Be the Best You Can Be

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Possibly the most frequently ignored aspect of speaking in public is the correct care of your voice.

Many speakers think that all you need to do is open your mouth, take a deep breath and speak in order to deliver their speech. Unfortunately, they are a very long way from becoming successful public speakers. But they are definitely not alone in ignoring the most vital tool their speech-making tool-kit. Few speakers consciously spend time working on the correct speaking techniques - and even less time taking care of the single most important asset they possess.

After all, no voice, no speech!

So what are the golden rules that will ensure that your voice is kept in excellent condition for speech-making? Here are the three greatest tips for delivering crystal-clear presentations:

1. Make sure that you don’t strain your voice in any way and that means no shouting at your favourite sporting event! If you simply have to make a loud noise to help your team score the winning point, invest in a whistle or air horn. Your voice is important - let others do the yelling and shouting.

2. Drink plenty of water. Get into the habit of sipping plain water throughout the day and your whole body will feel the benefit - not just your voice. At your speaking event, make sure that you have a glass of water to hand during your speech so that you never feel that your throat is becoming dry.

Avoid alcoholic over-indulgence in the days prior to a speaking engagement and stick to soft drinks only in the couple of days immediately leading up to making your speech.

And no matter how nervous you might be feeling on the day - strictly no alcohol, for all sorts of good reasons, not just your voice!

3. Do some gentle warm-up exercises for your vocal chords shortly before making your speech. If you are only an occasional speaker, you may feel a little silly humming and singing to yourself but just remind yourself that professional actors, speakers and singers run through warm-up exercises in exactly the same way as professional sportsmen do. If you really are serious about delivering the best speech that you can, these preparations will make a real difference to how you perform.

And the better you perform, the better you will feel. And the better you feel, the more relaxed you will become. In turn, your audience will pick up on your confident manner and come away having enjoyed every word that you have spoken.

Your voice will have been your greatest asset - and you won’t have suffered the embarrassment of delivering your speech sounding like a frog with a sore throat!