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Four Efficient Ways to Improve Your Speech
Use More Facial Expression
One psychologist feels that our facial expression is responsible more than anything else for the impression others have of us. In fact, more than 50 percent of another’s impression, he believes, is influenced by the look on your face. Naturally a smile in which the eyes participate is extremely communicative. A 1)scowling look often brings the same thing in return. People tend to mirror your expression, so try to show how you feel about a topic or an idea or the audience through your facial expression.
Dispel Your Inner Fear
It's natural to have some 2)tension or nervousness when you appear before an audience. The way to handle it is to put it to work for you, get into action, as Shakespeare observed, action cures fear. There are only a few known ways to control fear. The first is to admit it, do the thing you fear and it will be the death of fear itself. Another simple aid at the last minute before you begin, is to take a few deep breaths, this will help get the 3)butterflies in 4)formation and also keep your voice under control. In fact, if you’re thoroughly prepared, just taking a few deep breaths before you’re introduced will give you added confidence and poise. I define poise as having control of your emotions. A fun definition I heard was, poise is the difference between raising your voice and raising your eyebrow. Other known ways to control nervousness and fear are to give yourself a 5)pep talk or take some physical exercise, simple 6)calisthenics can work wonders in you. And as a final 7)antidote to fear -prepare, then act confident, act as though it were impossible to fail.
Polish Your Voice
Our voice is the main instrument we possess for communicating with people, we’re all sound sensitive. So invest in a tape recorder, practise your speech by speaking it into the microphone then listen to it. You can even have others join in the evaluation of your strong points and your weaknesses or faults as well. Remember that 8)Demosthenes and Winston Churchill both used pebbles in their mouths while practising their speaking. I’ve done the same thing and I can promise you that even if you use jellybeans instead of pebbles you can quickly develop excellent pronunciation. Simply reading out loud can help you improve your voice and develop a personal style. Read the newspaper or a magazine out loud or read stories to your children, any kind of practice will help improve your emphasis, pausing, pace and pitch and even increase your 9)resonance.
Strengthen Your Memory
Psychologists tell us that most individuals don’t use above ten percent of their 10)inherent capacity for memory, that’s comparable to trying to run a car on one 11)cylinder. Why do most people use so little of their power of memory? Because they don’t practise the fundamentals of remembering. First and most important, it’s necessary to have a burning desire to remember, it’s difficult to recall anything without wanting to do so. Step number two is concentration. Our success depends greatly on our ability to concentrate. 12)Henry Ward Beecher once observed, one hour of intense concentration can accomplish more than years of dreaming. The next principle is repetition, we learned many things in school by rote by repetition, when you hear a name for the first time repeat it, spell it, write it down, review it, you’ll soon know it by heart. All the brain needs is a clue. In remembering, names, for instance, a 13)rhyme association works wonders. I met a man named Tony Goal who works for the phone company, I quickly came up with the rhyme, Tony’s Goal is a telephone pole. Every time I see him I immediately know his name and remember that he works for the phone company. The more associations you make, the easier it becomes, keep them short and simple, the more 14)ludicrous the association, the easier it’ll be to recall.
注释:
1) scowly [`skaJlI] a. 闷闷不乐的，愁眉不展的
2) tension [5tenFEn] n. 紧张(状态)，不安
3) butterflies [5bQtEflais] n. （因紧张等引起的）颤抖，恶心的感觉
4) formation [fC:5meiFEn] n. 构成，编队
5) pep talk 鼓舞士气的讲话
6) calisthenics [kAlis5Weniks] n. 柔软体操，运动
7) antidote [5AntidEut] n. [医] 解毒剂， 矫正方法
8) Demosthenes [di5mCsWEni:z] 德摩斯梯尼，古希腊的雄辩家。小时候声音微弱，口吃严重，为了让自己能够成为雄辩家，他站在海边，口含小石子大声朗读练习发音；为增大肺活量，他一边演说一边跑步登上小山丘；在镜前，他反复练习演讲的动作和姿势。最后终于成为古希腊著名的雄辩家
9) resonance [5rezEnEns] n. 共鸣， 反响
10) inherent [in5hiErEnt] a. 固有的，与生俱来的
11) cylinder [5silindE] n. 汽缸
12) Henry Ward Beecher 亨利·沃德·比彻，（1813－1887，美国基督教公理会自由派牧师、废奴运动领袖）
13) rhyme [raim] n. 押韵，押韵的词
14) ludicrous [5lu:dikrEs] a.可笑的，滑稽的
精通发言四大招数
多用面部表情
一位心理学家认为，要在别人心目中留下印象，我们的面部表情最为重要。事实上，他相信别人对你的印象有一半会受到你面部神情的影响。蕴含眼神的笑容自然显得极为亲切健谈，愁眉苦脸往往自食苦果。人们倾向于表达与你同样的表情，因此尽量用你的面部表情来表现你对某个题目、某种意见或某些听众的感受。
消除内心的恐惧
将要公开发言之时感到紧张不安是很正常的。解决的方法是让这种情绪为你所用，投入到行动中，就如莎士比亚所言：行动治疗恐惧。只有几种抑制恐惧的方法为人所知。首先是承认恐惧，做你所惧怕的事，恐惧就会自我消亡。另一种简单的辅助方法可以在你发言前最后一分钟使用，那就是做几次深呼吸。深呼吸有助于舒缓紧张引起的恶心感，同时也能使你更好地控制自己的声音。事实上，如果你准备充分，在别人邀请你出场前，只要做几下深呼吸你便会信心倍增，镇定自如。我觉得镇定自如就是能够好好地控制自己的情绪。我听说过另一种有趣的定义：镇定自如就是提高声音与提起眉毛之间的区别。还有一些抑制焦虑、恐惧的办法就是给自己来一段鼓舞人心的话或者进行一些体育活动--简单的健美操可以在你身上产生意想不到的效果。最后一招对付恐惧的杀手锏就是：准备，然后充满自信，表现出决不会失败的样子。
改善说话的声音
我们的声音是我们与人交流的主要工具，我们都对声音敏感。所以，买部录音机对着麦克风说话，练习自己的发言，然后再听听自己的话。你甚至可以让别人也来评价一下你的优点，不足或者是缺点。记得德摩斯梯尼和温斯顿·丘吉尔两人练习演讲时都是嘴里含着几颗小石块的。我也曾这样做过，而我可以保证就算你用软心豆粒糖而不是石块，你也可以迅速练就一流的发音。单纯大声朗读有助于改善你的声音并且能够发展你的个人风格。大声读报、读杂志或者读故事给你的孩子听--各种各样的练习都有助你改善语言中的强调、停顿、语速、语调，甚至增加你说话的响亮度。
增强记忆力
心理学家告诉我们，绝大多数人实际记忆的能力不足其固有能力的十分之一，那就无异于只用一个汽缸来驱动一辆小汽车。为何多数人只用了那么点记忆能力呢？那是因为他们没有锻炼好用于识记的基本素质。首先，并且最重要的是必须有记忆的强烈欲望。毫无记忆热忱却要将东西记住谈何容易。第二步就是专心致志。我们的成功很大程度上取决于我们的专注能力。亨利·沃德·比彻曾说过，一小时忘我的专注投入所得到的收获胜过多年的空想。另一个关键是重复。我们在学校里通过死记硬背和重复就记住了好些东西。首次听说一个名字时，就复述一下，拼一下，写一下，复习一下，这样你便可以很快记上心。大脑需要的是引子。对于记忆，比方说记名字，押韵联想的作用非凡。我曾遇到过一个叫托尼·戈尔的人，他供职于一家电话公司。我一下子就想到了一个押韵句：托尼的目标是电话线杆。每次见到他，我便立即会记起他的名字并且记得他供职于电话公司。联想得越多，记起来就越容易。联想力求简短，联想的事物越滑稽怪诞，回想起来就越容易。
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