0355 – Reasons Why Some People Talk More Softly

2021.12.21 – 0355 – Reasons Why Some People Talk More Softly

There may be physical, psychological and social reasons someone speaks softly.

Physical:

·        Weakness in their vocal cords or breathing problems

·        Nerves can lead to a feeling that your vocal cords are ‘closing down’ – we looked at this previously – a mental attitude that can lead to tension and shallow breathing

·        Lack of practice! If someone has not spoken for a while, perhaps working from home, their voice may be easily strained on their return to the office.

Psychological

·        Lack of concentration on the topic or the listeners, or ‘reading the room’ can lead to mumbling.

·        Lack of confidence in the topic can lead to ideas being ‘thrown away’, and being said more softly

·        A quiet voice may be down to someone being self-conscious, perhaps about how they look, their face perhaps or their teeth, or maybe because the think their voice doesn’t suit them (it’s ‘too’ high or low), or perhaps because of a lisp

·        It could be down to stress or depression…

Social reasons

·        Perhaps coming from a quietly-spoken family, one where children were encouraged to be “seen and not heard”, perhaps some religious communities, or perhaps being a single child

·        Or coming from a large or loud family where siblings were so exuberant it was easier to stay schtum than to fight to be heard.

Audio recording script and show notes (c) 2021 Peter Stewart

Through these around-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. If you're wondering about how to start a podcast, or have had one for a while - download every episode!

And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE.

Look out for more details of the book during 2022.

Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart

Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. 

The podcast title refers to those who may wish to change their speaking voice in some way. It is not a suggestion that anyone should, or be pressured into needing to. We love accents and dialects, and are well aware that how we speak changes over time. The key is: is your voice successfully communicating your message, so it is being understood (and potentially being acted upon) by your target audience?

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.