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Have you ever told a joke and nobody got it? Or have you told a story and people got the wrong point? Or have you given a presentation and your message failed to get through?
Your responsibility as a speaker or presenter is to make sure your audience gets your point the way you intend, be it to feel the urgency or emotions you try to convey or to experience your story the way you designed. Speaking with color will help you get there.
Color is what brings life to your voice and perspective to your words. If you speak with a monotone, there’s no difference to just passing your script to the audience as they probably could figure out by themselves what’s important and what’s not.
Depth in words, duration, pacing and pause make up major aspects of color. You are going to learn how to add depth in your words in this article.
Let’s start with an easier word. Say the word “exciting” like you mean it. Did you hear the excitement in your own voice? If not, try again. Feel the excitement. Now say the word to your friend. Can your friend feel your excitement? This is more important as your friend is now your audience.
The key is to feel the word and then convey your feeling of the word to your audience. Now try the word “tiny”. You should hear the tininess in your voice and you probably gestured with your thumb and index finger as most of my participants did. Gesture or body language enhances adding depth in your voice.
Lastly, try the word “hope”. Feel the hope yourself. Accompany the word with body languages if possible. Could you hear the hope in your voice?
This is how amazing our voice is. It can express and convey the meaning and feeling that printed words would never compete against. The next time you give a presentation, in fact even for your daily conversations, pick out the words that you want your listeners to feel and give them depth. You are sure to create a different experience for your listeners.
