Speech - Using Your Voice (1950)

[Music] now if you take out this self-c comprehensive shirt of an adequate income for life that is provided you don't to fire for policy day now over that again I don't quite understand well certainly you see it's really very simple you pay this small preum here once a month for 20 years at the end of which time you're completely covered for life now isn't that simple well it sounds reasonable but it's a sign right here well no the proposition sounds interesting but uh I believe I'll think it over for a few days thanks for over well I'll call in a couple days all right thanks a lot sure that's funny s a headache wonder what I did wrong seemed like a nice guy I wonder what he was talking about do you know that every day someone loses a sale or creates a misunderstanding just because he does not speak intelligibly now in the next few minutes we're going to give you some examples of good and bad each and show you the main false of most speakers we'll show you some things to do and some things not to do the first thing that every speaker should do is to learn the three basic aims of public speaking one you must be heard two you must be understood three you must be pleasing now remember these three points you must be heard you must be understood and you must be pleasing now most of us fall short in at least one of these three points for instance uh well the fact is we spent many nights in the uh uh jungle looking for Head Hunters one night just as the uh uh sun was going down we heard a a a noise in the bushes uh something was uh uh creeping towards us uh all of a sudden it uh uh it attack practice it was a uh an ostrich uh this ostrich was many of us clutter up our speech with O's and S and in this way we create vocal static we can be heard yes and we can be understood but we're dull and boring now here's another typical example student government is something we've all worked for and now that we have it we must make it work for us we have all given our time and our ideas and our strength to make it possible and now we must cherish it nourish it and make it live most of her audience can't make out what she is saying so she's not heard she's not understood and she's not very pleasing now let's look once more Funny Thing Happened up there in the station see I was sitting there waiting for the fellas we were going out and the guy come up to me and he gave me a big song and dance about this being his seat and I said Mr I said this this isn't your seat you see I've been sitting here A whole lot longer than you seem to think I have I think that since this seat belongs to me that that seat it's not hard to find fault with that speaker many of his listeners won't be able to understand him and those that do won't admire his sloppy speech do you know all that the trouble with most of the speakers we have heard can be traced to one ping practically all of us would be better speakers if it were not for this one big fault carelessness yes carelessness is at the root of most of the ills of poor speech if this speaker would concentrate upon overcoming his speech's fault of saying uh and er he could be an interesting and Effy speaker does carelessness make you this type of speaker now this girl is marked by carelessness because she speeds over the words of her speech just to get them said and she drops her voice at the end of sentences so her audience has difficulty in hearing and understanding her is carelessness making you this type of speaker or is your carelessness the same as that of the man who runs his words together mumbles drops his G's and uses generally sloppy speech have you found yourself yet do you know what your careless speech habits are the important thing is to recognize the trouble and then take steps to correct it now let's see if we can help you first every good speaker should practice opening the mouth wider than usual as he or she speaks in this way the words can flow out and the audience can to hear you speak with life and animation yet speak deliberately use plenty of lip and tongue action this helps you to enunciate clearly so you will be understood speak in low full tones so that what you say will be pleasing and appealing to the ear don't let your voice be high shrill and unpleasant just because you're a little excited keep it low and pleasing speak with variety change pace so that each sentence doesn't sound just like the other for if you want to keep your audience interested your manner of speaking must be pleasant and interesting and finally let your voice in speaking manner reflect your own personality let it be sincere and typical of you rather than stilted and stagy for instance ladies I'm so glad to see you all here and see you looking so well our subject this afternoon is flowers don't you just adore flowers honestly do you see what I mean now what she really meant to say was this I'm also glad that you've come come out today ladies glad to see you looking so well the subject of our discussion is flowers one of which I'm particularly fond I know that many of you too share my great enthusiasm for this subject the idea is to be interesting interesting but real now are there any questions Professor ber Yes W people think I'm peculiar if I start speaking differently than I ever have before now that's a good point but I don't think you need worry about it you see your speaking voice will become more adequate as you practice the rules a good speaky and your friends won't think that you're peculiar on the other hand they're more likely to admire you for having improved your manner of speaking speak audibly so you may be heard speak distinctly so you may be understood and speak with life and enthus enthusiasm so you may be pleasing and remember that good speech will be a great asset to you always it is the mark of a cultured person and a well-developed personality take pride in your voice and your speaking manner take pride in the way you sound you have only one voice be careful how you use it [Music]