Public Speaking

What is meant by the term diction? What does diction teach and why is it important to have good diction?

Before answering these questions, let’s start with an important premise: the key to any form of communication is the integral reception of the message you want to send.

Just as good calligraphy serves to make a handwritten message easier to read, good articulation and pronunciation serve to make an oral message fluid and more understandable.

It should be understood early on that diction in the strict sense is only an embellishment, an element that facilitates communication, and not a substantial part of it.

Virtually everyone, at least once in their lives, has experienced the excitement of having to speak in front of a small or large audience. A birthday, an exam, a job interview. Some have been shocked, others thrilled. A lot has probably changed since that first time, and if you are looking for answers related to public speaking, you probably belong to the former category.

Don’t worry, here at Inborn Voice we help hundreds of people just like you every day who are wondering how to learn public speaking, where it is possible to take one of our courses, or how to speak in public without getting flustered. We would like to say right away that our approach differs substantially from that of the mainstream. In fact, for us it is more important, indeed fundamental, to make yourself understood by everyone: no one else will educate you on how to make yourself understood, how to deliver your message with authenticity.

Anyone can experience a “stage fright” which is the fear of facing an audience or public.

What was once referred to as “stage fright” or “rookie panic,” today is referred to as “microphone panic” because it is an element that usually connects all of these events.

It happens all the time to actors, singers and entertainment professionals, even those who don’t even have to speak, like dancers or extras.

It is something that has existed since the dawn of time: we can read of similar episodes already in the accounts of the ancient Greeks and Romans, the “creators” of Theater and Oratory.

Every artist has faced this problem at least once in his or her career. In fact, as Mylena Vocal Coach says, stage fright goes hand in hand with the desire to express oneself and communicate in the best possible way.

Mastering your voice and emotions is key to presenting successfully, laying out ideas and plans in a concise and successful way.

What does “Elevator Pitch” mean?

Elevator Pitch is an idiom that could be expressed as “quick and short chat” or even better “flash presentation“. The idea behind this communication technique is to take advantage of short moments of “dead” time, such as the time you spend in an elevator between floors, to introduce yourself concisely and immediately empathize with the other party.

You need to be prepared because when you have the opportunity to “accidentally” meet someone important, perhaps at a job interview or a business meeting, you have at most a few seconds to grab their attention and immediately define why we are important to them.

Sooner or later everyone comes face to face with an uncomfortable question. The interviewer who asks the awkward question may be a journalist, an employer, a lending institution, for example during the mortgage application process at the bank.

Inconvenient questions are those that seek to expose us, draw us out or catch us by surprise. All of these questions assume something we want to keep hidden, that we are not proud of, or that is inherently confidential or damaging in nature to us or those we represent.

There is no doubt that being prepared for all kinds of questions and interviews is critical, but it is even more so when we estimate that the answer will determine much of our future.

You’re probably looking for the art of avoiding answering uncomfortable questions, i.e. the ones you’re afraid will be asked, but here at Inborn Voice we prepare you for that and more.