeech.Initsnarrowestsense,"speech"refersprimarilytoconsonantarticulatoryskillsthatprovideuswithcrisperandclearerintelligibility.Initsbroadersense,"speech"usuallyincludeswhatwasjustdiscussedandallotheraspectsofvocalexpression,suchasintonation,inflection,accent,emphasis,nuance,modulation—everythingusedtoconveyintellectualcontentaswellasemotionalimpact.Singing,inthebroadersense,shouldbethesamethingexceptthatthevowelsoundsaresustainedlongerthaninspeech.Althougharticulatoryconsonantskillmaybeconsideredthe"spine"ofspeechcommunication,voiceistheverylifebloodofthecommunicatingpersonality.Thecalltobridgedistanceorriseabovenoise,theexpressionofenthusiasm,thelyricdescription,thesolemnentreaty,thecryofpain,theadamantemphasis,theforcefulbuthealthyanger,thepoeticmusicalexpressiveness—allvocalenergiesare,ineffect,mattersofvoice.Clearly,allthevocalartsandallthespeechskillsformasinglediscipline.Tocompartmentalizethisdisciplineintopolarizedfieldswouldbeascounterproductiveastrainingtheleftandrighthandsofapianistseparately.Thedisciplineresistscompartmentalizationbecausevocallifedoesnot,indeedcannot,existapartfromphysicalandemotionallife.SpeechPersonalityAspeechpersonalityismadeupofsevenvariables:1.pitch,includingpitchrangeandinflection2.volume3.tempo,orrateofdelivery4.vitality,orenthusiasm5.voicequality:including:resonance,timbre,andtone6.pronunciation7.articulationVoiceAnalysisSpeechorgansHOWOURVOCALFOLDSWORKUnlikeviolinstrings,thehumansoundsource—thevocalfolds(orvocalcords)inthelarynx—hasacomplex,three-partstructurethatallowsustogenerateseveraloctavesoffrequencies.Atthecoreofeachfoldisastringlikeligament(crosssection).

Internaltotheligamentarecontractilemuscles.Andcoveringitallisahighlyflexiblemucousmembrane.Eachcomponentbringsaspecialcapabilitytothewhole.Theligament’stensilestressrisesrapidlywithelongation(bymusclesthatmovethecartilagesattachedtothefolds),whichhelpstoproducehigherfrequencies.Thevocal-foldmusclecanincreasetensilestressasitcontracts.Indoingso,itgeneratesanevenlargerfrequencyrange.Thesoft,pliablesurfaceoftheoutermembrane,whichoscillateslikeaflaginthewindasairfromthelungspassesoverit,exchangesvibrationa