In my last article, I discussed what you should look for if you’re interested in improving your presentation skills. In this article, I’ve added 5 more tips if you’re planning to attend a workshop that covers both voice improvement and public speaking skills.
1. Make sure the company records you and also provides you with a copy of their own materials at the end of the workshop. Having a record of how you sounded before starting the course is vital to voice training and will serve as an excellent reference and reminder for you in the months and years to come.
2. Find out if your instructor or coach will teach you to breathe with the support of your diaphragm. You may question the value of learning this technique since you have spent your entire life breathing; however, you will not discover your true voice unless you are propelling it through your chest cavity. And that won’t happen without a deep breath. Plus, diaphragmatic breathing is truly the best way to control your nervousness when you’re presenting, whether it’s a sales presentation, your company’s quarterly budget, or a commencement speech.
3. Will volume be addressed in your sessions? Those who speak softly must learn to increase their volume to a ‘normal’ sound level if they hope to hold their audience’s attention. And, in situations where you can address a larger group of people without a microphone, yelling isn’t the answer. To properly increase your volume, you must be able to project your voice, which is only possible if you are breathing with support and speaking within the optimal range of your voice.
4. Color is the life and emotion you express when speaking and it is what makes the presentation or speech dynamic. Will the workshop address color, not just in the vocal variety of your voice, but also through your facial expression and body language? Both physical attributes are just as important as your voice. Without color, your delivery will be boring. Remember, monotonous talk doesn’t sell.
5. Look for a 2-day time period. While 1-day workshops can be beneficial for honing your public speaking skills, if you really want to discover your true voice, you need to be able to ‘sleep’ in it. This gives the new voice a chance to settle. Having that second day will make all the difference because it allows for much greater coverage of the techniques needed for voice change. It also provides more opportunities to address an audience.
Workshops offer a quick way to improve your presentation skills – knowing what to look for will make your selection much easier.