The Voice and Public Speaking by John Poole Sandlands ~ Full Audiobook
Jan 18, 2024
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This podcast explores the importance of developing and adapting the voice for public speaking, the impact of imitation on vocal development, the significance of principles and the rhetorical art, the importance of proper breathing and gym exercises, the importance of articulation, key tones, and word grouping in public speaking, the essence of nerve force, the importance of natural and intelligent action, reflections on faith and education, the power of mental vision and association of ideas.
04:24:16
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Quick takeaways
Proper breathing and opening the mouth wide are essential for effective public speaking.
Maintaining a globular mouth position ensures clear articulation and pleasing delivery.
Practice exercises to develop the ability to switch between high, low, and middle key tones.
Having control over key tones allows for a greater range and variety in vocal presentation.
Consistent practice is essential for developing modulation and using key tones effectively.
To be a successful speaker, it is essential to have a clear and accurate conception of ideas and cultivate mental vision.
Deep dives
Importance of Proper Breathing
Proper breathing is crucial for effective speaking. Taking in deep inflations and exhaling slowly helps to strengthen the lungs and provides a steady supply of air for vocal production. Exercises such as breathing through the nostrils and holding the breath for several seconds can improve breath control. This practice ensures that the speaker has enough breath capacity to sustain long passages and prevents breathlessness while speaking.
The Significance of Opening the Mouth
Opening the mouth fully while speaking is essential for optimal voice projection. English speakers tend to have the habit of keeping their mouths almost closed, which restricts the natural flow of sound. By consciously opening the mouth wider, speakers can create a clearer and more resonant tone. This requires practice, and exercises like singing notes with the mouth fully open can help develop the habit of proper mouth placement.
Maintaining a Globular Mouth Position
In addition to opening the mouth, it is important to maintain a round and globular shape throughout the mouth, including the back of the tongue and the base of the throat. Avoiding lateral or perpendicular movements of the mouth ensures that sound can freely travel outward without obstruction. This results in a more pleasing and effective delivery.
Conclusion
Proper breathing and opening the mouth wide are essential for effective public speaking. By mastering these techniques and maintaining a globular mouth position, speakers can improve their voice projection, ensure clear articulation, and engage their audience more effectively.
Developing Key Tones
Practice exercises to develop the ability to switch between high, low, and middle key tones. Sing notes from memory and vary the pitch. Pay attention to articulating consonants sharply and elongating vowel sounds. Practice with a list of words and aim to hit the consonants precisely and make each word distinct. Once comfortable with these key tones, practice modulation by transitioning between them.
Importance of Key Tones
Having control over key tones in speaking allows for a greater range and variety in vocal presentation. It prevents a speaker from unconsciously rising in pitch and losing control and energy. Key tones should be chosen based on the content and character of the speech, and they contribute to the overall delivery and impact on the audience.
Continuous Practice
Consistent practice is essential for developing the key tones in speaking. Regularly practicing exercises that focus on pitch variation, articulation, and elongating sounds will help strengthen the voice and train the ear to distinguish different tones. With time and dedication, a speaker can master modulation and make use of key tones to enhance their delivery.
The Importance of Conveying Ideas Clearly
In order to be a successful speaker, it is essential to have a clear and accurate conception of ideas. The speaker must ensure that words accurately represent the intended ideas, and that word grouping is done effectively. This helps to give expression to thoughts in a way that is real and impactful.
The Significance of Nerve Force in Oratory
Nerve force, often referred to as the soul of oratory, is the power that infuses life and reality into a speaker's words. It is not something that can be taught, but rather something that the speaker must feel and exhibit. Nerve force is generated through a deep understanding and love for the subject matter, and it is crucial in captivating and engaging an audience.
Making Thought Yield Thought
To make thought yield thought, one must cultivate the mind and focus on ideas rather than words. This involves dissociating ideas from words and developing mental vision. By concentrating on ideas, allowing them to take root, and making connections between related thoughts, a speaker can generate a rich and fruitful flow of ideas. The importance of mental vision is illustrated by the ability to remember what we have truly seen, even without the aid of words. The cultivation of thought and the ability to see ideas apart from words provides fertile ground for generating and expanding upon thoughts.
Arranging and Linking Thoughts for Extemporaneous Speaking
For speakers who do not have the luxury of waiting for thoughts to naturally develop, and who draw upon existing thoughts or ideas, a technique for arranging and linking thoughts can be beneficial. One effective method involves dividing a sheet of paper into 12 squares and associating each square with a specific idea or thought. By localizing and visualizing thoughts within these squares, speakers can easily recall and present thoughts in a specific order. This technique capitalizes on the mind's natural ability to associate ideas, ensuring that each square triggers the corresponding thought. By familiarizing the mind with the association between squares and thoughts, speakers can confidently and seamlessly present their ideas in a coherent and organized manner.
The Voice and Public Speaking by John Poole Sandlands audiobook.
I write for public speakers. I wish to take them into my confidence. I feel I can do them good. My object is to help them to speak with greater ease and efficiency.
When the voice is developed and in a condition to answer the calls made upon it, then it will naturally seek to put its powers into operation.... Develop the powers of the voice and it will not be satisfied till it find scope for their exercise. This is a marvellous feature of the human voice, and yet, perhaps, it is more or less common to all the powers we possess. Whenever we develop a power, whatever it be, nothing gives us greater pleasure than the exercise of it. Every artist thinks his own art the most sublime. The painter prefers painting, and the musician music; yet there does seem a diviner charm and more real pleasure in exercising the powers of the voice. Holding the opinion as I do, that if the voice be developed it will perform its work aright, it will be my object to notice and dilate upon those principles which, when worked out,
