Present Beyond Measure

30Refine Your Speech Patterns

“It usually takes me more than three weeks to prepare a good impromptu speech.”

—Mark Twain

One of the most common misconceptions is the myth of the “natural” speaker, meaning that all successful speakers possess an innate talent for perfect rhetoric, oratory skills, and stage presence. This couldn't be further from the truth.

The truth is, there are no “natural speakers.” There are only natural-sounding speakers.

Prosody is a fancy word for the cadence (vocal pitch) and inflection (emphasis) of our speech. It wields influence upon the interpretation our audience makes of our insights, trustworthiness, and credibility. I'll prove it with the help of an example from an American English pronunciation expert named Rachel Smith. Read the following sentence out loud in the most monotone, robotic voice possible:

I didn't say he stole the money.

Now read these next lines out loud and emphasize the highlighted word. As you do so, notice your interpretation each time:

I didn't say he stole the money.

I didn't say he stole the money.

I didn't say he stole the money.

I didn't say he stole the money.

I didn't say he stole the money.

I didn't say he stole the money.

I didn't say he stole the money.

It's the same sentence, yet you likely took away seven different interpretations of it simply based on the inflection point. That's how important it is to examine our speech patterns when becoming a voice of influence. Beyond inflection, there are several common ...