You know the problem with the internet? Too many people with too many opinions. Too much misinformation and not enough facts. I was trolling along YouTube and found a video by a man, Dick Massimilian, who is a management consultant and author. He was talking about the volume needed when speaking to a group of people.
If you watch his video, you will see that he is shouting as he is explaining why you need to speak loudly to be heard in the back of the room.
- If you are in a room which is so large that you need to ‘shout’ to be heard, then you should have a microphone.
- If you are in a room which is so large and you are shouting, you will hurt your listeners’ ears (especially those in the front), and you will eventually hurt your throat.
- If you are in a room which is that large and there is no microphone, then you need to learn how to project your voice.
I have walked out of conferences when the speaker was too loud. And, I was not alone. A lot of us packed up and departed. Shouting is not the answer when you need to increase your volume. Shouting is LOUD. I don’t like loud. When I teach people how to increase their volume, the power is not coming from their throat and/or vocal cords but from their chest cavity. James Earl Jones projects; Fran Drescher shouts.
Projection does not hurt your listeners’ ears and will not hurt your throat. Yes, it is a bigger sound but it is not loud because the voice has resonance — much like well-played classical music. Loud is a bigger sound as well but it is strident and harsh — much like heavy metal music.
If you would like to see the above-mentioned video of Dick Massimilian, click here. Then check out my video, Volume Control and the Speaking Voice and listen to the difference.
_______________
Join me in Mt Laurel, NJ, March 20 and 21, for my next Voice & Presentation Skills Workshop, and I’ll show you how to increase your volume properly. In the process, you will discover your richer, warmer, deeper speaking voice.