Speaking clearly in business settings is an essential skill for everyone. Some people don't like the way they sound and others have to repeat themselves frequently. Learn about ten different problems many people encounter every day in business communications.
Copyright (c) 2008 Lynda Stucky
Here is the Top Ten List that indicates you may need some help developing your speaking skills in the work place.
1. You hear yourself on tape and you refuse to believe that it is you speaking. Believe it or not, the way you hear yourself on tape is the real you! When you hear yourself speaking from within yourself, you are hearing the vibrations of sound vibrate off of the bony structures of your head. It sounds different when you hear your voice "outside of yourself" on a tape-recorder.
2. People mistake you for the wrong age and the wrong sex. If this is happening to you, you are probably speaking with the wrong pitch!
3. You have to repeat yourself more than once or twice a day. You might be mumbling or speaking too softly. A foreign accent might also be interfering with the listener's understanding.
4. Your speech has caused people to laugh. Not a good thing at all! Hope this never happens to you. You might be "hypernasal" or sound like you are speaking through your nose.
5. Voice and speech skills can be detrimental to career advancement. This happens quite frequently since people climbing the corporate ladder are usually asked to spend more time in the public eye. Employers want a polished-looking representative of their company.
6. You've received negative feedback somewhere. Did you ever give a speech and your written feedback was that people couldn't hear you or understand you? That's a miserable feeling if you receive this kind of feedback. Besides, you probably worked very hard at creating the perfect presentation.
7. You refrain from public speaking because it is terrifying. An easy solution to feeling comfortable speaking in front of a group is to get in front of a group more often! The best place to do that is at a Toastmasters Club (most cities have them) where the purpose is to practice speaking in front of groups. Club members have the same goal as you!
8. The area of the country where you live is identifiable by your speech dialect. Being identified by your regional accent isn't necessarily a bad thing. However, some regional accents have a negative image and make the speaker sound uneducated. How is the accent of your region perceived?
9. Your voice tires during the day or you lose your voice completely. Not a good sign if you lose your voice completely. You may be harming your vocal cords by speaking too frequently, too loudly, or at the wrong pitch. Good voice care (or vocal hygiene) can make all the difference maintaining symptom-free voicing especially for heavy voice users!
10. You emotions show through your voice. What pushes your hot buttons and how do you do talking about these issues in public? Employees in the public eye need to be careful about showing their emotions in public. Many company spokespersons need to pass this test before being put in front of a camera. An essential skill that can be developed is voice control!
Can You Hear Me Now?
Being able to project the voice to a loud enough level so that even the people in the back of the room can hear you, is a common problem. Short of yelling, there are several things that you can manipulate to naturally project better without hurting your vocal cords. If you don't suffer from any physical problems, here are two common reasons for not being able to project well and what you can do about it.
Do You Fumble on This Important Skill?
Americans use idioms and expressions on a daily basis in nearly every conversation. It comes natural to us and we don't even think twice about using them. If you're a native English speaker from the U.S., you probably understand most of these figures of speech. . But for most people from another country, these expressions can be very confusing. Here are some helpful hints for both native and non-native English speakers.
Why Doesn't Buick Rhyme with Quick?
The English language is confusing especially for foreigners trying to live here in the United States. Even with high level English skills, the meaning of humor, idioms and expressions will be lost on them.
