Speaking Under Pressure
When you are speaking in a particular situation or with a particular person where you are fearful, anxious, uncertain, or doubtful about what to say or how to respond, inevitably some quality in your voice is likely to change.
In this blog, I recommend improving the eight most common vocal symptoms listed below so you can focus on showing up with confidence.
Effects of nervousness on speech and voice
Frequently discussed in numerous articles and studies, the effects of nervousness on speech and voice are undisputed.
The vocal symptoms listed below, in general, are attributed to a heightened state of alert due to the fight or flight, stress response. The most common symptoms that make it very difficult for your listeners to hear you and understand what you are saying include:
- Fast rate of speech
- Low voice volume
Subsequent to speaking too fast and too low, speakers often experience
- Rapid heart rate and shallow breathing
- Shaky voice
- Filler words
- Forgetting what you planned to say
- Overthinking your delivery
- Dry mouth
How to improve your vocal delivery while speaking under pressure
To create lasting change in your voice delivery improvement efforts, it’s important to know what you need to change.
Improving your vocal voice, rate, quality, and tone is not a one size fit all process. Completing the questionnaire is the first step to identify specifics about how your voice falters under pressure. Gaining awareness about what you need to focus on will provide you the opportunity to seek out the vocal coaching resources that fit best with your learning style and budget.
To schedule a free consult, click Laura’s scheduling link or visit the memphisspeech.com Home page.
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