Speak louder. Speak slower. Pay attention to that muscle, the diaphragm (see above). The more you pay attention to speaking from the diaphragm, the more likely the listener will be able to focus on the meaning of the information.
Speaking from the diaphragm allows the spoken sound to carry through to the end of the sentence. This is important since the new and important information of a sentence is at the end of a sentence. The listener needs to hear this information for processing the information with little or minimal effort.
Listen to the difference
Speakers speak either from the throat, the upper chest, or the diaphragm. Public speakers are often trained to speak from the diaphragm so that their message can be heard. Speaking from the diaphragm helps presenters speak more loudly and more slowly.
Listen to the short recordings below. Do you notice any differences?
Speaking from the throat
Speaking from the upper chest
http://communiclearglobal.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/Upper-Chest.mp3
Speaking from the diaphragm
http://communiclearglobal.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/Diaphragm.mp3
Develop awareness of where you are speaking from
As you are speaking, pay attention to where you are speaking from. Is the sound—the tension of where the sound is being produced—from the throat, upper chest, or diaphragm? If it is from the diaphragm, do you have more air, more power, to carry the sound more clearly to the end of the sentence? Are you louder? Slower? Clearer?
