# How can I improve my speach?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-improve-my-speach/170261>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [April 22, 2003, 5:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-improve-my-speach/170261 "2003-04-22T05:41:02Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![Xema](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/9de053/32.png) [@Xema](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Xema)\
**Post date:** [April 23, 2003, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-improve-my-speach/170261/21 "2003-04-23T01:36:46Z")

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I used to have a stutter. I dealt with it by doing a lot of reading aloud. I used moriah’s last suggestion – reading stories to children (it’s a rare kid that doesn’t love this).

For me, this worked. I can occasionally get slowed down by a word that starts with “r”, but few of my friends would guess that I once had a real problem.

Good luck. I predict that practice will make perfect.

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**Author:** ![FranticMad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c68b51/32.png) [@FranticMad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FranticMad)\
**Post date:** [April 23, 2003, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-improve-my-speach/170261/22 "2003-04-23T02:53:09Z")

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I had the same problem for a long time.

Then I realized that I didn’t _want_ to be heard. For various reasons.

Now that I have decided that I want to be heard, I love public speaking, and people tell me that I am charistmatic and wonderful. I am still not loud, but I know how to be louder and how to be clear.

Sometimes I go to a bar with a live band. It’s a loud environment, and I practice speaking loudly (it almost feels like shouting) just so I can exercise my voice.

True, I did take singing lessons once a week for two years when I was 35…it helped.

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**Author:** ![akennett](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ee59a6/32.png) [@akennett](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/akennett)\
**Post date:** [April 23, 2003, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-improve-my-speach/170261/23 "2003-04-23T03:31:03Z")

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I used to have the same sort of troubles. I talked in a very low voice (low volume that is) and tended to trail off or mumble toward the end of thoughts. One thing that was suggested to me that seemed to work was to try to emphasize the last consonant sound in each word. This has the effect of slowing down your rate of speech and of making sure the end of each word is clearly heard.

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