Shouting or high volume is not an automatic indication of confidence or competence in public speaking. There are situations when the mood calls for a sombre tone throughout.
A good speaker must learn to manage the tone and volume of their voice. Typically, you may need to vary your vocal output a number of times in the same speech to maintain audience interest and involvement.
You will need to drop your voice to a whisper at critical points in the speech for maximum effect. Imagine the effect of sharing a personal testimony of a radical transformation and at the point of describing your lowest ebb, saying softly and slowly, “I woke up one morning and knew that unless something happened soon I would be staring at total disaster.”
As a rule, don’t allow your tone or pitch to become monotonous and don’t speak loud throughout the speech.
A CEO apologising for a management blunder that has led to share price falls, staff pensions being wiped out or labour retrenchments cannot afford to speak in an animated fashion. That would be totally inappropriate and insensitive. A sombre or solemn tone would be much more appreciated by the audience.
By: Albert Ocran
