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"You have an amazing toolbox. This instrument is incredible, and yet this is a toolbox that very few people have ever opened. I’d like to have a little rummage in there with you now and just pull a few tools out that you might like to take away and play with, which will increase the power of your speaking. Register, for example. Now, falsetto register may not be very useful most of the time, but there’s a register in between. I’m not going to get very technical about this for any of you who are voice coaches. You can locate your voice, however. So if I talk up here in my nose, you can hear the difference. If I go down here in my throat, which is where most of us speak from most of the time. But if you want weight, you need to go down here to the chest. You hear the difference? We vote for politicians with lower voices, it’s true, because we associate depth with power and with authority. That’s register. Then we have timbre. It’s the way your voice feels. Again, the research shows that we prefer voices which are rich, smooth, warm, like hot chocolate. Well if that’s not you, that’s not the end of the world, because you can train. Go and get a voice coach. And there are amazing things you can do with breathing, with posture, and with exercises to improve the timbre of your voice.

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You have an amazing toolbox. // This instrument is incredible, / and yet this is a toolbox / that very few people have ever opened. // I’d like to have a little rummage in there / with you now and just pull a few tools out / that you might like to take away and play with, / which will increase / the power of your speaking. // Register, / for example. // Now, / falsetto register / may not be very useful / most of the time, / but there’s a register / in between. // I’m not going to get very technical about this / for any of you who are voice coaches. // You can locate your voice, however. // So if I talk up here in my nose, / you can hear the difference. // If I go down here in my throat, / which is where most of us speak from / most of the time. // But if you want weight, / you need to go down here / to the chest. // You hear the difference? // We vote for politicians / with lower voices, / it’s true, because we associate depth / with power / and with authority. // That’s register. // Then we have timbre. // It’s the way / your voice feels. // Again, / the research shows / that we prefer voices / which are rich, / smooth, / warm, / like hot chocolate. // Well if that’s not you, / that’s not the end of the world, / because you can train. // Go and get a voice coach. // And there are amazing things / you can do with breathing, / with posture, / and with exercises to improve the timbre / of your voice. //

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Then prosody. I love prosody. This is the sing-song, the meta-language that we use in order to impart meaning. It’s root one for meaning in conversation. People who speak all on one note are really quite hard to listen to if they don’t have any prosody at all. That’s where the word “monotonic” comes from, or monotonous, monotone. Also, we have repetitive prosody now coming in, where every sentence ends as if it were a question when it’s actually not a question, it’s a statement? And if you repeat that one over and over, it’s actually restricting your ability to communicate through prosody, which I think is a shame, so let’s try and break that habit. Pace. I can get very, very excited by saying something really, really quickly, or I can slow right down to emphasize, and at the end of that, of course, is our old friend silence. There’s nothing wrong with a bit of silence in a talk, is there? We don’t have to fill it with ums and ahs. It can be very powerful. Of course, pitch often goes along with pace to indicate arousal, but you can do it just with pitch. Where did you leave my keys? Where did you leave my keys? So, slightly different meaning in those two deliveries. And finally, volume. I can get really excited by using volume. Sorry about that, if I startled anybody. Or, I can have you really pay attention by getting very quiet. Some people broadcast the whole time. Try not to do that. That’s called sodcasting. Imposing your sound on people around you carelessly and inconsiderately. Not nice.

Let's follow Julian...

Then prosody. // I love prosody. // This is the sing-song, / the meta-language / that we use in order to impart meaning. // It’s root one / for meaning in conversation. // People who speak all on one note / are really quite hard to listen to / if they don’t have any prosody / at all. // That’s where the word “monotonic” / comes from, / or monotonous, / monotone. // Also, / we have repetitive prosody / now coming in, / where every sentence ends / as if it were a question when it’s actually not a question, / it’s a statement? // And if you repeat that one / over and over, / it’s actually restricting your ability / to communicate through prosody, / which I think is a shame, / so let’s try and break that habit. // Pace. // I can get very, / very excited by saying something really, / really quickly, / or I can slow right down / to emphasize, / and at the end of that, / of course, / is our old friend silence. // There’s nothing wrong with a bit of silence / in a talk, / is there? // We don’t have to fill it with ums / and ahs. // It can be very powerful. // Of course, / pitch / often goes along with pace / to indicate arousal, / but you can do it just with pitch. // Where did you leave my keys? // Where did you leave my keys? // So, / slightly different meaning / in those two deliveries. // And finally, / volume. // I can get really excited / by using volume. // Sorry about that, / if I startled anybody. // Or, / I can have you really pay attention / by getting very quiet. // Some people broadcast the whole time. // Try not to do that. // That’s called sodcasting. // Imposing your sound on people around you carelessly / and inconsiderately. // Not nice. //