Keep Your Normal Conversation Tone Voice - Public Speaking Tips

Now, a lot of speakers are comfortable when they're in the zone. They're talking to maybe five, 10, maybe 20 people in a room. They're conversational. They sound like they're just talking to a couple of people. Their voice, it's rich, it's fluid. There's nothing phony or contrived about it. Everything's good. But what happens when the audience grows? Instead of 5, 10, 20 people, you're in front of a hundred people or 300 people. Well, typically, you're not just thrown to the wolves. You're given a microphone. But we've all seen speakers do this. They have the microphone, and instead of saying to people, well, our sales are up 15% this year. Everything's going well. They do it like this. I'm happy to report our sales are up 15% this year. Well, why are they doing that? They're practically yelling. It's too loud. It's flat, it's boring, it's monotone. And if you're in the audience, it's sort of. It's just uncomfortable. The person speaking to you seems contrived, seems phony. Now, why are they doing that? It's because it's human nature. When we see people far away from us, we're used to speaking louder. If you're at a football game and you're yelling at your buddy 20 rows down, hey, Jim, we're over here. Or you're yelling at the coach because you don't like him, then you're really projecting because you're hoping your voice gets there, there. But if you're in a room and you're wearing a microphone, your voice is being amplified. You don't have to do it. So sometimes you have to fight your natural instincts and realize, okay, that person is way in the back of the room, but I'm still going to speak like I'm talking to one person right here. That way you can still seem comfortable, relaxed, and conversational. And you know what? It's easier for you, and it's so much easier and more pleasant for your audience. So remember, when you're mic'd, keep that normal conversational tone of voice just like you're speaking to one or two people.