During the
last year, I sold my condo and moved to Kirkland ,
WA
Let’s talk
about a basic speaker issue. Being heard. It seems a no-brainer but
recently I’ve attended three events where I could barely hear a word. And the
speakers all had microphones! Two situations were in rooms where their
voices should have carried without a mike. (I hope you’re developing your voice/breathing
so you don’t need to rely on a mike.) It
didn’t matter how much each speaker had prepared or how brilliant their
ideas. No one around me heard them either. Sometimes there was laughter up
front. But it was a waste of our time.
Be your own
producer, director, stage manager, script writer, star and audio-visual
consultant. You’re responsible for managing the perceptions of your
audience. Your number one duty is to make sure you’re heard.
1. Talk to the person in charge. Find out
the size of the room, the number of people expected and something about the
acoustics. Will a microphone be provided? A
stationery mike attached to a lectern is not the best as you have to keep your
head positioned in one place. A hand-held mike takes practice to consistently
keep it near your mouth. You can look like a juggler if you’re using a remote
control or advancing your computer. Ask for a lavalier (lapel) mike so you have consistent
volume and the freedom to move around the space.
2. When can you visit the physical site and do a
sound-check? A hand-held or stationery mike should be the distance of your fist (with your thumb on
your lips) from your mouth. The lavalier mike should be postioned close to the center of your chest. Avoid obscuring it with clothing or noisy jewelry.
3. When you speak your first words, you
may have to adjust your volume. The number of the people in the room may make
it necessary to speak louder than when the room was empty. Once you have established a comfortable volume, speak conversationally. Avoid sudden bursts of breath or surprising changes. If you are seated on a panel and the mike on a short stand is passed along, sit up straight and pick it up rather than awkwardly leaning forward.
5. Ask a person in the back of the room to
signal if you need to increase your volume. Don’t be shy about this! Ask people if they can hear you before you begin. They may be too embarrassed to say something later..
Make sure your voice will be heard!
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