Public Speaking Tips for the Soft Spoken Introvert

[Aquarelle]

I have this problem, too. I actually don'd mind public speaking, but people are always telling me to speak up. But my voice isn't used to it, so when I try, I sound all strained and I get hoarse. I heard once if you try to pitch your voice lower it helps, but I've never remembered to try it.

 

[Lien]

people consider me quiet, or didn't even know i existed in the class until i made the speech.

but people often tell me they were surprised by my speeches. that it was unexpected, or i'm a different person.

i think the reason why i make good speeches is because i'm generally oblivious to everything, instead of being too-aware of what's going on or how i'm acting.

so by not thinking about it, i make good speeches.

 

[Oeufa]

I'm quite fortunate that I have a loud speaking voice, despite my introvertedness. Anyway I just *become* someone else when I speak in public. I'm not me. I'm a fun, bubbly, confident, well-spoken, passionate person when I speak. I was awesome at school debates because I wasn't an INTP, I was whatever I thought a good speaker should be. It's remarkably easy to fake all these things if you just forget about you for a while and be the person who delivers the speech. It's all there, just waiting for a conduit to the aural world. All you have to do it tap in and go

 

[You]

Play with yourself before you go up to speak.

 

[Hera]

I can do public speaking no problem, as long as I have an idea of what to say.

 

[Hera]

Play with yourself before you go up to speak.

In public? Yum.

 

[RDF]

I heard once if you try to pitch your voice lower it helps, but I've never remembered to try it.

Definitely.

First thing to do is make sure your lungs are less than half full of air. If your lungs are too full of air, you'll have to close your throat and strain (which is bad). To bellow properly, you want your diaphragm relaxed and the back of your throat wide open, which means your lungs should be at 50% capacity or less.

After that, tuck your chin low, open up the back of your throat, and bellow something like "GIDDY-up!" over and over. Lower your pitch each time you bellow until you can't go any lower. Do it in front of a mirror over and over until you find a level where you're loud yet comfortable at the same time. Imagine you're a drill sergeant counting cadence for marching troops or bellowing orders at them.

I was a sergeant in the Marines, and I've shown squeaky little females how to bellow loud enough to be heard a quarter mile away. Again, the key is to keep your lungs at 50% or less, so that you can open the back of your throat wide open. Then pitch your voice as low as it will go.

As for people who are monotone, the trick there is to imagine that you're a used car salesman and to inflect like mad: "COME on down to Big Al's! We're giving away EVERYthing! The deals are inSANE!" Public speaking is showmanship. So you have to inflect like a carnival barker or a used car salesman. You'll feel silly, but if anything you probably won't be inflecting enough. Your audience really needs you to go WILD!

When you're prepping the speech, indicate in your notes which words or portions are to be inflected. Type them in caps (like above) or in italics. Then practice the speech that way.

 

[animenagai]

Honestly, the best thing to do is just practice being comfortable talking to strangers in general. I was horrible at public speaking as a more introverted child, but I don't have that problem anymore.