I believe a professional voice is a voice that has a good vocabulary and knows exactly when to use certain words. If someone used simple and colloquial words, it would come across as uneducated and unprofessional. As well as vocabulary, the sound of the voice is one of the most important factors in regards to creating a professional voice. If the person speaking doesn't sound pleasant, the message behind the voice is over taken by that particular voice. For example, last week we looked at Julia Gillard's voice. Her voice has many negatives to it, including over articulation of vowels and very slow pace. From this, the audience has focused more on the voice then her actual message. If a voice has a good tone, pitch and isn't too distracting, this can be considered very professional.
Ames (2016) states that there are many assumptions and attitudes that have been created to associate with a person's ability and class based on how they speak, which was seen with Julia Gillard. Another example is that the ABC had a rule of speaking with an 'educated voice' for a long time. It is known that many people are conscious of the way they speak and it certainly has an impact on their image and confidence. If people can get a sense of who they are as represented by how they sound like to start with, they can work out to what level they need to 'perform' to be seen differently by others (Ames, 2016). For example, someone might have a broad Australian accent, but it is important to try and sound developed to help the chances of becoming a professional speaker.
The following video showcases some tips on how to speak professionally.
In regards to this activity, it was required to reflect on powerful speeches. For this, I watched Nick Vujicic's speech he gave to a group of students. Dean (2011) wrote about 5 steps to producing a successful speech on his blog. I found Vujicic to be successful in fulfilling these steps. Firstly, I discovered this speech to be very effective and engaging. Vujicic focused on the audience for whom the speech was intended. He realised that they were young students and used language that they can relate to. He was very interactive by asking how the students are and what has been happening in their lives. He used anecdotes to engage with the audience and keep their attention. Anecdotes, according to the Cambridge Dictionary (2016) means 'a short, often funny story, especially about something someone has done'. He also was exciting and fresh by using humour and expressions. It is clear that Vujicic didn't rely on a PowerPoint presentation and didn't read of a piece of paper, but instead had rehearsed his speech. Overall, his speech was very engaging and effective and is an ideal example of an outstanding speech.
Activity three
After reviewing the news script voiced by Kate Stowell, I noticed that she emphasised her words quite a lot. I underlined every emphasised word and noticed that it was after every word that was before a comma or full stop. In comparison to my version of the news reading, I saw that I didn't emphasise my words in a pattern the way Stowell did. I didn't really emphasise my words at all. I think this made my version a bit difficult to hear as I slurred my words onto the next sentence, instead of pausing at the full stop for a second. Stowell also clearly annunciates her words, something that I really need to work on.
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| Source: 123RF, 2016 |
References:
Ames, K 2016, Study guide lesson 2 - perspectives on speech, course notes, COMM12033: Speech and Script, CQUniversity e-courses.
Cambridge Dictionary 2016, anecdotes, viewed 14 March 2016, http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/anecdote?q=anecdotes
Dean, F 2011, '5 steps to a successful speech', blog post, 1 December, viewed 14 March 2016, http://thespeechwriter.typepad.com/onspeechwriting/2011/12/5-steps-to-a-successful-speech-part-1.html
Real Men Real Style 2012, 5 tips to improve your public speaking, video, viewed 14 March 2016, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6RDnl3NFgsY
Vujicic, N 2011, Nick Vujicic - DVD Part 1/11, video, viewed 14 March 2016, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=snDQe3tWwRQ&feature=related
123rf 2016, newscaster, digital image, viewed 14 March 2016, http://www.123rf.com/clipart-vector/newscaster.html
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