An American communications icon John Maxwell believes that there are a 4 things that an audience won’t forgive a speaker for ie to be unprepared, uncomfortable, uncommitted and to be uninteresting.

Vocal variety makes a speech more interesting therefore more listenable.

It is important how a speech is delivered otherwise people won’t listen to the words or won’t believe or be influenced by the words.

- People like English spoken with a French and Irish accent
- People don’t like a monotonous, tiresome, harsh sound

Psychologist Albert Mehrabian has shown that we are 5 times as likely to be influenced by voice than by the spoken words.

An American University (UCLA) research into communications showed that an audience is influenced by a speaker in the following percentages:

- Spoken Words 7 %
- Voice 38 %
- Body Language 55 %

ie Incredibly, Spoken Words account for only 7% of what will be believed.

So how you say the spoken words is vital, in order to get your message across and believed. Also an audience will be unimpressed if the speaker is not giving everything they’ve got ie with voice and body language / gestures (ie hand, facial and body)

A speaker’s voice and body gestures should match the spoken word. He/she should be speaking with everything that he/she has got eg enthusiasm, passion, sincerity, emotion with their voices and their gestures. For example say out loud:

This is what I believe

First say it with no with passion and secondly with passion in the voice and with fully body and facial gesture. Feel the difference. The audience will be influenced very little on the words alone.

It’s important to speak within your range of what is natural. If you want to expand the parameters of your range, exaggerate and be theatrical while speaking at a Speaking Club.

 The principal Elements of Vocal Variety are : Volume, Pace, Tone, Quality and Pause.
- A conversational style voice should be your base style from where you add variety.

Volume
- Different levels of volume can be used as follows:

- Loud: emphasis, excitement, climax, punch-line
- Normal: as the base level of your speech ie conversational style which is adequate for the audience to hear but not overpowering
- Quiet: conspiratorial, secrecy, contrast, intimacy
 

Pace

Different levels of pace can be used as follows:

- Fast: excitement, fast action
- Normal: as the base level of your speech ie conversational style which is approximately 125 – 160 words per minute which ensures full pronunciation
- Slow: contrast, clarity, relaxed, slow action
 

Tone (pitch)

The tone should reinforce the spoken words. Examples of different tones are: assertive manner, friendly manner, pleading manner, questioning manner. You can use different pitches as follows:

- High: excitement, assertive, fear
- Normal: deeper voices and conversation style are easier to listen to
- Low: tiredness, slow action, boredom
 

Quality

Experience increases confidence which serves to improve the voice.
Voice training exercises will improve the quality and pleasantness of your voice.
 

Pause (can be the most deafening sound of all)

- Before &/ particularly after when emphasising something
- Change of subject
- Suspense before the punchline
- Time for audience laughter

Speakers who have a naturally quiet voice may:

- Speak louder
- Speak more often to increase confidence and strength
- Speak in an assertive tone
- Speak with lots of vocal variety
- Carry out voice training exercises.

A Good Speaking Voice

A good speaking voice should have the following attributes:

1. The tone has a friendly, pleasant tone.
2. It is natural, reflecting the true personality and sincerity of the speaker.
3. It has life and vitality, even when it isn’t very loud.
4. It portrays various shades of meaning, never sounding monotonous or emotionless.
5. It is easy hear thanks to good volume and clear articulation.