tellingpeople

This is a really, really simple tip about using your voice well when you’re public speaking or making presentations…. by hitting a word in a sentence with extra weight you give your audience a comparator – and that can change the meaning of your sentence quite a lot in terms of connotation.

An example makes it clearer. Take the simple, flat sentence “I gave Anita three oranges.” Now try stressing different words in the sentence.

I gave Anita three oranges: me, no one else, not you or him; just me….
I gave Anita three oranges: I didn’t sell them to her, or loan her them….
I gave Anita three oranges: not her sister or you or that guy over there….
I gave Anita three oranges: not four or two – exactly three…
I gave Anita three oranges: I gave her oranges, not apples or bananas…

It’s not hard to remember, but if you get it wrong and stress the wrong word, you’ll leave your audience very confused indeed. They’ll probably be able to figure out what you mean, of course, but while they’re doing that they’re not concentrating on your next sentence. Why make it hard on them?