More often than not the material you have selected for your Declamation piece will need to undergo alterations.  A majority of these will be made in the cutting process or in the early developments of your piece.  However, the time may arrive post-critique sheet where you realize that something in your piece does not work or could be better.  The idea of having to reformat your speech may annoy or intimidate you, but the results are well worth the effort.  If you are...

Every time I watch a Declamation round, I am reminded that hand gestures are fascinating. They can be extremely powerful, and many times they convey more than words can express – consider the scenes in the movie "Mr. Holland's Opus" with American Sign Language. Even everyday usage of gestures combined with speech is meaningful; a wave hello is very different from a wave goodbye. And the meanings even vary by region – did you know that giving someone a thumbs-up in...

Just like how your folks must have motivated you to be successful in personal life and professional life, your employees, students or your team members would need some guidance and inspiration. If you had decided to hire motivational keynote speakers to your campus, then you are at the right place. You can heap your hopes of rejuvenating your people's mind when you hire keynote speakers for the next nearest get-together, meeting, and conference. Your thought of seeking the help of such...

Have you been sick and tired of always having butterflies in your stomach whenever you're going to deliver a speech in public? Do you want to finally conquer your fears in public speaking because you want to become proud of yourself in delivering a good speech to everyone? Being able to deliver a great and effective speech can be indeed challenging. However, you shouldn't lose hope because just like anyone else, you can still see yourself as a great public speaker anytime soon. Thanks...

Have you been nervous for so long about speaking in public because you feel that you'll get embarrassed if you deliver a speech in a huge crowd? Do you want to conquer your fear in public speaking because you want to make yourself more confident regarding speech delivery for good? Being able to conquer your fear in public speaking is very important because it will be one of the many ways that can help you reach your goals. Don't worry anymore because you can still see improvements on...

The verbally facile among us were not born with the ability to think and speak fluidly. Their skill is the respond of practice and a desire to appear articulate and in control. Here are three ways to practice your quick-thinking skills so you can appear more verbally fluid yourself.

ODD QUESTIONS

Print out the following questions and cut them apart, trying not to look at the actual words. A week later, turn on your tape records, take on of the questions, and respond to it....

Torture is sitting through a long-winded speech in which the presenter is staring at his/her notes on the lectern, focused entirely on reading to the audience. My feeling is that if you are going to read something to me – and I'm not attending a reading at the library or Barnes and Noble – then why not copy it, pass it out, and we can all go home or back to work. Better yet, email it to me!

Public speaking means communicating with your audience. It is a live venue, the...

The Best Mans Speech. If you're the best man then no doubtedly you may need an idea of what to say with your Best Mans Speech. Should you not, then you could possibly have a tricky responsibility upon your hands.

Here is a good one liner to say in your opening speech:

"Being asked to be the best man - is
like being asked to sleep with the queen.

It's a honor...... but no one wants to do it!"

Now that ought to soften up the...

While everyone recognizes a nasal voice in which excessive sound is traveling through the nose while speaking, many are unaware of the opposite extreme known as denasality.  When you are congested or if you suffer from allergies, often the result is a voice in which little or no sound is able to be carried through the nasal passages because they are inflamed and swollen.

Recently I spoke to a young man named Jason whose voice exhibited both characteristics. In addition, the...

Through my many years in the voice business, I have learned more from my clients than any book or theory on voice. What has been extremely fascinating is what I have discovered as to why we sound the way we sound. It didn't start out as study, rather it is the years I spent listening to my clients and asking them one specific question, "Do you sound like your mom or your dad?" Just like fingerprints, voices are very individual: no two are exactly alike but they can be very...