How to speak propah!
Discussion
I work in finance and technology. I'm at level now (director) where I work with a lot of people who have been privately educated. They have a way and manner of speaking that I am very jealous of. It's a number of things, the pace they speak at, the clarity and eloquence of their speech, the ability to pause and take breath at the right place. I have a tendency to speak quickly, which I have always worked on, and I can't control the pace of a conversation the way some can, just by pausing at the right time, or whatever they do.
I have a deep technical understanding, and that tends to give me gravitas when I speak, but I don't naturally have it by the way I speak. When I want to be clear, I have to almost concentrate on enunciation, making sure I pronounce the words and letters clearly and fully. Is there a way to improve this? I have looked at elocution lessons, but they all seemed aimed at people from overseas, trying to improve their English accents, or people with speech issues.
Many thanks
I have a deep technical understanding, and that tends to give me gravitas when I speak, but I don't naturally have it by the way I speak. When I want to be clear, I have to almost concentrate on enunciation, making sure I pronounce the words and letters clearly and fully. Is there a way to improve this? I have looked at elocution lessons, but they all seemed aimed at people from overseas, trying to improve their English accents, or people with speech issues.
Many thanks
Moominho said:
I work in finance and technology. I'm at level now (director) where I work with a lot of people who have been privately educated. They have a way and manner of speaking that I am very jealous of. It's a number of things, the pace they speak at, the clarity and eloquence of their speech, the ability to pause and take breath at the right place. I have a tendency to speak quickly, which I have always worked on, and I can't control the pace of a conversation the way some can, just by pausing at the right time, or whatever they do.
I have a deep technical understanding, and that tends to give me gravitas when I speak, but I don't naturally have it by the way I speak. When I want to be clear, I have to almost concentrate on enunciation, making sure I pronounce the words and letters clearly and fully. Is there a way to improve this? I have looked at elocution lessons, but they all seemed aimed at people from overseas, trying to improve their English accents, or people with speech issues.
Many thanks
Elocution lessons. Possibly seek out someone who coaches in the performing arts.I have a deep technical understanding, and that tends to give me gravitas when I speak, but I don't naturally have it by the way I speak. When I want to be clear, I have to almost concentrate on enunciation, making sure I pronounce the words and letters clearly and fully. Is there a way to improve this? I have looked at elocution lessons, but they all seemed aimed at people from overseas, trying to improve their English accents, or people with speech issues.
Many thanks
Failing that, just slow down and be yourself. Communicating well is more than just sounding plummy.
But I agree that speaking well is an attractive quality and people respond differently towards someone who does.
You don’t need to have a posh accent, just a decent vocabulary and the ability to keep your brain ahead of your mouth, this often means slowing your speech down. It gets easier with practice and I found public speaking helped.
Get yourself an executive coach, a good one will whip you into shape in no time.
Get yourself an executive coach, a good one will whip you into shape in no time.
Moominho said:
I have a deep technical understanding, and that tends to give me gravitas when I speak, but I don't naturally have it by the way I speak.
I think you're right to try and address the issue. In my experience, sounding and looking like you know what you're talking about is 90% of the battle. Actually knowing what you're talking about is 10%. The higher you go up an industry hierarchy, the better they look and sound, but the less they know.
Record yourself explaining something, listen back, think about how to improve that and then record it again?
Actual lessons sounds sensible but realistically that's just surely going to be someone telling you to practice speaking more slowly and as wormus says, keep your brain ahead of your mouth.
Video yourself explaining something, upload it to youtube (privately), play it back at quarter speed or whatever to get a feel of what to mimic perhaps?
Actual lessons sounds sensible but realistically that's just surely going to be someone telling you to practice speaking more slowly and as wormus says, keep your brain ahead of your mouth.
Video yourself explaining something, upload it to youtube (privately), play it back at quarter speed or whatever to get a feel of what to mimic perhaps?
wormus said:
You don’t need to have a posh accent, just a decent vocabulary and the ability to keep your brain ahead of your mouth, this often means slowing your speech down. It gets easier with practice and I found public speaking helped.
Get yourself an executive coach, a good one will whip you into shape in no time.
I think this is what I need, an executive coach. Also agree with others and the suggestion of Toastmasters and public speaking. Weirdly, I'm not a bad public speaker, as when I have an audience I do tend to consciously slow myself down and speak clearly. It's more in meetings with senior people all trying to get their point across.Get yourself an executive coach, a good one will whip you into shape in no time.
TwigtheWonderkid said:
Moominho said:
I have a deep technical understanding, and that tends to give me gravitas when I speak, but I don't naturally have it by the way I speak.
I think you're right to try and address the issue. In my experience, sounding and looking like you know what you're talking about is 90% of the battle. Actually knowing what you're talking about is 10%. The higher you go up an industry hierarchy, the better they look and sound, but the less they know.
Something to consider is what do you want to SAY? Not what words to use, or how to pronounce them, or when to pause.
When you've finished speaking, what is the information or idea that you want the other person to have in their head?
Then what words do you use to transfer that information as succintly and clearly as possible?
Those ideas about an acting-style vocal coach are interesting. I guess everything is a performance to a degree, or trying to affect the other person (either to make them cry at a sad scene, or to make them understand how your thing works). Could singing help? Even just conciously singing along in the car or a bit of bedroom guitar. It would make you concious of what your saying, the pace, tone, anunciation, etc.
OP, if you want to change how you speak, I would advise seeking out a professional coach, rather than trying to work it out yourself. It's too easy to sound false, which is counter-productive when trying to communicate better.
Received pronunciation isn't for everyone, and communicating well but with a regional accent can be quite effective.
Louis Balfour said:
OP, if you want to change how you speak, I would advise seeking out a professional coach, rather than trying to work it out yourself. It's too easy to sound false, which is counter-productive when trying to communicate better.
Received pronunciation isn't for everyone, and communicating well but with a regional accent can be quite effective.
I'd be happy to. Finding one isn't easy though. Received pronunciation isn't for everyone, and communicating well but with a regional accent can be quite effective.
I've worked in technology for most of my career and am told that I speak in the way that you describe. It's mostly foreigners who say I am very easy to understand, while some of my colleagues who have regional accents are more difficult for them. My british colleagues say that I sound "posh" or like Kate Middleton. However, many people have asked whether I am American, which seems completely at odds with that. I was brought up in a very middle middle class environment and was privately educated until university.
Believe it or not I'm quite self-conscious about the way I sound and in certain circumstances I catch myself trying to sound a little more urban - for example when dealing with tradesmen or garages, and I don't know why.
I would suggest reading passages of Oscar Wilde slowly and deliberately. His works contain many turns of phrase which are no longer in common usage, and as such they won't roll of the tongue in quite the same way that anything more recent might. And that's a good thing, because it will force you to read carefully - otherwise you'll trip up. And better still, it's all out of copyright and therefore freely available.
Here's The Picture of Dorian Gray to get you started:
https://www.gutenberg.org/files/174/174-h/174-h.ht...
Believe it or not I'm quite self-conscious about the way I sound and in certain circumstances I catch myself trying to sound a little more urban - for example when dealing with tradesmen or garages, and I don't know why.
I would suggest reading passages of Oscar Wilde slowly and deliberately. His works contain many turns of phrase which are no longer in common usage, and as such they won't roll of the tongue in quite the same way that anything more recent might. And that's a good thing, because it will force you to read carefully - otherwise you'll trip up. And better still, it's all out of copyright and therefore freely available.
Here's The Picture of Dorian Gray to get you started:
https://www.gutenberg.org/files/174/174-h/174-h.ht...
Moominho said:
Louis Balfour said:
OP, if you want to change how you speak, I would advise seeking out a professional coach, rather than trying to work it out yourself. It's too easy to sound false, which is counter-productive when trying to communicate better.
Received pronunciation isn't for everyone, and communicating well but with a regional accent can be quite effective.
I'd be happy to. Finding one isn't easy though. Received pronunciation isn't for everyone, and communicating well but with a regional accent can be quite effective.
Moominho said:
Louis Balfour said:
I am pretty confident that you cannot swing a cat in London without hitting a voice coach. Have you Googled "Voice Coach London"?
Agreed. But the ones I am finding are more to do with fixing speech problems or helping people for whom English is a second language. https://www.rachelpreecevoicecoach.com/
https://www.londonspeechworkshop.com/our-courses/e...
http://www.londonvoicecoaching.co.uk/
https://atticusspeech.com/home/voice-coach-service...
https://www.woodhouse-voice.co.uk/
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