Le Mot Juste Linguistics Blog

What are the definite objectives toward which every speaker should work so that he may be assured that he has a dear speaking voice and is using that vocal mechanism properly? Some of these objectives are:

By clear speech is meant production of the voice so that it is distinct, intelligible, unobstructed, and plainly audible we recognize that same quality when we use the phrase “a clear mind,” and we sense the same feeling when, after ft cold, we say we have “a clear head.” This clear voice comes through the vocal apparatus with that same free unobstructed passage as our thoughts when the mind is unclouded or as our breath when the nasal passages are open.

Wendell Phillips, American orator, said of one speaker, “I seemed to hear his voice reverberating and re-echoing back to London from the Rocky Mountains … all the while no effort — he seemed only breathing.”

Every time you speak to anyone, the impression which you make depends directly upon your voice and the manner in which you use it. We are judged quite as much by the way in which we speak as by what we have to say. To a very great extent the success or failure of our relationships with others is determined by our skill or lack of skill in speaking. If you speak effectively, you can immediately gain and hold the attention of your listeners. If you use your voice well, you can create precisely the desired impression. Your voice is the instrument by means of which you can convey to your audience the importance, authority, and sincerity of your utterances and can indicate to them as well the breadth of your experience.