So Peak

How can you learn to speak better for acting?

When I speak while in class sometimes it is hard for people to understand me... I need to learn to speak more clearly and louder. Any advice?

Public Comments

1. Try voice and diction exercises.
2. Try either a speech therapist or voice coach.
3. I used to practice in the bathroom(until my mom started to yell)then I found a quiet place at a nearby park and did it there.Icould yell my head off&o one heard me!
4. elocution lessons maybe. but just practice in front of a mirror. try different accents maybe- especially brittish- they're elocution is usually technically better. good luck! it's great that you want to improve yourself (just try not to sound pretensious :P)
5. There are several ways to improve your diction: # 1 - Practice! It doesn't matter how much theory you know until you put it into application. Try recording yourself, reading aloud, over and over, then listen to yourself and take notes on improvement. Practice also increases confidence, which in turn helps with clearer speaking. # 2 Utilize resources. There are many books, tapes, websites, etc. on learning to speak correctly. Buy a pronouncing dictionary - it is a valuable aid in knowing how to say each word as it is supposed to be said. Learn International Phonetic Alphabet - a system of notating sounds, used to precisely notate exactly how words should sound. (Its very easy to use, and once learned speeds things up immensely.) # 3 Study. If you are in college, and your school has a theatre or vocal music department, there is a very good chance that there is a voice and diction class offered. Look for class titles like "Voice for theatre," "Beginning Voice and Diction" etc. Also, try finding vocal music teachers. Voice teachers are highly trained in teaching people how to utilize their bodies to maximize breath control, projection and more. Also, having someone trained in the area of study helps you be more secure in your progress, and provides valuable feedback. # 4 Confidence is key!
6. Try the tried-and-true Demosthenes method: put a couple of small smooth pebbles in your mouth, and try to talk around them. In Speech Pathology, there are only a few mouth sounds that you can practice, and they are paired as Voiced and Aspirated. For example: Aspirated Bi-Labial Fricative=F(uh) Voiced Bi-Labial Fricative=V(uh). You use your lower lip and top teeth to stop, and then release the sound, only one is spoken. The other is "whispered". Other pairs: P-B (plosive) S-Z (sibilant) TH-Th (as in Theatre and Thee) (lingual) SH-DZH (as in Should and Justice) ( got me on this one) There are also Aspirated and Voiced Glottal Stops,and Velars, but that is a lesson for another day. Enunciate, breathe, hold your head up, and for God's sake, stop mumbling!