by: Roy Hanschke
4/1/2004

As a speaking-voice coach, I find that almost everyone needs some help in developing a richer, more engaging delivery style. Those who preach the most important message—the good news—should, more than anyone, deliver their message with vibrancy and clarity of voice. After all, they’re speaking on behalf of God. The Bible says that the Old Testament prophets and psalmists “declared” the Word of God. To declare means to announce or proclaim boldly. They delivered their message with a sense of urgency, strength, and exactness. Psalm 19:1 uses that same word saying that “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.” The way the heavens do that is awesome. Likewise, how the Word of God is declared or proclaimed should be awesome.

The Word of God deserves that same emphatic delivery. Some may disagree with me, pointing out what the Apostle Paul said to the Corinthian Christians:

When I came to you, brothers, I did not come with eloquence or superior wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God. For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. I came to you in weakness and fear, and with much trembling. My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, so that your faith might not rest on men’s wisdom, but on God’s power. (1 Corinthians 2:1-5)

My critics remind me that preaching is for the glory of God not the glory of man. I agree and don’t deny that the Holy Spirit, not man’s eloquence, changes lives through the Word of God. Truth cannot be replaced with clever argument and eloquent delivery. That, however, doesn’t negate the fact that we can and should deliver the greatest message in the world with the best possible presentation. Vocal vibrancy and clarity should not replace truth but should characterize its delivery.

Clarity means speaking so that listeners can understand every word. Vibrancy means speaking so that listeners know the speaker believes every word. It means getting excited about the message and delivering it in a style that matches the majesty of the message. It can be slow or fast. And vibrancy doesn’t necessarily mean loudness. It can be boisterous or it can be quiet. Sometimes a whisper speaks better than a shout. Vibrancy means speaking with expressive vocal variety.

Trading old habits for new

Most speakers have never been effectively shown how to improve the way they speak, so they continue to rely on old vocal habits. Furthermore, some speakers question whether or not you can change your voice. Actually, no one is suggesting you change your voice. It’s more a matter of improving the way you use it. The voice, just like any instrument, improves with know-how and practice. The saxophone, for example, can sound bad or it can sound good. It can emit squeaks or pure, vibrant tones. The same is true of the voice.

However, merely desiring to speak well will not get the job done. So if you’re ready to improve the way you use your voice in your presentations, here are some principles and practices you can use daily. The good results will delight you and your audiences.

The improvement process consists of awareness and practice. When a person speaks, his habits control the way his words are delivered. So, you must first become aware of your current vocal habits. Then you can develop and practice new habits. The goal is to put you and your new habits, rather than your old habits, in control of your voice. By adding variety and exactness to your vocal repertoire, you’re adding more tools to your vocal toolbox. These tools will then be available and useful to you during any presentation. However, if they’re not in the toolbox or you don’t know how to use them, they do you no good, and you’ll fall back on using the few tools with which you are familiar. So, let’s build a bigger toolbox.

Awareness

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