The human voice is probably the most powerful sound in the world. It’s the only one that can both start a war and say “I love you.” Julian Treasure is an author and speaker who shared a popular TED Talk on speaking in 2013 that now has over 64 million views. This is full of great tips for speakers, leaders, and everyone else. Please watch his talk, How to Speak so that People Want to Listen, or read our summary below.
7 Deadly Sins of Speaking
Julian begins by sharing the seven deadly sins of speaking that he finds many people fall into.
- Gossip
- Judging
- Negativity
- Complaining
- Excuses
- Exaggeration
- Dogmatism
If you want people to like listening to you, avoid all of the above!
HAIL – 4 Cornerstones of Speech
Hailing someone is to greet or acclaim them enthusiastically. Julian notes that it is also an acronym for great speech.
Honesty – being true in what you say, being straight and clear.
Authenticity – just being yourself.
Integrity – being your word and doing what you say. Being trustworthy.
Love – wishing people well instead of judging them.
Tools for Speaking
It isn’t just what you say, but also how you say it. Here are Julian’s tools to use when speaking.
- Register – have your voice originate from your chest so it is lower and more powerful
- Timbre – the way your voice feels. We prefer voices that are rich, smooth, and warm.
- Prosody – is the sing-song, the opposite of speaking in a monotone
- Pace – you can slow down for emphasis or speed up to show excitement
- Silence – it is okay to be quiet for emphasis
- Pitch often goes along with pace
- Volume – loud shows excitement, while quiet gets the listener to focus
6 Vocal Warm-Up Exercises
Here are the six warm-up exercises that Julian uses before every talk he does:
- Lift your arms up, take a deep breath in, and sigh out. Repeat.
- Warm up your lips by going “Ba, Ba, Ba, Ba, Ba, Ba, Ba, Ba.”
- Then, “Brrrrrrrrrr. Brrrrrrrrrr.”
- Do the tongue next with exaggerated, “La, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la” sounds.
- Roll an R, if you can!
- Last, but probably the best, is the siren. Start with a high “we” and go to a low “aw. “weeeaawww, weeeaawww.”
A good warm-up will improve your talk!
How to Speak so that People Want to Listen: Summary
For your next talk, ensure you avoid the 7 deadly sins of speaking, HAIL, use your tools for speaking, and perform the 6 warm-up exercises!
We hope you found this video and post an “idea worth spreading.” As always, please reach out to contact us or leave your comments and additional tips below.
