Real Talking Tips with Elaine A. Clark

Hello, I'm and welcome to the final episode of season 1. S1 Ep 52 Real Talking Tips is YOUR time to assess what you learned in each of these 52 speech communication micro learning lessons. As you listen, be sure to rate yourself on all 52 micro-learning lessons on a scale of 1-5 with 5 being the highest score. Then tally your score. Your Real Talking Tips speech communication score should fall somewhere between 52 (lowest) and 260 (highest).  The score you give yourself should be a pretty good indicator of your perceived speaking skills and the areas that need more practice. Don't forget that if you ever need help, I'm available for personal coaching sessions. Just go to my website: and send me an to schedule a date and time. Now, settle in and get ready to score your speech success!

Successful speech communication is easily received by the listener and engages the audience's attention. - YOU have the ability to make people feel and take action. - You have the choice to offer a suggestion rather than a demand. - You have the ability to guide the listener into accepting and adopting your message as their own. That's the power of words, how you deliver the message, and own the results as a voice actor, podcaster, public speaker, sales person, or presenter. Episode 51 is a review of the topics we worked on in Real Talking Tips season 1 and in my Elaine A. Clark books, There's Money Where Your Mouth Is and Voice-Overs for Podcasting, plus my two speech apps, Activate Your Voice and Adding Melody To Your Voice.   What areas of speech do you need to improve? Clarity, Resonance, Breath Support, and Power. Natural Talking Speed and Use of Tempo Changes. Storytelling, Emotional Opinions, and Creation of a 3-D World. Emphasis on Key Words and Voice Placement Locations. Motivation, Action, Through Line, and Story Arc. Authority, Logic, and Emotion. Consistency and Confidence Practice along with the Real Talking Tips videos, audio podcasts, this blog, my Elaine Clark apps - Adding Melody To Your Voice and Activate Your Voice plus my best selling Elaine A. Clark books, There's Money Where Your Mouth Is and Voice-Overs for Podcasting.

The purpose of a story arc is to ENGAGE the audience's attention and effect a CHANGE. A story arc is needed in every speech, presentation, audio recording, and series episode. For the story to go somewhere, change must occur from the beginning of the speech, to the end of the message, and beyond the spoken words. 'Flat lining a message' occurs when a speaker fails to take the audience on a journey. Story arcs can be from avoidance to acceptance, confusion to understanding, boredom to action, disconnection to support, disappointment to success, etc. The story arc style can be simple, complex, dramatic, or comedic. So remember, the speaker's narrative story arc takes the audience on a journey, which is the foundation of good storytelling.

In Real Talking Tips episode 49, the final E for EMOTION is added to my Elaine A. Clark - Making It M.I.N.E.® 4-part speech communication and performance series. The M-I-N-E acronym stands for: M. MOTIVATION - The moment before speaking that propels the message. I.  INTENTIONS - Actions given to words to safeguard a 'win'. N. NEED - The message's purpose and through line. E. EMOTIONS - Adding emotional depth, realism, and opinion. In the previous 4-part Real Talking Tips - Power of Persuasion series, the importance of emotion was discussed in episode Ethos is a primary component of Aristotle's rhetorical triangle because it establishes WHY your audience should trust you. In this Real Talking Tips episode on EMOTION, get ready to change feelings and emotions and unite them with the breath. And don't forget that you can learn more about the Making It M.I.N.E.® speech and performance system in my book, . You can also read the blog notes on my SOVA AWARD WINNING website: elaineclarkvo.com. Practice along with the Real Talking Tips video, audio podcast, this blog, my Elaine Clark apps - plus my best selling Elaine A. Clark books, and .

In contrast to INTENTIONS that were discussed in Real Talking Tips 47 that continually change, the NEED of each speaker's message should remain constant and never change. A clearly defined NEED is the speaker's through line, driving force, and purpose for speaking. A person's NEED can be for basic existence: sleep, clothing, water, food, and shelter. The speaker's NEED should be unique to a specific situation and expected audience response. The NEED must be condensed and clarified into only one or two words. The purpose of choosing a one or two word NEED is to connect with the audience on a core level so they accept and share the same NEED as the speaker. The NEED focuses HOW the speaker conveys information. The NEED defines WHY the message is delivered in that particular way. While defining the NEED may seem simplistic, it is quite the opposite. Choosing the right NEED word makes all the difference between a strong connection with the audience and a speaker who misses the mark. After listening and you want to learn more about the NEED and the other parts of my Making It M.I.N.E.® performance system, check out Chapter 5 in my book – There's Money Where Your Mouth Is. To connect and use the M-I-N-E system together, watch Real Talking Tips episodes 46-49 and read the blog notes provided on this website – . As always, In encourage you to practice along with the Real Talking Tips audio, video, blog, my Elaine Clark apps - and plus my best selling , There's Money Where Your Mouth Is and Voice-Overs for Podcasting.

Real Talking Tips 47 is the second part of my Elaine A. Clark - Making It M.I.N.E.® series on how to add depth and subtext to speech, presentations, podcasts, and voice-over recordings. INTENTIONS are the ACTIONS a speaker uses to ensure a “win”. The movement can be the gestures we worked on in the Real Talking Tips episodes 27 - 37 Word Emphasis series and in my Adding Melody To Your Voice app. Intentions can also be an awareness of a subconscious movement so the speaker can consciously and strategically use those actions. The manner in which the INTENTION words are spoken adds new and varied colors to the speaking voice. Intentions are also tied in to Motivation, the first letter in the M-I-N-E method that we just worked on in Real Talking Tips Episode 46. To find more information about my Elaine A. Clark Making It M.I.N.E.® method in my book, There's Money Where Your Mouth Is and on my blog page, ElaineClarkVO.com/podcast.

The letters in my Elaine A. Clark - Making It M.I.N.E.® performance system stand for Motivation, Intentions, Need, and Emotions. The goal of this series and other Real Talking Tips episodes is to reprogram speech communication and performance out of the head so it can drop into your body. Real Talking Tips 46 kicks off the 4-part M-I-N-E series with MOTIVATIONS. - Motivation is connected to an event that just happened. - Motivation is a reaction that prompts the speaker to respond. - Motivation is based on an activity that was witnessed. - Motivation is the result of a conversation. - Motivation prompts a speaker to voice an opinion based on another person's resistance, disbelief, pushback, misunderstanding, or lack of knowledge. Motivation is about connecting with a specific moment before speaking that actively catapults a personal response. To learn more about MOTIVATIONS, turn to Chapter 5 of my book - - and check out Real Talking Tips episode 46 on my website - .

Real Talking Tips 45 completes the 4-part Power of Persuasion series. In episodes 42-44, we constructed the 3 pillars of persuasion: Ethos, Logos, and Pathos. Now we're going to dig a little deeper into Aristotle's Treatise on Rhetoric where he defined the available means of persuasion into three additional categories: Judicial, Demonstrative, and Deliberate. Because it's about the FUTURE, we're going to focus on Deliberative Rhetoric, where: Logos: Provides information for your audience to think. Pathos: Encourages your audience to feel. Ethos: Establishes why your audience should trust you. Then, I'm going to give you the Elaine Clark Real Talking Tips guide to using rhetoric as a powerful persuasive speaking tool.

PATHOS is the third episode in this Real Talking Tips - POWER OF PERSUASION - series. Pathos is the emotional addition to the authoritative ETHOS and logical LOGOS discussed in Real Talking Tips episodes -43. At the core of Pathos is an emotional appeal to evoke a feeling from the audience. Pathos also lends an imaginative and storytelling quality that can open up people's minds and hearts to past, present, and future possibilities. Follow along as we explore how to recognize and emotionally connect with pathos as the primary rhetorical component, combined with logos, or sparingly used. Follow along on the website: And, please take a moment to subscribe, download, share, rate, and add comments. I love hearing how this podcast or a specific episode helped you land a job, increase sales, close a deal, or improve your recording or speaking event.

LOGOS is the second rhetorical appeal in this 4-part Real Talking Tips POWER OF PERSUASION series.  kicked off the mini-series with ETHOS, a speaker's authority, background, and ‘street cred'.  LOGOS is the very heart and soul of the writer's and speaker's message.  Logos provides facts, price, size, reasoning, numbers, dates, times, percentages, and function. Logos supports the argument with research, evidence, and proof to make a particular claim. These logical bits of information have a purpose and need to stand out in order to persuade and convince.  Using the movements and gestures we worked on in the help define those key logical elements so the purpose and importance of the LOGOS stands out.  Therefore:   Logos = Logic = Uniqueness.

Real Talking Tips 42 begins a new 4-part series on the POWER OF PERSUASION. Hi, I'm - actor, , , , , and . Listing my background establishes my authority and ethos, which is the focus of this episode. Ethos is one of three powerful rhetorical components and the foundation of writing and speaking. Ethos establishes the speaker's tone, style, status, ethical standards, credibility, and believability. It's the speaker's job to sound authoritative and support the personal ‘WHY' belief regardless if it's their own message or someone else's words. When delivering a speech, presentation, or voice-over script written by someone else, many speakers lose their personal connection to the message. The result is a lack of ethos and audience disconnection with the speaker and information. Join me, along with and some wise tips from Aristotle, on how to own your Ethos! For more information, visit my website:

If you have a monotone voice, get frustrated when people lose focus or tune out when you talk, or are annoyed when people ask you to repeat yourself, this Real Talking Tips ‘Shifting Voice Locations' episode is for you. Varying pitch placement helps separate concepts, ideas, information, and list items so the audience can stay focused and more easily absorb the entire message and separate bits of information. Shifting voice placement locations helps grab a listener's attention and take the listener on an informational journey via a musically spoken story arc.

In this 3rd of 4 Voice Placement episodes, we're going to drop the speaking voice down from the middle 'mask voice' and higher 'head voice' to the deeper 'chest voice'. Confidence and authority are usually associated with lower voices. That's why a lot of speakers prefer speaking from the chest voice area. The following are 4 ways different voice pitched speakers can use their chest voice for optimal strength, resonance, pitch, and tone. Higher voice: Start speaking from your lowest relaxed voice placement and lift the words up briefly and back down. Middle voice: Speak and gesture with the hands at waist level or below to keep the pitch lower in the chest. Weaker voice: Plant the heels of the feet in the ground, bend the knees slightly, and tighten the lower buttock and thigh muscles. Ultra Deep voice: Begin speaking at a higher voice pitch and dip down briefly into the lowest tones before returning to the slightly higher voice. To find out more about Voice Placement and other Speaking Tips, go to .

Real Talking Tips 39 is the 2nd of 4 Voice Placement episodes. Last episode, we concentrated on the natural sounding 'mask voice.' This time, we move the voice pitch higher into the skull and head area. Depending on your work and social interactions, speaking from the head voice can be used to: 1. Calm an uncomfortable guest in a podcast or interview show. 2. Differentiate the sound of two similar sounding people in a live performance, recorded dialog, or interview. 3. Establish specific character voices when reading books aloud to children and voicing higher pitched characters in a variety of entertainment genres. 4. Sound like a baby in a cartoon, video game, or toy. Practice along as we explore when and how to use your 'head voice' in this Real Talking Tips video, blog, my

Speak from the nose to mouth ‘mask' area for more impact as Real Talking Tips Episode 38 kicks off a new 4-part mini-series focused on speech Voice Placement. This first episode in the series focuses on uniting the breath, resonance, and emotion in your natural speaking voice. The air flow or intake of breath should begin in the bottom half of the body, move up through the stomach area, into the lower-ribs and spine area, so the dome-shaped diaphragm muscles can push the air up and out through the mouth. Breathing properly aids in connecting emotions to the spoken words. The mask area also needs resonance. So we'll warm up the resonators, too. You can refer back to the 2nd episode of Real Talking Tips and my Elaine Clark 5-minute voice and diction app, for additional resonance information and practice tips. Use these Voice Placement tips to add more strength, beauty, and emotion, to your natural ‘mask' voice. Practice along with the Real Talking Tips podcast and the , my Elaine Clark app - , and my best selling books, and .

Take the Word Emphasis challenge! Practice 11 dynamic speaking techniques from episodes 27-36.  Real Talking Tips episode 37, reviews the Word Emphasis Chart gestures and demonstrates how each movement draws focus to specific words, phrases, sentences and speech. Communication Coach, Elaine A. Clark, shows how to apply those speech techniques to voice-overs, podcasts, sales calls, Live Talks, Presentations, and Virtual Web Meetings. So, shake your hands out and get ready to use the Word Emphasis Chart movements and symbols so you, too, can get 'Wired for Sound.'

This is my absolute favorite Word Emphasis technique! What makes the Up-Down-Split the Difference speech movements and gestures so important? This Real Talking Tips 10th Word Emphasis technique musically separates important information, making it easier for the listener to receive, define, and comprehend each spoken element. These three elements can be single words, phrases, or full sentences. Using 3 distinct musical speech placements supports the written 'Rule-Of-Three' that uses an odd number to achieve humor, tempo effectiveness, the element of surprise, and audience satisfaction. While some of the other Word Emphasis techniques should be used sparingly, this Up-Down-Middle Word Emphasis placement technique should be used a lot! For more information about this technique, visit my RealTalkingTips.com website: 

Real Talking Tips Episode 35 is the 9th of 11 Word Emphasis lessons. The HOOK uses a simple finger movement on an individual word. This hook-like 'S' movement slows down the focus word, adds clarity and musicality to that word in order to attract listener attention. An attention grabbing Hook is typically used at the beginning of a talk or speech to quickly switch focus to a new discussion topic, business, product, or person. As a clarifier, the Hook word emphasis movement provides an auditory twist to important Who, When and Where words in the beginning, middle, or end of a sentence. To view more information about the and this Real Talking Tips podcast, go to .

Join me, Elaine A. Clark, in this Real Talking Tips episode, where we're going to dust off some basic English class lessons and apply that knowledge to speech and movement. You may recall that the Noun,Verb, and Subject of the Noun comprise the three main parts of a sentence. Your English teacher may have also referred to it as the Statement / Action / Connecting Statement. In this 8th of 11 Word Emphasis mini-series, we're going to honor these three grammatical elements by adding a 'Wave' to our speaking voice to define and separate Who, What, Why, When, Where, and How phrases. You can also read and see it in action on my website:

As a speaker, when you need to change direction and attitude quickly, the 'Dip-Down' is your Word Emphasis choice. This  dip-down technique uses opposing gestures, movements, voice pitch, tempo, and attitude to create a story arc. It's an effective speaking tip to prevent the message from becoming flat-lined, boring, and monotonous. The purpose of the dip-down is to speak so opposing information from the past "before moment" is clearly defined and understood. Then, when the voice and attitude quickly shifts in the opposite direction in the second part of the dip-down, the speaker takes the listener to the outcome and result of the "current moment" information, message, and attitude. Practice adding Dip-Downs in this 7th of 11 Real Talking Tips Word Emphasis lessons. Each element of the Word Emphasis Chart adds variety and attitude to words and phrases! In the last six episodes, we added a Dot, Arrow Up, Caret Up (^), Arrow Down, Caret Down (v), Wiggle, Stretch, and Parethetical. Practice along with this Real Talking Tips podcast and the ElaineClarkVO.com/podcast blog and video, my Elaine Clark app - '' and my best selling Elaine A. Clark books, '' and ''. Please subscribe and add a comment. I love hearing from you!

A Parenthetical statement is a way of expressing additional information. It could be a year, number, point of view, quote, clarification, personal insight, or legal disclaimer. Sometimes the parenthetical is an opportunity to show personality and opinion. Other times, it's spoken quicker to hide the small print, legal information, or incidental or explanatory thought. It's easy for us to see and acknowledge parentheses when it's written. But how do you take that typed curved set of brackets ( ), dash -, ellipses... , or off-set commas, and translate the written information into speech and conversation? Practice adding parenthetical speech and movements in this 6th of 11 Word Emphasis lessons. Each element of the Word Emphasis Chart [introduced in Episode 27] adds variety and attitude to words and phrases! In the last four episodes, we added a Dot (·), Arrow Up (), Caret Up (^), Arrow Down (), Caret Down (v), Wiggle (˜), and Stretch ( ___ ). Practice along with the Real Talking Tips vidcast, podcast, and blog, my Elaine Clark app - Adding Melody To Your Voice, and my best selling books, There's Money Where Your Mouth Is and Voice-Overs for Podcasting.  For even more info, visit ElaineClarkVO.com/podcast.

Time to S-T-R-E-T-C-H O-U-T key words! Business Names, Brands, and Titles require special focus and attention. Slowing down when you say these important Proper Nouns aids audience retention. This 5th of 11 Word Emphasis - Real Talking Tips micro-learning lessons, demonstrates how to use the body to Billboard and Lengthen the client's name, title, brand, or product. To integrate this slow billboard focus on Proper Nouns, you need to practice this technique… and all the Word Emphasis and Real Talking Tips techniques. Muscle memory doesn't happen overnight. You're learning a new speech “dance step.” Start slowly with each new technique until your body becomes wired for sound and uses these movements and techniques instinctively… without thought or control. It's part of the progression to unconscious competence. • Take a moment to click Subscribe, Download, or Share. • Read the blog at ElaineClarkVO.com/Podcast.

Ready to sprinkle in a wiggle, sizzle, jazz hands, and voice shimmer when you say keywords? The 4th of 11 Word Emphasis - Real Talking Tips speech communication mini-series lessons - gets your hands, head, shoulders, toes, and derriere ready to move! Listen and practice along. Create a specific sound, pitch, and attitude. Add more variety to your speaking voice. Each element of the Word Emphasis Chart [introduced in Real Talking Tips Episode 27] adds speech variation and attitude to spoken words and phrases! Wiggling different parts of your body is also a fun warm-up that can put a twinkle in your eye before talking, recording, or meeting someone. In the last three Real Talking Tips - Word Emphasis episodes, we added a Dot (·), Arrow Up, and Caret Up (^), and Arrow Down, and Caret Down (v) to key words and phrases. So, practice along with this Real Talking Tips podcast, my Elaine Clark app - Adding Melody To Your Voice, and my best selling books, There's Money Where Your Mouth Is and Voice-Overs for Podcasting.

Caret It Down - Arrow It Down, is the 3rd Word Emphasis speech variety lesson in this 11-episode Real Talking Tips mini-series. The up-down-up caret (v) adds emphasis to an individual word where the musicality of that word starts and ends on the same high or medium pitched note and lowers in the middle. Arrowing a sentence or phrase down, lands a thought or message as the pitch of the speaking voice progresses from a higher to lower voice. Remember, the importance of utilizing the Word Emphasis Chart is for variety! So, practice along with this Real Talking Tips podcast, the Adding Melody To Your Voice app, and my books, There's Money Where Your Mouth Is and Voice-Overs for Podcasting. It's not practice makes perfect. It's PERFECT practice makes perfect! #realtalkingtips #elaineclarkvo

Real Talking Tips Episode 28 is the second in the min-series of 11 ways to add Word Emphasis to speech, presentations, and voiceover recordings. This time, we'll practice two types of upward inflection: arrowing a phrase up and adding an up-and-down-caret (^) to a word. Arrowing up sets up a statement for the response that follows. An Upward Caret slows down an individual word and provides additional musicality and focus to that key word within a sentence. As before, we'll use the Word Emphasis chart found on Episode 27 of my ElaineClarkVO.com/Podcast page, discussed in my books, There's Money Where Your Mouth Is and Voice-Overs for Podcasting, and explored further in the video and interactive practice-record-and-listen areas of my app, Adding Melody To Your Voice. Now, I'll show you additional ways to achieve those speech variations using a variety of movements and gestures. If you're enjoying this series, please subscribe, download, and share this episode with friends, colleagues, and business associates. #RealTalkingTips   #ElaineClarkVO

Congratulations! Episode 27 marks the halfway point in this Real Talking Tips podcast and Elaine Clark's top 52 public speaking lessons and voice-over tips. This episode begins a new speech communication mini-series: 11 ways to focus the voice and body to create Word Emphasis. The Word Emphasis chart uses a symbol to describe movements and gestures that draw unique focus to a word or phrase. These include a dot, caret up, caret down, wiggle, stretch, parenthetical, dip down, singsong, hook, arrow up, arrow down, shifts, and transitions. We'll start with the dot: a firm, crisply stated word spoken in a short, staccato manner. Additional information, video, and activities about how to use the Word Emphasis chart are found in the Elaine Clark app: Adding Melody To Your Voice. The Word Emphasis chart is also written about in the Elaine A. Clark books: There's Money Where Your Mouth Is and Voice-Overs For Podcasting.

Being a Speech Choir Director means that the voice, body movements, and gestures work in tandem with the speaker's feelings and message dynamics. Establishing the power box shape and size helps defines the voice range and musical tune. When practicing this concept, use slower and larger gestures and movements to allow time for the brain to accept the reprogramming effort and the body to trust and spontaneously incorporate the speech clarifying movements. Don't expect it to happen overnight. It takes practice for a speaker to become dynamically ‘wired for sound.' Practice along with the 5 Speech Melody Practice Lessons.

The voice needs variety for the listener to stay engaged.  When a speaker gestures with the same hand, the musicality and tempo of the voice tends to repeat and the audience tends to tune out. The Right-Left-Together Power Box method incorporates 3 different voice placements. Alternating movements inside the various size and shape Power Boxes adds additional variation and clarity to the speaking voice. Listen and practice these speech movements and combinations to create muscle memory so your body knows what to do when making a presentation, speaking in front of a group, recording a voice-over script, or recording a podcast.

The Large and Small Power Box is the 2nd of 4 episodes that explore the use of a speaker's Power Box in this Real Talking Tips speech communication micro-learning series. This time, rather than the speaker's “stage area” being vertical, the big vs. small power box is horizontal or square. The width and size of the horizontal power box is dependent on the message. When the message is intimate and subdued, the smaller the speaker's gestures and movements are within that confined area. Dynamic and inclusive messages require the speaker to use a wider and broader area to expand their gestures and the power of their voice. Once again, defining the appropriate size and shape of the power box focuses the speaker's message, voice, and intended audience response.

If you're wondering what a speaker's Power Box is, think of it as a small stage area where the speaker's hands and gestures stay inside. The power box may be tall and narrow, wide or small, v-shaped, thrust forward, rectangular, circular, or square.  When the speaker's movements stay inside this specified power box area, the message is more focused and impactful. Otherwise, the audience can easily become distracted with the 'in and out' sound of the speaker's diffused voice as the gestures go beyond the imaginary power box walls. Real Talking Tips Episodes 23-26 explores the speaker's various power box sizes, shapes, movements, and voice placements.  The vertical high vs. low power box is the first of this 4-part micro-learning power box speech communication mini-series.  

Anticipation… wait for it… moments are powerful. Why? Properly placed pauses engage the audience and make them active listeners. Writers use dashes, ellipses, commas, colons, and semi-colons to indicate pauses. Speakers need to fill in those spaces with an emotion and attitude that rides on the breath and connects the statements together. Contrary to what some people think, adding a pause doesn't mean that the speaker disengages, quits working, closes the mouth, and stops the airflow. Pauses should be filled with opinion and attitude to activate audiences, add impact, anticipation, drama, comedy, and memory retention. Pauses are also used to shift focus from one topic to another. In Real Talking Tips Episode 22, Elaine Clark demonstrates three main areas where speakers can add pauses. Pauses help create a dialog with the listener when a statement has numerous choices and answers. Comedians and Speakers use pauses to get a laugh. Longer dramatic or ‘pregnant pauses' add impact. Pauses add tempo changes and jazz up the speech tune.

What is Good? What information is Bad? Words can be the same but attitudes and opinions can be completely opposite! When both good and bad information is shared in a script, message, presentation, or conversation, the story and focus of the spoken message and endorsement can easily get muddy and confusing. Adding Tempo Changes is the focus of Real Talking Tips Episodes 18-22. Comparing good and bad information fits right into that tempo changing challenge.  Why?  Good information needs to be said slower. Bad information should be spoken faster. Adding a smile when saying good information slows down the tempo. Not smiling or staying emotionally neutral allows the speech pattern to get faster. That's because more facial muscles are required to smile than frown.  Good information is also more positive when the palm of the hand faces up.  Bad information sounds worse when the palms face down.   Listen to Real Talking Tips and practice along with the script and blog at ElaineClarkVO.com/podcast.  If you want to see communication tips demonstrated, you can also watch the Elaine Clark YouTube video.  Actively practice and put these speaking tips in your body so your speech communication, presentations, voiceovers, podcasts, and everyday conversation improve and you're 'wired for sound'.

Lists can turn off a listener if you don't know how to change the speech rhythm and focus of the key words. Lists need their own location, meaning, and musical placement. Lists shouldn't be spoken with one repetitive sound and tempo. List items shouldn't be lilted upward unless the intention is to bore the audience. Lists need their own tempo and focus. There are four different and distinct list types. Noun lists focus on people, places, and things. Verb lists require action. Modifier lists clarify the merits of the person, place, location, product, or service. Laundry lists offer multiple options and expectations. Join host Elaine A. Clark in Episode 20 Real Talking Tips as we explore ways to say lists with more meaning and impact.

Why do public speakers, presenters, and voice actors have a tendency to speak at a steady pace and rhythm? In regular conversation, people vary their speaking pace. Important information is slow. Unimportant information is fast. And normal information is spoken at a medium speed. Yet, most people tend to get trapped and forget to add variety to their voice when they're giving a speech, presentation, or recording a script. I'm Elaine Clark, host and creator of the Real Talking Tips podcast where I offer practical advice on how to effectively get your message across and speak like a pro. Episode 19 offers communication and voiceover tips for speakers who want to break you out of "reading conditioning" and into expressive, real, conversational speech. #ElaineClarkVO #Communication #VoiceOver #VO #Podcasts #Business #Speech #TalkingTips #There'sMoneyWhereYourMouthIs #Voice-OversForPodcasting #ActivateYourVoice #AddingMelodyToYourVoice #Presentations #Reporting #Interviews #SpeakLikeAPro

Listeners Need Time to Process What You're Saying. Words can be meaningless or powerful depending on how the message is presented. Hi, I'm Elaine Clark with Real Talking Tips offering practical advice on how to effectively get your message across and speak like a pro. Communication is a Powerful Tool if you're in sales, making a presentation, hosting a podcast, being interviewed, recording a voiceover script, or talking to friends. You can always find ways to improve the way you speak, connect with your audience, and sound real and believable. There are three sections format and structure of the message: Set-Up, Body, and Resolve. SET-UP - establishes the problem. BODY - acknowledges the problem and offers solutions. RESOLVE - summaries the benefits and suggests that the audience take action. That action can be to go into a store, look at a website, purchase or sell something, tell a friend, explore other options, calm down, travel, accept changes, or a whole array of other choices. The Power of Silence! Silences are necessary for the audience to absorb and process what was just said. Those brief silences are necessary in order to change the breath and shift emotions during the transitions between each of the three speaking segments: Set-Up, Body, and Resolve. When the emotional shift of silence occurs, the body has a chance to connect with the message on a deeper level The Format and Structure of Transitions provide an Arc of the Story. Practice the physicality and speaking tips, and visit the website: elaineclarkvo.com/podcast to read more about each speech communication topic. Please take a moment to add a comment. I love hearing from you! #ElaineClarkVO #Communication #PowerOfSilence #VoiceOver #VO #Podcasts #Business #Speech #TalkingTips #There'sMoneyWhereYourMouthIs #Voice-OversForPodcasting #ActivateYourVoice #AddingMelodyToYourVoice #Presentations #Reporting #Interviews #SpeakLikeAPro

What does it mean to be a Sing-Talker?  Your voice and speech pattern are integral to your unique tune.  The goal of the RealTalkingTips speech communication series is to help people improve everyday speech and the retention and absorption of information in business presentations, interviews, podcasting, and voiceovers.  Rhythm and melody alter when the articulator is voiced or de-voiced.  Musicality of vowels change based on the shape, position, and movement of the mouth.  Tempo, Speed, Movement, Emotion, Location,  Attitude, and how the sentence is Balanced makes a difference in speech musicality, too.   Real Talking Tips is a 52-episode speech communication series with information, practice tips, and homework assignments.  So listen, practice, and check out the blog at ElaineClarkVO.com/podcast.    

Why do people emphasize the word 'and' rather than the key words on either side of it?  The purpose of that little conjunction is to connect similar type items together. Yet, AND has a habit of drawing focus away from those items and informational elements.  There are several reasons why AND stands out: 1.  The musical downbeat and rhythm of the message. 2.  Lack of follow-through and breath-support on the final item.  3.  The speed and tempo  in which someone speaks. 4.  Lack of commitment. 5.  Confidence and knowledge of the items. Let's explore how to de-emphasize the "AND" and draw focus to the "Bookend" elements on either side of it to achieve balanced speech and proper word focus. 

Let's get to the point about Nouns!  There are: Common Nouns – Generic terms for people, places, things or ideas. Proper Nouns – A specific person, place, or thing where the first letter of the word is usually capitalized. Collective Nouns – Group or Team of people, animals, or things. Personal Pronouns – I, me, we, us, he, him, she, her, it, they, them, us, you . Why are nouns important in voice-overs, writing, and speech communication? What makes nouns unique is that they have a location. Typically, the location is stationary… but if that noun has movement, like a car or airplane, it may need a corresponding movement to correspond to the location. In Episode 13, we talked about Storytelling and how using the body and imagination creates a 3-D world. In Episode 14, we gave Verbs active and subtle gestures and movements.  Now it's time to point out where people, places, things, creatures, and critters are located. What makes nouns unique is that they have a location. Typically, the location is stationary… but if that noun has movement, like a car or airplane, it may need a corresponding movement to correspond to the location. Join me, Elaine A. Clark, on how to speak so people will listen and this "noun" speech communication journey. And don't forget to download, subscribe and share each new RealTalkingTips episode. For the blog notes, practice scripts and info, go to RealTalkingTips.com.  #ElaineClarkVO #ElaineClark #RealTalkingTips #Nouns #Voiceovers #VO #SpeechCommunication #Presentations #Speaking #BusinessCoach

Verbs have Action. That means, when you say a verb you need to have some sort of body movement that corresponds to the action. That movement will be heard in the voice… whether big or small, depending on the type of verb. Okay VERB geeks. I know what you're thinking. There are Action Verbs and Static Non-Action Verbs. Why should they all have action? Action Verbs are expressed through bigger gestures and movements. Examples: Walk, Reach, Jump. Non-Action Verbs are subtler; a head nod or shake, shoulder shrug, eye movement, or an internal response. Examples: Agree, Remember, Understand. Verbs are easy to comprehend. Verbs tie the nouns together with a big or subtle action.  One way to sound authoritative is to give action to the verbs. By giving verbs movement, you sound like you know what you're talking about. So if you want to speak with authority, give the verbs action!

Be a visual and emotional storyteller. Create a three-dimensional world where the listener sees, hears, and feels what you're saying. Hi, I'm Elaine Clark. And welcome to RealTalkingTips Episode 13. Storytelling. It's the buzzword these in #business, #publicspeaking, #presentations, #podcasting, and #voiceovers. On the surface, it means telling an engaging story from a narrative point of view. In other words, storytelling is taking the listener on a journey of exploration and discovery, holding the listener's attention, and guiding the listener out of logical thought and into a creative and imaginative 3-D world. But how does a speaker take thoughts, images and experiences that live in their head and share them with others? Here are 3 storytelling tips that will help bring your message to life!

Heartfelt... Prideful... Confident... and now... Attitude?! The fourth of this #BodyPostureVoice mini-series uncovers a bit of cocky, sarcastic, and ironic history that we use regularly when talking to friends and family. But where does it go when we talk to strangers? "Attitude Equals Opinion." And when we DON'T know someone, we tend to hold back and show the "perfect" side of us. Our body language and voice changes based on the relationship. Follow me, #ElaineClark, on another #Communication #RealTalkingTips journey exploring how simple movements are apart of our history, muscle memory, and corresponding attitudes of our personality.

One way to effectively communicate with others is to speak from the heart. This is especially important when there's a need to empathize and deliver a truthful heartfelt message. This third of four #BodyPostureVoice micro-learning tips in the #RealTalkingTips series takes us on an emotional heart-warming journey where physicality and movements make a dramatic difference in how #communication is heard and accepted. Here are some tips for relating with others from the heart when you speak, make a presentation, record a podcast, talk on the phone, and record your voice. #ElaineAClark #ElaineClark #ElaineClarkVO #Heartfelt #Podcasting #Recording #VoiceOvers #Presentations #Speak

Take Pride In What You Have to Say.  This is the 2nd in this 4-part Real Talking Tips mini-series on Body-Posture-Voice. Here, Elaine Clark demonstrates specific ways to morph and posture the body to add pride, and improve the overall sound and authority of your speaking voice. At the end, there's a recap of the first 10 episodes.  It compliments the Elaine Clark app, Activate Your Voice, and drills down on communication topics provided in her books, There's Money Where Your Mouth Is and Voice-Overs for Podcasting.  Real Talking Tips is great for public speakers, podcasters, voiceovers, business, presentations, teachers, and personal development.  Each of the 52 episodes adds a communication tip to explore, observe, and practice each week.

Do you need an attitude adjustment?  Our speaking voice projects a specific attitude with each unique physical posture and body movement.  Our shoulders slump when we're exhausted, shrug up and down when we're uncertain or don't care, and tense and rise up in stressful situations.  In #RealTalkingTips episodes 9-12, #ElaineClark explores physical movements and how muscle memory connects with our history, story, thoughts, and emotions. This #BodyPostureVoice series begins with #Confidence and how it "takes shape" to convey trust and authority in whatever area of expertise we excel.

Are you a slow talker? Do you drag out your words or sentences, take long pauses, or require more time than most to get to the point? Speech Communication coach, Elaine A. Clark, offers several tips on how to speed up your speech and vary your pacing so it captures and holds your audience's attention. If you are just tuning in to Real Talking Tips, there are three parts to each episode:   (1) Identify a speech communication problem. (2) Demonstrate ways to change, improve, and use the information.  (3) Provide personal practice lessons.   Please take a moment to subscribe, download, or share this podcast series so you and others don't miss out on each new speech communication episode.

Hello fast talkers! How many times have you been told that you talk too fast and need to slow down? Did you write 'talking too fast' on the 'Strengths and Weaknesses' list that you created in Episode 1? While talking fast can come in handy if you're an auctioneer or reading the small print of a medical disclaimer, most listeners need more time to hear and process what you have to say. In #RealTalkingTips Episode 7, I'll show you some cool tricks and techniques that you can use to slow down your speech. Oh! And don't forget to download, subscribe, ring the bell, and share this information with friends.

Are you an uptalker? You know, the person who speaks with an upward inflection so it sounds like a question rather than a statement.  In Episode 6 of Real Talking Tips, Elaine Clark offers tips on how to land your message and get out of the question zone.  So, if you 're ready to reprogram that speech pattern to land down, listen, download, and practice the tips that reprogram upspeak to downward ending statements.

It's time for some verbal weight training to strengthen your speaking voice. Elaine A. Clark shows you ways to achieve clearer enunciation by practicing with added resistance. Use these tricks before delivering a speech, going to a meeting, recording your voice, or when you want to wake up a lazy speech pattern so it's clearer and easier to understand. #realtalkingtips #elaineclarkvo #enunciation #voiceover #podcast #speech #speechimprovement

Crisp lips, save slips... right? But what if you have a lazy mouth and it's difficult for people to understand what you're saying. Then it's time to work on your T, G, K, P, B, D articulators. Elaine A. Clark leads you through this voice improvement lesson leads you through a series of exercises to help you utilize those sounds in your speaking voice. #realtalkingtips #elaineclarkvo #articulation #voiceover #podcast #speech #speechimprovement

Voice improvement and a stronger speaking voice are desired by many. There are ways to achieve this goal through voice exercises, deeper breathing that fills the whole body, and simple muscle stretches and movements. Elaine A. Clark leads you through this process and a series of vowel strengthening exercises so you can have a fuller, richer speaking voice.

Welcome to Real Talking Tips!  Speech Communication Micro Learning Podcast is excited to offer you a new way to improve your speech, communication, and voiceover skills. Each episode, this master coach and instructor shares insights and tips from her 40 years experience as a business coach, voice over & on-camera instructor, and actor. She focuses on specific elements from her books  and … plus her two voice and diction apps,  and . There are three sections to each episode: 1. Overview of the concept. 2. How to perform the exercise 3. Your micro learning lesson assignment.