If you frequently speak in a mumble or receive feedback that people can't understand most of what you're saying, you can take steps to help you improve your speaking clarity. Whether you have to give a speech, have a job that requires you to speak in public, or simply want to improve your general speech pattern, there are several methods you can employ to help you speak more clearly.
Step
Method 1 of 3: Don't be in a hurry when you talk
Step 1. Control your breath
Listen to how a singer sings or watch her performance on stage and you'll see that she really pays attention to her breath. Mick Jagger wouldn't be able to run back and forth on stage shouting "You Can't Always Get What You Want" if he didn't know how to breathe properly. The same goes for speaking, and breathing properly can significantly improve the clarity of your speech.
- One way to make sure you're breathing properly is to place one hand on your stomach and the other on your chest as you breathe in. Let the hand on the stomach move while the hand on the chest remains still. Belly breathing ensures that you are actually taking a full breath, allowing you to speak in a full voice.
- Speak at the top of your breath. Once you inhale properly, begin to speak and think about your words while your breath slowly and steadily leaves your body. This will allow your breath to support your words and allow you to relax naturally.
Step 2. Don't rush the conversation
Speak carefully, but not so slowly that it makes you sound like a robot.
- Often times, public speaking can make people nervous. If you're feeling nervous and speaking in a hurry, try to remember that it's not a taboo to keep your voice down. If you breathe properly then this will help you stay calm and unravel your words.
- You also need to remember that people want to hear what you have to say. Your words have value, so give them a chance to hear them.
- The human ear can pick up on things very quickly, but making sure you pronounce each word completely before saying the next one means that you create enough space between the words so that everyone can understand you properly.
Step 3. Swallow the excess saliva
Saliva left in the mouth can cause mumbling and distortion of consonants such as "S" and "K".
- Taking a moment to swallow will not only open your mouth, but it will also give you time to pause and catch your breath again.
- Take a moment to drool when you finish saying a sentence or thought, not in the middle of a sentence. This trick will also give you a chance to prepare for what you want to say next.
Step 4. Know what you want to say
Whether you're giving a public speech or just having a casual chat with a friend, taking a moment before you speak to think about what you want to say will help you speak clearly and prevent you from speaking too fast.
Clarity isn't just about getting the words right, it's also about conveying your message or point of view as accurately as possible. Often this means that you need to know what you want to say so you don't have to repeat the previous sentence or fill in your sentence with “mm”, “er” or “ng”
Step 5. Test by walking
If you have to speak publicly and give some kind of presentation, you may want to write down at least an outline of your speech. Practice your speech while pacing.
- Some actors use this method to memorize their lines, as standing and moving can help you remember what to say. Practice your speech and say one word for each step you take.
- This method may seem laborious and slow, but by taking one step at a time you will learn not to rush. You don't need to speak this slowly in your speech or in normal conversation, but getting comfortable speaking at a slower pace will increase your clarity in speech and allow you to be less rushed.
Step 6. Repeat words that are difficult to pronounce
When we have difficulty pronouncing certain words, we are often rushed and our attempts to quickly get through the word chain actually cause our speech to become muddled. Practice saying these words out loud and repeating them over and over again until you build the muscle memory to pronounce them correctly.
- Words like “infrastructure”, “redenomination”, “remuneration”, “frustrated”, “percentage” and “February” can be considered as difficult words to pronounce because they are long or contain syllables with two consonants.
- To help you learn to pronounce difficult words, try spelling them phonetically.
- Once you are comfortable with difficult words, you will be able to speak confidently and without rushing.
Method 2 of 3: Improve Your Diction
Step 1. Try tongue twisters
Tongue twisters are a great way to improve your clarity in speech. By mastering it, you'll learn how to keep your voice clear and speak confidently. Many actors and public speakers will practice tongue twisting before going on stage to warm up their voices.
- Start slowly, then gradually increase the speed until you can speak at a normal conversational pace. When pronouncing tongue twisters, try to pronounce each word in an exaggerated manner, thus making your tongue, jaw, and lips work hard. As you become more confident in pronouncing it, begin to project your voice and pronounce the words in even more exaggerated ways. This will help you hone your skills and strengthen the mouth muscles that are used for speech.
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Try some of the following tongue twisters to improve your clarity in speech:
- My grandfather's cockatoo knew your grandfather's cockatoo. (Repeat).
- Sit down, get the cork on the wall, Dung!. (Repeat).
- At times, the ants smiled at each other and shook hands with the ants who wanted to smile and shake hands with the ants.
Step 2. Read aloud
If you read a book or even just read the newspaper in the morning, practice reading it aloud. By doing this you will be able to get to know better how you sound when you speak. Often when we talk to other people, we don't really listen to ourselves or how we sound when we speak. By reading aloud in your own home, you can begin to listen to yourself and notice which parts you feel you speak less clearly.
You can also record yourself as you speak and then play it back while noting where you mumble or speak incoherently
Step 3. Practice speaking with a cork in your mouth
Many actors or voice actors perform this exercise to improve clarity and diction, especially when it comes to something like a Shakespeare play. By pinching the cork between your teeth and speaking out loud, you train your mouth to work harder to actually pronounce each syllable, and the cork will prevent your tongue from getting tangled when you say certain words.
- This exercise can tire your jaw, which will help you learn to relax it, but don't do it for too long so you don't get sore.
- You may also need to prepare a handkerchief as you will be drooling a lot with this method.
Step 4. Pay attention to the tone of the voice
Tone also plays a role in clarity and diction because it affects how you pronounce certain words.
- Are you giving a speech that aims to lift the spirits of others? They may have a hard time understanding you if you speak in a monotone and uninteresting tone.
- Your tone of voice, whether you're excited, informative, or casual in conversation, will affect how people listen to what you say, and can improve the clarity of your speech.
- Tone includes everything from your attitude when you speak to the pitch of your voice. Pay attention to how high or low your voice is when you speak.
Step 5. Avoid uptalk
Uptalk is the bad habit of ending statement sentences in a high pitched tone that makes you sound like you're asking a question.
- End your sentence with a strong and authoritative tone. Speak with declarative statements and build confidence.
- Often uptalk happens when we don't feel confident about what we're saying. Maybe someone asks you what your job is and you respond with “I'm a designer?” This is called uptalk and makes you sound almost apologetic. Instead, make your answers and statements your own. "I'm a designer."
Method 3 of 3: Train Your Muscles
Step 1. Do jaw exercises to improve the clarity of your speech
Relax your jaw to make your speech clearer with some practice.
- Make a wide chewing motion while humming slowly.
- Stretch all the muscles of your jaw and face. Open your mouth as wide as possible (as if you were about to yawn), while making circular and sideways movements of your jaw.
- Open your mouth wide, as in the previous exercise, then close it again. Repeat 5 times.
- Make a buzzing sound with your lips pursed, but don't grit your jaw.
Step 2. Pay attention to your posture
Just like breathing, your posture also plays a big role in the clarity of your speech, and we sometimes forget to take that into account.
- For the best clarity in speech, you should stand straight with your shoulders back and your weight evenly distributed.
- Do shoulder turns and standing side bends (standing straight and bending at the waist to the side) to help with your posture. This simple exercise will also help with your breathing, and you can even do a jaw-strengthening technique while stretching.
Step 3. Heat your vocal cords
Warming up your vocal cords will relax you and prepare your voice so you can speak clearly and effectively.
- Even if you don't like singing, you can sing scales (a collection of notes patterned in a combination of wholetones and semitones) or just hum. Try singing tongue twisters too.
- Say “Yuuuuuu!” with rising and falling tones. Think of your voice as a spinning ferris wheel.
- Hum and clap your chest. This can help get rid of any phlegm that may be stuck in your esophagus.
Step 4. Avoid talking through gritted teeth
- When you grit your teeth, you are actually causing yourself tension and that can be a sign that you are stressed. And speaking with your jaw clenched will prevent you from opening your mouth needed to pronounce words and speak clearly.
- If you find yourself clenching your jaw, do some kind of warm-up, and take the time to slowly inhale and then exhale by puffing out your cheeks, as if you were exhaling air from a balloon.
Step 5. Drink water
Your vocal cords are like a machine that should always be well oiled. Gargle with warm water added with a little salt to keep the vocal cords flexible. This helps relieve tension in the esophagus.
Tips
- Say “II” - Pull the corners of your lips back and say “Iiiiiiiiii….”
- Stay confident and relaxed when talking to anyone. This helps you improve clarity in your speech.
- You may feel a little strange or even amused while doing some of these exercises, but the more you practice them, the easier it will be and the results will be satisfying.
- Say “AU” – (like “Smell” – drop your jaw).
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Pronounce the following sounds in an exaggerated manner:
Aa ii uu ee oo
Kaa kii kuu to koo
Saa shi suu se so
Taa chii tsu tee too
Naa nii nuu ne noo
Haha hey hey hey
Maa mi muu me mo
Yaa yii yuu ye yo
Raa rii ruu re roo
Waa wi wuu we woo.
- Another exercise is to write a few sentences on a piece of paper, then underline the last letter of each word. As you read the paper, read the last letter in an exaggerated fashion, then pause for a few seconds. You can also add commas between multiple words to reduce your speed.
- Demosthenes, a Greek thinker, used to speak with pebbles in his mouth to reduce his stuttering. It might be worth trying something clean, safe and edible, like cookies or ice cubes. But be careful that you don't choke.
- Practice this vowel sound by adding any consonants like, “paa pau, poo, puu, pe pii, pai, so, so, soo, se, sii, sai..”
- Clear your head and just think about what you want to say to get rid of the thoughts that are worrying you. This is helpful if you have to give a public speech.
