Aug. 6, 2026
312. Quick Thinks: Speak with Confidence, Clarity, and Power
"You want to make sure you have the energy at the end of your communication as well as at the beginning."
Why do some people command a room without raising their voice? Being heard isn't about speaking louder—it's about using your voice with intention. Breath, posture, and preparation all play a role in helping your message reach the people who need to hear it. In this Quick Thinks episode of Think Fast, Talk Smart, Matt Abrahams shares practical techniques for projecting your voice with confidence, building vocal stamina, and using microphones effectively. From breathing with more control to making the most of your physical presence, you'll learn simple strategies to ensure your message is heard when it matters most
Key Takeaways:
- Strong voices start with strong breathing. Your breath is the foundation of vocal projection, helping you speak with greater volume, clarity, and confidence without straining your voice.
- Preparation helps your voice go the distance. Building vocal stamina, improving your posture, and using microphones effectively ensures your message stays strong from your first word to your last.
Activity:
- Build a vocal warm-up. Before your next presentation or important meeting, spend five minutes reading aloud while focusing on slow, deep breathing. Then identify one physical reminder—such as standing taller or relaxing your shoulders—to help support your voice before you begin.
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- Matt Abrahams >>> LinkedIn
- (00:00) - Introduction
- (00:58) - Breathing for Better Projection
- (02:29) - Place Your Voice
- (04:05) - Building Vocal Stamina
- (05:41) - Using a Lavalier Mic
- (07:07) - Using a Handheld Mic
- (08:29) - Conclusion
********
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Transcript
WEBVTT
00:00:13.950 --> 00:00:16.540
Matt Abrahams: Fundamental to
effective communication is being heard.
00:00:16.750 --> 00:00:20.140
I'm Matt Abrahams, and I teach
Strategic Communication at Stanford
00:00:20.140 --> 00:00:21.380
Graduate School of Business.
00:00:21.600 --> 00:00:26.250
Welcome to this Quick Thinks episode
of Think Fast, Talk Smart, the podcast.
00:00:26.790 --> 00:00:32.339
I'm often asked, "How can I make sure my
voice is heard?" People aren't wondering
00:00:32.339 --> 00:00:34.390
how do they insert it into a conversation.
00:00:34.659 --> 00:00:39.099
They literally want to understand,
how can my volume go up?
00:00:39.459 --> 00:00:42.909
So today, I'd like to have a
conversation about volume, and you
00:00:42.909 --> 00:00:47.189
can't have a conversation about
volume without talking about breath.
00:00:47.710 --> 00:00:51.739
Then we'll talk about how to expand
your volume, build vocal stamina,
00:00:52.059 --> 00:00:55.460
and finally, we'll conclude to
talk about how microphones can
00:00:55.469 --> 00:00:57.449
help you communicate better.
00:00:58.879 --> 00:01:01.669
Your voice is a wind instrument.
00:01:02.639 --> 00:01:07.380
The more you do with it, the more your
volume and voice can be affected by it.
00:01:08.750 --> 00:01:14.220
We need to think about how we
breathe to help us project our voice.
00:01:14.860 --> 00:01:20.039
Many of us, when we get nervous or
are uncertain, we breathe shallow
00:01:20.350 --> 00:01:22.030
and tight in the upper chest.
00:01:22.219 --> 00:01:23.839
We also breathe very quickly.
00:01:24.109 --> 00:01:27.120
This changes our ability
to project our voice.
00:01:27.410 --> 00:01:33.220
You have to be able to fill your lower
abdomen to support your voice fully.
00:01:33.780 --> 00:01:38.550
Something you can do in the privacy of
your own space to figure out where you're
00:01:38.550 --> 00:01:44.480
breathing from is to put one palm on your
upper chest and one on your lower abdomen.
00:01:45.010 --> 00:01:48.550
If I'm speaking from my upper
chest as I'm doing now, I feel
00:01:48.550 --> 00:01:52.919
vibration and a little movement here
and nothing in my lower abdomen.
00:01:54.696 --> 00:01:59.176
But when I take a deeper breath and
speak lower and sometimes slower, I
00:01:59.226 --> 00:02:04.216
actually feel a lot of movement here and
a little vibration in my upper chest.
00:02:04.686 --> 00:02:09.566
So to help build that awareness of
where your breath is coming from, give
00:02:09.566 --> 00:02:11.966
yourself a sensory experience of it.
00:02:13.016 --> 00:02:17.566
Another way to help you learn about
your breathing is to read out loud.
00:02:18.006 --> 00:02:21.396
Reading out loud is a proxy
for speaking out loud.
00:02:21.766 --> 00:02:26.806
And the benefit of reading out loud is you
can focus on your breathing because the
00:02:26.806 --> 00:02:28.726
words are presented right in front of you.
00:02:29.236 --> 00:02:30.506
I don't care what you read.
00:02:30.516 --> 00:02:32.626
It can be something
for work, for pleasure.
00:02:32.776 --> 00:02:34.536
It can be email, a magazine.
00:02:34.546 --> 00:02:35.516
Does not matter.
00:02:36.356 --> 00:02:39.696
By reading out loud and really paying
attention to where the breath is coming
00:02:39.696 --> 00:02:42.176
from, you can gain more control of it.
00:02:42.936 --> 00:02:47.266
And the more control you have over it,
the better able you are to project.
00:02:47.876 --> 00:02:53.226
So lower, slower breathing
gives you more vocal support,
00:02:53.236 --> 00:02:55.096
so you can project your voice.
00:02:56.106 --> 00:02:58.746
Now, there's a really interesting
technique that I learned
00:02:58.756 --> 00:03:01.256
from a acting professional.
00:03:02.686 --> 00:03:05.736
While I'm not an actor myself,
I really like this technique.
00:03:06.586 --> 00:03:11.596
Rather than just thinking about projecting
your voice forward, actually pick a
00:03:11.686 --> 00:03:14.406
place where you want to put your voice.
00:03:14.766 --> 00:03:18.025
So imagine you're in a conference
room sitting around a large table.
00:03:18.026 --> 00:03:21.406
You're at one end, and there
are people far away from you.
00:03:21.796 --> 00:03:26.936
Instead of just broadcasting out,
focus your voice in front of the
00:03:26.936 --> 00:03:28.986
person who's sitting farthest from you.
00:03:29.546 --> 00:03:33.345
In doing so, it changes
the structure of your body.
00:03:33.755 --> 00:03:38.175
You'll tend to open up more, you'll
breathe more deeply, and you'll be able
00:03:38.175 --> 00:03:40.995
to position your voice so it'll be louder.
00:03:41.405 --> 00:03:43.436
So it's not about broadcasting it out.
00:03:43.515 --> 00:03:47.855
It's about focusing on placing
your voice in a certain space.
00:03:48.905 --> 00:03:53.955
I alluded to body posture just a moment
ago, and this is really important.
00:03:54.276 --> 00:03:56.865
You want to open your
body as much as possible.
00:03:56.865 --> 00:04:00.536
Many of us, especially when
we're on virtual calls, we hunch
00:04:00.536 --> 00:04:02.145
over and close our body off.
00:04:02.736 --> 00:04:04.925
That reduces the oxygen.
00:04:05.415 --> 00:04:10.526
In fact, many actors and actresses or
professional speakers, before they go
00:04:10.526 --> 00:04:15.595
out on stage and project, they'll work on
stretching their body and opening it up.
00:04:15.995 --> 00:04:17.855
That's a great place for us to start.
00:04:19.219 --> 00:04:24.229
Once we have the mechanics and the
breath, we have to work on stamina.
00:04:25.019 --> 00:04:28.139
Very few of you would wake up one
morning and say, "I'm gonna go run
00:04:28.139 --> 00:04:29.789
a marathon," and just start running.
00:04:30.319 --> 00:04:33.099
If you wanted to run a
marathon, you'd train first.
00:04:33.339 --> 00:04:36.799
And the same thing is true with
your voice and vocal projection.
00:04:37.469 --> 00:04:43.579
If you're going to speak for 5, 10, 30, 60
minutes, you should build vocal stamina.
00:04:44.159 --> 00:04:47.969
Because most of us can start out
strong, but can we sustain it so we
00:04:47.969 --> 00:04:49.779
can continue to project our voice?
00:04:50.739 --> 00:04:53.979
Best way to do this,
again, is reading out loud.
00:04:54.309 --> 00:04:59.079
Reading out loud to build vocal stamina
is like running on a treadmill to build
00:04:59.079 --> 00:05:01.119
your stamina for running a road race.
00:05:01.539 --> 00:05:05.059
So if you know you have a 30 minute
presentation that you have to give
00:05:05.059 --> 00:05:09.139
in a week or two, you should start
reading out loud for 5 or 10 minutes a
00:05:09.139 --> 00:05:13.989
day to build that stamina, so you can
project your voice all the way through.
00:05:14.759 --> 00:05:18.219
And you wanna make sure that you
have the energy at the end of your
00:05:18.219 --> 00:05:20.899
communication as well as at the beginning.
00:05:20.929 --> 00:05:25.169
Many of us start energetic and
excited, and because we're speaking
00:05:25.169 --> 00:05:27.709
for so long, we lose our wind.
00:05:27.719 --> 00:05:29.249
We lose that energy.
00:05:29.499 --> 00:05:33.049
By building vocal stamina, you'll
continue to have the energy and
00:05:33.059 --> 00:05:34.499
be able to project your voice.
00:05:35.639 --> 00:05:38.669
Now, fortunately, we live in a
world where there's technology
00:05:38.669 --> 00:05:40.609
that can help us project our voice.
00:05:41.039 --> 00:05:46.209
Microphones are very useful for helping
you not just record what you're saying,
00:05:46.349 --> 00:05:48.179
but to make sure your voice is projected.
00:05:48.709 --> 00:05:51.439
Now, we have to use
microphones appropriately.
00:05:52.109 --> 00:05:55.929
The first type of mic I wanna talk
about is a lavalier mic, a lav.
00:05:56.159 --> 00:06:01.089
This is a little microphone that usually
gets clipped right under your chin.
00:06:01.699 --> 00:06:04.279
Now, it tends to have a
cord and a battery pack.
00:06:04.689 --> 00:06:08.149
You have to be careful and make sure that
you're prepared for that, 'cause often
00:06:08.149 --> 00:06:11.759
you'll drop the cord through your shirt,
and you need to have a place to clip the
00:06:11.759 --> 00:06:13.609
battery pack or a pocket to put it in.
00:06:13.909 --> 00:06:17.269
I've worked with some speakers who
came dressed in a way that did not
00:06:17.279 --> 00:06:19.209
allow for those to easily be done.
00:06:20.549 --> 00:06:23.719
When it comes to a lavalier,
you want to make sure it's about
00:06:23.799 --> 00:06:26.199
6 inches away from your mouth.
00:06:26.739 --> 00:06:30.749
And because it is fixed, you
wanna make sure that your head
00:06:30.859 --> 00:06:32.349
stays in the same position.
00:06:32.719 --> 00:06:37.729
So if the lavalier is here and I turn over
here, notice I've increased the distance.
00:06:38.109 --> 00:06:41.919
And unless you have somebody working
the soundboard that is controlling the
00:06:41.919 --> 00:06:43.959
volume, your voice will get quieter.
00:06:44.369 --> 00:06:48.419
So if you have a lavalier mic, you
simply turn your whole body, so
00:06:48.419 --> 00:06:50.319
you keep the orientation the same.
00:06:50.839 --> 00:06:56.199
So make sure you have something to clip it
to, both the mic and the pack, and try to
00:06:56.209 --> 00:07:02.179
keep your head in relationship to the mic
the same, so your volume stays the same.
00:07:03.089 --> 00:07:06.519
Now, sometimes when you're speaking,
you actually have a microphone.
00:07:07.689 --> 00:07:11.439
Handheld mic needs to be kept
at the same distance from your
00:07:11.449 --> 00:07:15.779
mouth so that the volume stays the
same and you make the life of the
00:07:15.779 --> 00:07:17.769
soundboard operator much easier.
00:07:18.249 --> 00:07:19.919
So lightly hold the mic.
00:07:19.989 --> 00:07:22.239
Some people clutch it
because they're so nervous.
00:07:22.509 --> 00:07:23.529
Lightly hold the mic.
00:07:23.849 --> 00:07:25.509
Put your elbow against your body.
00:07:25.509 --> 00:07:29.599
This is the only time I ever encourage
people to connect the elbow to the body.
00:07:29.609 --> 00:07:31.659
Usually when gesturing, we want it away.
00:07:32.489 --> 00:07:34.229
And I gesture with the other hand.
00:07:34.229 --> 00:07:37.319
Notice I'm keeping the distance
about 6 inches the same.
00:07:38.019 --> 00:07:40.919
Now, if I wanna switch hands, which
is a good thing 'cause this arm
00:07:40.919 --> 00:07:44.869
might get tired, I come to the mic,
keep the mic in the same place,
00:07:44.909 --> 00:07:46.639
and gesture with the other hand.
00:07:47.399 --> 00:07:51.289
Some mics have cables, and you need
to be careful with where the cable is.
00:07:51.319 --> 00:07:56.569
I saw a speaker once trip over the cable,
embarrassing for them and dangerous.
00:07:57.109 --> 00:08:00.859
So if you're using a handheld mic,
hold it in place, gesture with the
00:08:00.859 --> 00:08:03.209
other hand, and again, come back to it.
00:08:04.379 --> 00:08:09.209
These are all techniques that will
help you project your voice and
00:08:09.209 --> 00:08:11.699
make sure your point is heard.
00:08:12.239 --> 00:08:14.759
We want to think about
body posture and breathing.
00:08:15.029 --> 00:08:17.189
We wanna think about placing our voice.
00:08:17.539 --> 00:08:21.159
We wanna make sure we build that
vocal stamina to support our energy
00:08:21.159 --> 00:08:22.889
and volume throughout what we say.
00:08:23.349 --> 00:08:26.789
And finally, we wanna leverage
microphones appropriately to
00:08:26.789 --> 00:08:28.759
help us make sure we're heard.
00:08:29.981 --> 00:08:33.761
Thank you for joining me for this
Quick Thinks episode of Think
00:08:33.771 --> 00:08:35.761
Fast, Talk Smart, the podcast.
00:08:36.201 --> 00:08:41.441
To learn more about voice, please listen
to episode 262 with Patsy Rodenburg.
00:08:41.941 --> 00:08:45.231
This episode was produced by
Katherine Reed, Alex McCarthy,
00:08:45.291 --> 00:08:47.591
Ryan Campos, and me, Matt Abrahams.
00:08:47.811 --> 00:08:50.731
Our music is from Floyd
Wonder, with special thanks to
00:08:50.731 --> 00:08:52.791
the Stanford GSB video crew.
00:08:53.081 --> 00:08:55.491
Thanks also to Podium Podcast Company.
00:08:55.741 --> 00:08:59.021
Please find us on YouTube and
wherever you get your podcasts.
00:08:59.271 --> 00:09:01.361
Be sure to subscribe and rate us.
00:09:01.661 --> 00:09:04.741
Also follow us on LinkedIn,
TikTok, and Instagram.
00:09:05.041 --> 00:09:09.051
And check out fastersmarter.io for
deep dive videos, English language
00:09:09.051 --> 00:09:11.041
learning content, and our newsletter.
00:09:11.401 --> 00:09:14.631
Please consider joining our Think
Fast, Talk Smart Learning Community
00:09:14.631 --> 00:09:17.401
at fastersmarter.io/learning.
00:09:17.871 --> 00:09:21.751
You'll find video lessons, learning
quests, discussion boards, an AI
00:09:21.801 --> 00:09:24.141
coach, and book club opportunities.
00:09:24.351 --> 00:09:29.641
Again, that's fastersmarter.io/learning
to become part of our Think Fast,
00:09:29.891 --> 00:09:31.581
Talk Smart Learning Community.
00:00:13.950 --> 00:00:16.540
Matt Abrahams: Fundamental to
effective communication is being heard.
00:00:16.750 --> 00:00:20.140
I'm Matt Abrahams, and I teach
Strategic Communication at Stanford
00:00:20.140 --> 00:00:21.380
Graduate School of Business.
00:00:21.600 --> 00:00:26.250
Welcome to this Quick Thinks episode
of Think Fast, Talk Smart, the podcast.
00:00:26.790 --> 00:00:32.339
I'm often asked, "How can I make sure my
voice is heard?" People aren't wondering
00:00:32.339 --> 00:00:34.390
how do they insert it into a conversation.
00:00:34.659 --> 00:00:39.099
They literally want to understand,
how can my volume go up?
00:00:39.459 --> 00:00:42.909
So today, I'd like to have a
conversation about volume, and you
00:00:42.909 --> 00:00:47.189
can't have a conversation about
volume without talking about breath.
00:00:47.710 --> 00:00:51.739
Then we'll talk about how to expand
your volume, build vocal stamina,
00:00:52.059 --> 00:00:55.460
and finally, we'll conclude to
talk about how microphones can
00:00:55.469 --> 00:00:57.449
help you communicate better.
00:00:58.879 --> 00:01:01.669
Your voice is a wind instrument.
00:01:02.639 --> 00:01:07.380
The more you do with it, the more your
volume and voice can be affected by it.
00:01:08.750 --> 00:01:14.220
We need to think about how we
breathe to help us project our voice.
00:01:14.860 --> 00:01:20.039
Many of us, when we get nervous or
are uncertain, we breathe shallow
00:01:20.350 --> 00:01:22.030
and tight in the upper chest.
00:01:22.219 --> 00:01:23.839
We also breathe very quickly.
00:01:24.109 --> 00:01:27.120
This changes our ability
to project our voice.
00:01:27.410 --> 00:01:33.220
You have to be able to fill your lower
abdomen to support your voice fully.
00:01:33.780 --> 00:01:38.550
Something you can do in the privacy of
your own space to figure out where you're
00:01:38.550 --> 00:01:44.480
breathing from is to put one palm on your
upper chest and one on your lower abdomen.
00:01:45.010 --> 00:01:48.550
If I'm speaking from my upper
chest as I'm doing now, I feel
00:01:48.550 --> 00:01:52.919
vibration and a little movement here
and nothing in my lower abdomen.
00:01:54.696 --> 00:01:59.176
But when I take a deeper breath and
speak lower and sometimes slower, I
00:01:59.226 --> 00:02:04.216
actually feel a lot of movement here and
a little vibration in my upper chest.
00:02:04.686 --> 00:02:09.566
So to help build that awareness of
where your breath is coming from, give
00:02:09.566 --> 00:02:11.966
yourself a sensory experience of it.
00:02:13.016 --> 00:02:17.566
Another way to help you learn about
your breathing is to read out loud.
00:02:18.006 --> 00:02:21.396
Reading out loud is a proxy
for speaking out loud.
00:02:21.766 --> 00:02:26.806
And the benefit of reading out loud is you
can focus on your breathing because the
00:02:26.806 --> 00:02:28.726
words are presented right in front of you.
00:02:29.236 --> 00:02:30.506
I don't care what you read.
00:02:30.516 --> 00:02:32.626
It can be something
for work, for pleasure.
00:02:32.776 --> 00:02:34.536
It can be email, a magazine.
00:02:34.546 --> 00:02:35.516
Does not matter.
00:02:36.356 --> 00:02:39.696
By reading out loud and really paying
attention to where the breath is coming
00:02:39.696 --> 00:02:42.176
from, you can gain more control of it.
00:02:42.936 --> 00:02:47.266
And the more control you have over it,
the better able you are to project.
00:02:47.876 --> 00:02:53.226
So lower, slower breathing
gives you more vocal support,
00:02:53.236 --> 00:02:55.096
so you can project your voice.
00:02:56.106 --> 00:02:58.746
Now, there's a really interesting
technique that I learned
00:02:58.756 --> 00:03:01.256
from a acting professional.
00:03:02.686 --> 00:03:05.736
While I'm not an actor myself,
I really like this technique.
00:03:06.586 --> 00:03:11.596
Rather than just thinking about projecting
your voice forward, actually pick a
00:03:11.686 --> 00:03:14.406
place where you want to put your voice.
00:03:14.766 --> 00:03:18.025
So imagine you're in a conference
room sitting around a large table.
00:03:18.026 --> 00:03:21.406
You're at one end, and there
are people far away from you.
00:03:21.796 --> 00:03:26.936
Instead of just broadcasting out,
focus your voice in front of the
00:03:26.936 --> 00:03:28.986
person who's sitting farthest from you.
00:03:29.546 --> 00:03:33.345
In doing so, it changes
the structure of your body.
00:03:33.755 --> 00:03:38.175
You'll tend to open up more, you'll
breathe more deeply, and you'll be able
00:03:38.175 --> 00:03:40.995
to position your voice so it'll be louder.
00:03:41.405 --> 00:03:43.436
So it's not about broadcasting it out.
00:03:43.515 --> 00:03:47.855
It's about focusing on placing
your voice in a certain space.
00:03:48.905 --> 00:03:53.955
I alluded to body posture just a moment
ago, and this is really important.
00:03:54.276 --> 00:03:56.865
You want to open your
body as much as possible.
00:03:56.865 --> 00:04:00.536
Many of us, especially when
we're on virtual calls, we hunch
00:04:00.536 --> 00:04:02.145
over and close our body off.
00:04:02.736 --> 00:04:04.925
That reduces the oxygen.
00:04:05.415 --> 00:04:10.526
In fact, many actors and actresses or
professional speakers, before they go
00:04:10.526 --> 00:04:15.595
out on stage and project, they'll work on
stretching their body and opening it up.
00:04:15.995 --> 00:04:17.855
That's a great place for us to start.
00:04:19.219 --> 00:04:24.229
Once we have the mechanics and the
breath, we have to work on stamina.
00:04:25.019 --> 00:04:28.139
Very few of you would wake up one
morning and say, "I'm gonna go run
00:04:28.139 --> 00:04:29.789
a marathon," and just start running.
00:04:30.319 --> 00:04:33.099
If you wanted to run a
marathon, you'd train first.
00:04:33.339 --> 00:04:36.799
And the same thing is true with
your voice and vocal projection.
00:04:37.469 --> 00:04:43.579
If you're going to speak for 5, 10, 30, 60
minutes, you should build vocal stamina.
00:04:44.159 --> 00:04:47.969
Because most of us can start out
strong, but can we sustain it so we
00:04:47.969 --> 00:04:49.779
can continue to project our voice?
00:04:50.739 --> 00:04:53.979
Best way to do this,
again, is reading out loud.
00:04:54.309 --> 00:04:59.079
Reading out loud to build vocal stamina
is like running on a treadmill to build
00:04:59.079 --> 00:05:01.119
your stamina for running a road race.
00:05:01.539 --> 00:05:05.059
So if you know you have a 30 minute
presentation that you have to give
00:05:05.059 --> 00:05:09.139
in a week or two, you should start
reading out loud for 5 or 10 minutes a
00:05:09.139 --> 00:05:13.989
day to build that stamina, so you can
project your voice all the way through.
00:05:14.759 --> 00:05:18.219
And you wanna make sure that you
have the energy at the end of your
00:05:18.219 --> 00:05:20.899
communication as well as at the beginning.
00:05:20.929 --> 00:05:25.169
Many of us start energetic and
excited, and because we're speaking
00:05:25.169 --> 00:05:27.709
for so long, we lose our wind.
00:05:27.719 --> 00:05:29.249
We lose that energy.
00:05:29.499 --> 00:05:33.049
By building vocal stamina, you'll
continue to have the energy and
00:05:33.059 --> 00:05:34.499
be able to project your voice.
00:05:35.639 --> 00:05:38.669
Now, fortunately, we live in a
world where there's technology
00:05:38.669 --> 00:05:40.609
that can help us project our voice.
00:05:41.039 --> 00:05:46.209
Microphones are very useful for helping
you not just record what you're saying,
00:05:46.349 --> 00:05:48.179
but to make sure your voice is projected.
00:05:48.709 --> 00:05:51.439
Now, we have to use
microphones appropriately.
00:05:52.109 --> 00:05:55.929
The first type of mic I wanna talk
about is a lavalier mic, a lav.
00:05:56.159 --> 00:06:01.089
This is a little microphone that usually
gets clipped right under your chin.
00:06:01.699 --> 00:06:04.279
Now, it tends to have a
cord and a battery pack.
00:06:04.689 --> 00:06:08.149
You have to be careful and make sure that
you're prepared for that, 'cause often
00:06:08.149 --> 00:06:11.759
you'll drop the cord through your shirt,
and you need to have a place to clip the
00:06:11.759 --> 00:06:13.609
battery pack or a pocket to put it in.
00:06:13.909 --> 00:06:17.269
I've worked with some speakers who
came dressed in a way that did not
00:06:17.279 --> 00:06:19.209
allow for those to easily be done.
00:06:20.549 --> 00:06:23.719
When it comes to a lavalier,
you want to make sure it's about
00:06:23.799 --> 00:06:26.199
6 inches away from your mouth.
00:06:26.739 --> 00:06:30.749
And because it is fixed, you
wanna make sure that your head
00:06:30.859 --> 00:06:32.349
stays in the same position.
00:06:32.719 --> 00:06:37.729
So if the lavalier is here and I turn over
here, notice I've increased the distance.
00:06:38.109 --> 00:06:41.919
And unless you have somebody working
the soundboard that is controlling the
00:06:41.919 --> 00:06:43.959
volume, your voice will get quieter.
00:06:44.369 --> 00:06:48.419
So if you have a lavalier mic, you
simply turn your whole body, so
00:06:48.419 --> 00:06:50.319
you keep the orientation the same.
00:06:50.839 --> 00:06:56.199
So make sure you have something to clip it
to, both the mic and the pack, and try to
00:06:56.209 --> 00:07:02.179
keep your head in relationship to the mic
the same, so your volume stays the same.
00:07:03.089 --> 00:07:06.519
Now, sometimes when you're speaking,
you actually have a microphone.
00:07:07.689 --> 00:07:11.439
Handheld mic needs to be kept
at the same distance from your
00:07:11.449 --> 00:07:15.779
mouth so that the volume stays the
same and you make the life of the
00:07:15.779 --> 00:07:17.769
soundboard operator much easier.
00:07:18.249 --> 00:07:19.919
So lightly hold the mic.
00:07:19.989 --> 00:07:22.239
Some people clutch it
because they're so nervous.
00:07:22.509 --> 00:07:23.529
Lightly hold the mic.
00:07:23.849 --> 00:07:25.509
Put your elbow against your body.
00:07:25.509 --> 00:07:29.599
This is the only time I ever encourage
people to connect the elbow to the body.
00:07:29.609 --> 00:07:31.659
Usually when gesturing, we want it away.
00:07:32.489 --> 00:07:34.229
And I gesture with the other hand.
00:07:34.229 --> 00:07:37.319
Notice I'm keeping the distance
about 6 inches the same.
00:07:38.019 --> 00:07:40.919
Now, if I wanna switch hands, which
is a good thing 'cause this arm
00:07:40.919 --> 00:07:44.869
might get tired, I come to the mic,
keep the mic in the same place,
00:07:44.909 --> 00:07:46.639
and gesture with the other hand.
00:07:47.399 --> 00:07:51.289
Some mics have cables, and you need
to be careful with where the cable is.
00:07:51.319 --> 00:07:56.569
I saw a speaker once trip over the cable,
embarrassing for them and dangerous.
00:07:57.109 --> 00:08:00.859
So if you're using a handheld mic,
hold it in place, gesture with the
00:08:00.859 --> 00:08:03.209
other hand, and again, come back to it.
00:08:04.379 --> 00:08:09.209
These are all techniques that will
help you project your voice and
00:08:09.209 --> 00:08:11.699
make sure your point is heard.
00:08:12.239 --> 00:08:14.759
We want to think about
body posture and breathing.
00:08:15.029 --> 00:08:17.189
We wanna think about placing our voice.
00:08:17.539 --> 00:08:21.159
We wanna make sure we build that
vocal stamina to support our energy
00:08:21.159 --> 00:08:22.889
and volume throughout what we say.
00:08:23.349 --> 00:08:26.789
And finally, we wanna leverage
microphones appropriately to
00:08:26.789 --> 00:08:28.759
help us make sure we're heard.
00:08:29.981 --> 00:08:33.761
Thank you for joining me for this
Quick Thinks episode of Think
00:08:33.771 --> 00:08:35.761
Fast, Talk Smart, the podcast.
00:08:36.201 --> 00:08:41.441
To learn more about voice, please listen
to episode 262 with Patsy Rodenburg.
00:08:41.941 --> 00:08:45.231
This episode was produced by
Katherine Reed, Alex McCarthy,
00:08:45.291 --> 00:08:47.591
Ryan Campos, and me, Matt Abrahams.
00:08:47.811 --> 00:08:50.731
Our music is from Floyd
Wonder, with special thanks to
00:08:50.731 --> 00:08:52.791
the Stanford GSB video crew.
00:08:53.081 --> 00:08:55.491
Thanks also to Podium Podcast Company.
00:08:55.741 --> 00:08:59.021
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wherever you get your podcasts.
00:08:59.271 --> 00:09:01.361
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00:09:01.661 --> 00:09:04.741
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00:09:05.041 --> 00:09:09.051
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00:09:09.051 --> 00:09:11.041
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00:09:14.631 --> 00:09:17.401
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