Sign-up now for a free crash course in how to learn Mandarin!Control your breath. Listen to a singer or watch him on stage and you’ll see how much he pays attention to his breathing. Mick Jagger wouldn't be able to run up and down a stage while belting “You Can’t Always Get What You Want” if he didn’t know how to breathe properly. The same goes for speaking, and proper breathing can greatly improve your speech clarity.
One way to ensure that you’re getting proper breaths is to put one hand on your belly and one on your chest while breathing. You want the hand on your belly to move while your chest stays in place. Breathing with your belly ensures that you get a true full breath that will allow you speak with a full voice.
Speak at the top of your breath. Once you’ve inhaled properly, begin speaking and think about your words as your breath slowly and steadily leaves you. This allows your breath to support your words and will allow you to naturally take your time.
Don't rush when speaking. Talk deliberately, but not so slow that you sound like a robot.
Oftentimes, speaking in public can make people nervous. If you find yourself nervous and rushing, try to remember that it’s ok to slow down. If you are breathing correctly this will help you stay calm and parse out your words.
Also keep in mind that people want to hear what you have to say. Your words have value, so give them a chance to hear them.
The human ear can pick up on a lot very quickly but by making sure that you finish each word completely before starting the next one, you’ll create enough space between words so that everyone can understand you properly.
Swallow excess saliva. Saliva left in the mouth can result in mumbling and distortion of consonants such as "S" and "K".
Taking a moment to swallow will not only keep your mouth clear, but it will give you time to pause and breathe again.
Take a moment to swallow when you finish a sentence or thought, not during the middle of a sentence. This will also give you a moment to prepare what you're going to say next.
Know what you are going to say. Whether you’re giving a public speech or just having a casual , taking at least a moment before speaking to know what you are going to say will help you speak with clarity and prevent you from talking too fast.
Clarity isn’t just about forming words properly, it’s also about getting your message or point of view out as precisely as possible. Oftentimes this means knowing what you want to say so you don’t have to backtrack or fill in your sentences with “um”, “like”, or “uh”.
Walk it out. If you have to
and are giving a presentation of some kind you have probably written down at least an outline of your speech. Practice your speech while walking around.
Some actors will use this method to memorize their lines, as getting up and moving can help you remember what you need to say. Practice your speech and say one word for every step you take.
This may seem arduous and slow, but by taking one step for every word you’ll learn to slow down. You don’t have to speak this slowly in your speech or normal conversations but being able to feel comfortable going at a slower pace will improve your speech clarity and allow you to further take your time.
Repeat words that are hard to say. When we have a hard time pronouncing certain words we often speed up and try to stumble through them resulting in muddled speech. Practice saying these words aloud over and over again until you build the muscle memory to pronounce them correctly.
Words like “Squirrel”, “Brewery”, “Phenomenon”, and “February” are considered some of the hardest words to pronounce in the English language because they may be spelled unlike they sound.
To help you learn to pronounce difficult words try spelling the words out phonetically.
Once you feel comfortable with trouble words you will be able to speak with confidence and take your time.
Try tongue twisters.
are a great way to improve your speech clarity as mastering them will allow you learn how to keep your voice clear and speak with confidence. Many actors and public speakers will practice tongue twisters before going on stage to warm their voices up.
Start off slowly and gradually build up until you can say them at a normal conversational speed. When speaking them, exaggerate the words, making your tongue, jaw, and lips work hard. As you become surer of them, begin to project your voice and exaggerate the words more. This helps you gain skill and strengthens the muscles in your mouth for speech.
Try some of these tongue twisters to improve your speech clarity:
You know New York, you need New York, you know you need unique New York. (Repeat).
Red leather, yellow leather. (Repeat).
While we were walking, we were watching window washers wash Washington's windows with warm washing water.
Read aloud. If you’re reading a book or even just the news in the morning, practice reading it out loud. Doing this will help you become more familiar with how you sound when you speak. Oftentimes when we are talking to people we aren’t really listening to ourselves and how we sound. By reading something out loud in the comfort of your own home you can begin to listen to yourself and pay attention to areas where you may not speak clearly.
You can also record yourself talking and then play it back while taking note of where you may mumble or not speak clearly.
Practice speaking with a cork in your mouth. Many actors and voice actors do this exercise to increase clarity and diction, especially when it comes to something like Shakespeare.By putting a cork between your teeth and speaking aloud you train your mouth to work extra hard to really pronounce every syllable, and the cork will also prevent your tongue from tripping you up on certain words.
This exercise can tire your jaw, which will help you learn to relax it, but you shouldn’t do this for too long so you don’t get sore.
You may also want to have a napkin with you as you produce a lot of saliva with this method.
Pay attention to tone. Tone also plays into clarity and diction as it can affect how you pronounce certain words.
Are you giving a speech that is supposed to excite people? They may have a harder time understanding you if you are monotone or disinterested.
Your tone, whether you're excited, informative, or conversational will affect how people pay attention to your speech, and can improve your clarity.
Tone is everything from your attitude when speaking to the pitch of your voice. Take note of how high or low your voice is when speaking.
Avoid uptalk. Uptalk is that nasty habit of ending your sentences with an upward inflection that makes you sound like you’re asking a question.
End your sentences on a strong note with authority. Speak with declarative statements and invoke confidence.
A lot of times uptalk happens when we don’t feel confident in what we are saying. Maybe someone asks you what you do and you respond with “I’m a designer?” This is uptalk and it makes you sound almost apologetic. Instead, own your response and statements. “I’m a designer.”
Practice jaw exercises to enhance clarity of speech.
to make your speech a lot clearer with some exercises.
Make wide chewing motions while humming gently.
Stretch every muscle in your jaw and face. Open your mouth as wide as possible (as if you were about to yawn), while moving your jaw in circles, and sideways.
Open your mouth wide, as in the previous exercise, and shut it again. Repeat 5 times.
Make a buzzing sound with your lips together, but don’t clench your jaw.
Watch your posture. Just like breathing, your posture plays a large role in your speech clarity, and it’s something that we sometimes forget to take into account.
For best speech clarity you should stand straight with your shoulders back and your weight evenly distributed.
Do some shoulder rolls and standing side bends to help with your posture.These simple exercises will also help you with your breathing, and you can even do your jaw strengthening techniques while you stretch.
Warm your vocal chords. Doing
will loosen you up and prepare your voice so you can speak clearly and effectively.
Even if you’re not singing, you can do some scales or just hum. Try singing your tongue twisters too.
Do some “Whooos!” going up and down. Picture your voice like a ferris wheel going round and round.
Hum and pat your chest. This can help knock out any phlegm you may have.
Avoid speaking with clenched teeth.
When you clench your teeth you’re causing a lot of strain on yourself and it can be a sign of stress. And speaking with a clenched jaw will prevent you from opening your mouth enough to enunciate and speak clearly.
If you find yourself clenching your jaw, practice some of the warmups, and take a moment to take a deep breath slowly exhaling by letting your breath buff your cheeks out, as if you’re letting air out of a balloon.
Stay hydrated. Your vocal chords are like a machine that needs to stay well oiled. Gargle some lukewarm water with a pinch of salt to keep them limber. This helps relieve tension in the throat.
I have to do a presentation. It's a written on a paper though. But when ever I say significant, I either rush or don't say it properly. It'll sound like "sig-fint". How do I fix that?
wikiHow Contributor
Try to say the word slowly, syllable by syllable, like, ''sig-ni-fi-cant.'' Improve each syllable individually then try to join them together.
I have stammering problem. Is this useful for me to clear my speech?
wikiHow Contributor
You can do this, and also try talking to people you know or in front of the mirror while making exaggerated mouth movements. Another way is to sing the words out confidently while pretending to be in front of a theater audience.
How can I reduce stage fear when I go on the stage?
wikiHow Contributor
Breathe in for four counts, hold for two counts, then breathe out through your mouth. Don't focus on how you might mess up -- think about something that makes you happy. See further: .
How can I improve my pronunciation of words?
Speak one word at a time, slowly. You can get someone to repeat words in slow motion, then you can repeat it back to train yourself.
When I speak larger words like 'exasperated' or 'ecologically', the E sounds weird to me. Why and how can I improve it ?
wikiHow Contributor
This normally happens if your accent causes you to pronounce the E in an unusual way. Try exercises like "eeeeeee", "eh", and "ah-eeh-i-oh-ugh", then try the words again. Listen to how others in your part of the world say the words using online videos and audio, then copy them.
Can I use these methods when learning how to sing?
wikiHow Contributor
Certainly! Many singers actually use many of these methods, even when they are already experienced. Practicing diction and exercising your facial muscles is especially important. For more information, refer to the sections in this article on "Improving Your Diction" and "Exercising Your Muscles."
How can I improve my speaking so that I don't speak so fast?
Take a deep breath and envision the words you're about to say one by one. Clearly pronounce each one, one at a time. Practice and you'll soon get better!
Can talking with pencil in mouth help to improve clarity?
wikiHow Contributor
Possibly, give it a try.
I have difficulty pronouncing "S." Is there a way to improve it?
wikiHow Contributor
Try to position your tongue in different ways so you can pronounce it more clearly -- for example, near your canines or at the front of your teeth etc. If it's only one letter that is hard to pronounce and if these tips don't work, then concentrate on the rest of the word because as long as the person you're speaking to can understand the word your saying, despite your lisp, that's fine.
How do I stop pausing so much when I'm speaking in front of a lot of people?
wikiHow Contributor
Try to take some time before speaking to really consider and understand what exactly you want to say. If you're confident in what you're saying, you shouldn't need to pause so much.
Will these help if I have braces? (and a terrible lisp)
How do I stop stuttering?
I have a hard time pronouncing the letter "w". How can I improve my pronunciation?
How to make my voice louder audible and not monotonous?
When in the time of the day are tongue twisters best to practice? Will it be all right every midnight or should it be every early in the morning?
200 characters left
Say "EE"-Pull the corners of your lips back and say "Eeeeee...."
Be confident and stay relaxed while talking to anyone. That helps you to get more clarity in your speech.
You may feel a little weird or even amused while doing some of these exercises, but the more you practice them, the easier and rewarding it will become
Say "AW"- (like "Arkansas" -- drop the jaw).
Say these sounds very exaggeratedly:
Aa ee oo ei oh
Kaa kee koo kay koh
Saa she soo say so
Taa chee tsu tay toh
Naa nee noo nay noh
Haa hee hoo hay ho
Maa me moo may mo
Yaa yee yoo yay yo
Raa ree roo ray roh
Waa we woo way woe.
Another exercise is to write a few sentences on a piece of paper, then underline the last letter of each word. When you read the paper, exaggerate the last letter, then pause for a few seconds. You could also put commas between a lot of the words to slow you down.
Demosthenes, a Greek thinker, used to speak with pebbles in his mouth to improve his stuttering. It might be worth trying with something clean, safe and edible, such as cookies or ice cubes. Just be careful so you don’t choke.
Practice these vowel sounds by adding any consonant like,"paa paw poh poo pay pee pie, saw saw soh soo say see sigh.."
Clear your head and just think about what you are about to say to clear out worrying thoughts. This helps for public speeches.
Try to understand what you're saying! Feel the strength of voice, it's make you strong to speak in front of a large amount of people.
When working the jaw and mouth, don't push yourself so far that you hurt yourself. If you feel pain, relax your face a bit.
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"My speech problems began when I developed essential tremor at age 30, and had brain surgery to implant a device which sends electric signals to various muscle groups, designed to ameliorate tremors in my head, neck, and hands. Unfortunately, treatment of the tremors, though effective, caused a reaction in my mouth and tongue leading to a troubling amount of dysarthria. I had a course of speech therapy at a famous medical clinic, but the instructions in your article are so much better. Speaking with a cork between my teeth is the most effective treatment for my particular problem of being unable to enunciate clearly what I want to say. After only one short session with the cork I felt a significant improvement. My sincerest thanks for posting this article."..."
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"I want to be able to speak clearly, because I get nervous often and start mumbling! The tongue twisters were not only fun, but they help me pay attention to how I'm pronouncing words."..."
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VOA慢速英语：通过训练你的耳朵来提高你的发音
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Improve Your Pronunciation by Training Your Ears
, this is the .
Many English learners work hard to improve their pronunciation skills.
If you are not making as much progress as you'd hoped, you are not alone. You may be surprised to know that a number of teachers do not know how to effectively teach this skill.
Judy Gilbert is a pronunciation expert. She has written many books on the subject.
A few years ago, Gilbert gave a talk at the New School, a private university in New York City. She explained that, for the past 50 years, most English language teachers have not been trained to teach pronunciation.
For years, teachers mainly demonstrated the pronunciation of individual sounds, such as the &wh& sound in the word &what.& But individual sounds are only one part of pronunciation, as we noted in an earlier Education Tips story. Other elements include rhythm, intonation, and stress & the loudness you give to part or all of a word or words.
These qualities together make up the system of spoken English. In everyday speech, some words and sounds are almost always pronounced fully and clearly, while others are reduced and less clear.
William Stout teaches English as Foreign Language at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. He has been leading pronunciation workshops for 10 years.
He says the goal in improving your pronunciation should be communicating to be easily understood, not removing your accent, which is often difficult or impossible.
Learning how to listen
Stout says one of the most important things you can do to improve your pronunciation is to learn how to listen to English effectively. And, a big part of doing this is to recognize and understand reduced English words when you hear them.
Stout says his pronunciation workshops mainly center on training his students' ears to listen for these things.
&Someone might say, 'What do you want to get him for his birthday?' And in this case, even beginner students can usually hear the content words -- what, get, birthday & and they can guess the meaning. But the words in between are reduced.&
And you can hear how some words join together to sound almost like one word. For example, the words &get him& sound like &geddum.& The letter &h& in &him& disappears and the vowel sound in that word is shortened. And the letter &t& in &get& changes to a &d& sound.
In everyday speech, some words are almost always reduced. These words can include pronouns, helping verbs (such as &can& or &do&), conjunctions, articles and prepositions.
Other parts of speech are almost always pronounced clearly, such as nouns, verbs, adjectives and adverbs.
Stout says that knowing these rules can help you train your ears more effectively. And, this can help you reproduce the sounds of everyday English speech so that you are more easily understood.
Using songs, limericks, and jazz chants
Stout enjoys using songs and song-like material in his classes. These things reproduce the natural rhythm, intonation, and stress of conversational English.
Listening to songs, says Stout, can help speed up your progress.
&I think songs are a nice way to practice and I've found that students who like to sing in English generally improve their pronunciation very quickly.&
In class, he plays a song or other example of natural speech, and asks students to write down what they hear. Then, the class talks about which words were reduced and how.
Listen for reduced words and sounds in this limerick:
There was an old man from Tarentum
Who ground his false teeth &til he bent them.
When they asked him the cost
Of what he had lost,
He said, &I can&t say, 'cuz I rent them.&
Did you notice the reductions? There are many. One example is the dropped &h& in the pronouns &his,& &him& and &he.& Note that the word &'til& means &until& and &'cuz& means &because.& In English conversation, Americans often shorten the words just as the limerick does.
Stout also uses jazz chants, a method popularized by book author and songwriter Carolyn Graham.
Listen for the stressed words in this jazz chant:
Where does John live?
He lives near the bank.
Where does he work?
He works at the bank.
When does he work?
He works all day and he works all night.
It's a bank. It's a bank. It's a great, big bank.
Here are two suggestions for using these methods.
Tip #1: Start now
William Stout says as you listen to fast-paced English in songs, films, and other natural speech, try to notice all of the words that are reduced. Then&.
&&work on imitating just one phrase or a sentence several times. But my main advice is not to wait. And you can improve your pronunciation at all levels of proficiency&and the sooner you start to notice the patterns of English pronunciation, the sooner you're going to improve. And, that way, you don't develop bad pronunciation habits that are hard to change over time.&
Tip #2: Take chances
Stout advises that you let go of the fear of not sounding like &yourself& when you're practicing English conversation.
&A big part of how we define ourselves, a big part of our identity, is in the way we talk, the way we sound. But, sometimes, we just need to take on a new personality in the way we speak in a different language and we should just take chances. I think that's an important aspect is being willing to take chances and sound different to yourself.&
And again, improving your pronunciation is not about completely removing your accent.
&I find that most Americans like to hear an accent & so long as they can easily understand what the person is saying.&
Remember, the goal is to be understood & not to sound like a native English speaker.
I'm Phil Dearking.
And I'm Alice Bryant.
Alice Bryant wrote this story for . George Grow was the editor.
Which words in the limerick are reduced? Which words in the jazz chant are emphasized? Write your responses in the comments section.
________________________________
Words in This Story
pronunciation - n. the way in which words are said
rhythm - n. a regular, repeated pattern of sounds or movements
intonation - n. the rise and fall in the sound of your voice when you speak
content - n. the ideas, facts, or images that are in a book, article, speech, movie, etc.
ground - v. to crush or break something into very small pieces by rubbing it against a rough surface or using a special machine
bend - v. to use force to cause something to become curved
pattern - n. the regular and repeated way in which something happens or is done
habit - n. something that a person does often in a regular and repeated way
aspect - n. a part of something
accent - n. a way in which a group of people says a word or words
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