10 Important Voice Modulation Tips for Kids to Enhance Their Public Speaking Skills

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Voice modulation is one of the fundamental needs of public speaking. It is the ability to change the pitch, tone, volume, and pace of your voice according to your purpose, content, and audience. The way you deliver a speech can make a boring speech enjoyable. Voice modulation helps us emphasize and draw the attention of the listener. Having a great written speech is not enough. Scientists say that the tone of our voice accounts for 38% of the impression we make when we are in communication. There are three tones of voice: inside voice, outside voice, and whispering voice. The inside voice is when we communicate in enclosed spaces; the outside voice is when we communicate outdoors or in large spaces; and the whispering voice is when we communicate inside a library or with someone who is beside us.

An important part of voice modulation is intonation, which refers to the natural rise and fall of the voice while speaking to communicate a certain meaning through our tone. Intonation is important in spoken English because it conveys meaning in many ways. It can express the speaker’s attitude or feelings about something. You will feel more confident and at ease when you know your intonation is good. Misunderstandings can arise from incorrect intonation, and listeners may become disinterested. Intonation is about how we say rather than what we say. It depends on our mood, whom we are talking to, and the subject of our talk. It further means controlling the volume of our voice, like stressing important words and not weak words, pitch, and changing the rate of speech. If you were to meet someone right now and you were excited to talk to that person, your voice would sound vibrant and alive. But if you meet someone and you aren’t in the mood to chat, your voice is going to slip into a monotone because a monotone

voice blocks out communication. Our speaking voice has 30 notes to play around with, yet most humans will talk around the same 1 or 2 notes all the time.

There are two kinds of intonation: rising and falling. Rising intonation means raising the voice towards the end of the sentence. It is used for sentences that contain a universal truth and sentences ending with a question. We use rising intonation at the end of sentences starting with a word like 'is', ‘are’, ‘can’, ‘does’, or ‘did’, and also if we want to express high-energy emotions like happiness, anger, shock, or excitement. Falling intonation means dropping the voice at the last word of the sentence. We use falling intonation with interrogative sentences that start with a wh-word like ‘what’, ‘when’, ‘who’, ‘where’, etc., and also if we want to use low-energy emotions like sadness, laziness, boredom, etc.

Kids who want to be excellent public speakers who can captivate and persuade their audience should follow these 10 tips:

1. Pitch Variation:

Changing the pitch from high to low or vice versa can add emphasis and emotion to our speech and convey different meanings.

2. Pace Variation:

Speak neither too fast nor too slow. Ensure the audience hears and understands what you are saying. Speak fast or slowly, depending on what you have to say.

3. Stressing over certain words:

Vary the pitch and tone of your voice to highlight important points, ask questions, or express excitement.

4. Record and Review:

Practice in front of the mirror and record the speech to understand the areas for improvement.

5. Sound conversational:

Pretend as if you are delivering your speech to only one person and try to simply talk to your audience to keep them entertained and focused.

6. Volume Control:

Do not shout but be audible to people even at the back of the room. The way you project your voice to deliver a speech reflects your personality and makes you appear even more confident. Modify your volume based on the size of the audience and the importance of the message. Speak louder for larger groups and softer for smaller ones.

7. Pause frequently:

When you speak fast, you take quick, shallow breaths and make them last way too long. So, you feel rushed and breathless. Pause after every 6 to 8 words to replenish your breath. It will make you feel relaxed, deliberate, and strong. Slow down without thinking about it. Relaxing your jaw and opening your mouth will naturally slow down your speech. If you are a fast talker, your mouth doesn’t open very far. That makes your voice smaller, and you are more prone to mumbling. When you relax your lower jaw and cultivate more openness, you will find the rate of your speech slowing automatically. Because it takes more time for your jaw to travel that extra distance. Speaking fast shortens vowel sounds. So, your voice becomes small and shallow. This strategy is called vowel resonance. By lengthening vowel sounds, you start to feel and enjoy the rich potential for sound vibrations in your body. There is a natural incentive to cultivate and prolong that feeling, which automatically slows your pace. Speaking fast robs you of clarity, authority, and credibility.

8. Articulation and Pronunciation:

To make sure the audience understands everything, go into great detail and pronounce each word.

9. Be brief and to the point:

Stick to the topic and steer clear of long monologues and pointless filler words like um, hmm, etc.

10. Expression and Emotion:

Put your heart in your sleeves while speaking to ensure greater interaction with the audience. Use hand gestures, facial expressions, and body movements to complement your speech and engage the audience.

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Article Author

Ankita Das

Ankita Das is a professional in the education sector. She has a calm and collected demeanor and a very pleasant and amiable personality. After earning her master's degree in chemistry from the University of Calcutta, she worked as a subject matter expert in chemistry for several companies, including Vaidik Eduservices, Chegg India Pvt. Ltd., and Working Giant. Additionally, she has mentored several students who have achieved success in their respective fields. She came to Bambinos because of her passion for teaching and her love of English, and she wants to make a difference in the company she works for.

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