Tone of Voice Activities

Everyone knows the old adage that it’s not what you say, it’s the way you say it. The way we communicate does not rely on words alone and the complex interaction of nonverbal cues, including the tone and inflection of speech, plays a key role. With one word it is possible to demonstrate a whole range of emotions such as doubt, anger, boredom or questioning. Although tone of voice and intonation is natural for most people, difficulties can occur due to stress and tension, illness, disability or even foreign accents. Improve the variety of your speech and add interest by following a range of activities to develop effective use of an appropriate tone.

Identification

• In order to improve your own use of appropriate tones of voice it is important to make mental links between the way people speak and which emotions are linked to each style. Watch television programs, especially dramas, DVDs or listen to the radio and focus on the speaker's tone rather than what they say. Think about the emotions that are demonstrated and make links. For example, a rising tone throughout a sentence might indicate questioning or uncertainty while a steady, unaltering tone may show boredom. Also listen to family, friends or watch videos online to get as much experience of different tone patterns as possible.

Relaxation

• Stress and tension, especially in the neck, throat or vocal cords, can have an adverse effect on the range and variety of intonation that can be produced. Before working on tone always complete some relaxation exercises to reduce muscle tension. Start by breathing deeply in through your nose and out through your mouth. Place your fingertips flat on your stomach so that they just touch. As you breathe in they should separate and as you breathe out they should return to the original position. Repeat this at least five times. Shrug your shoulders five times then, with each shoulder in turn, make large circles in the air as smoothly as possible. Let your head fall onto your chest and gently rotate it from the left to right several times. Look straight ahead and turn your head to the left and right, as far as possible, five times. Raise your eyebrows then frown five times. Finally place the ring and middle fingers of your hands on your throat and gently massage the area around your larynx (Adam's apple).

Work on Nonspeech Tones

• Before working on improving tone of voice in natural speech it is important to learn how to control your voice and the amount of tension needed in your vocal cords to produce varying tones. Start by making a long vowel sound, such as "ah," "ee," "oo" or "oh" with a long, steady tone. Repeat this several times and try to notice the amount of tension in your throat. Repeat these vowel sounds again but try adding a little more tension in your throat so that the tone starts low and gradually increases to a higher pitch. Be careful not to add too much tension. Practice until you can make the vowel sounds glide easily from low to higher pitch. Once this has been mastered, start with a high pitch and reduce tension so that the tone falls throughout the vowel. Finally try to vary the tone by gliding from low to high to low to high several times.

Start to Use Varying Tones in Speech

• Start to think about how the tone of voice demonstrates different emotions. Say a single word, such as "yes," "no" or "well" while varying the tone of your voice. Try to produce the words so that they convey different meanings such as boredom, uncertainty or questioning. Repeat the process with longer sentences such as "I know about that," "I am so happy," "Don't tell anyone about it" or "Has everyone heard the news?"

Generalization and Natural Speech

• Altering the way you speak is a difficult task and can take a long time. Practice makes perfect and the more often you try to use varying voice tones, the better. Reading poetry or singing aloud is a useful way to practice longer sentences. Try to remember to use varying tones in your normal speech. Set yourself a goal, perhaps just 30 minutes a day, during which time you will focus on using different and varying tones appropriately. Ask your family and friends to monitor your progress and give you feedback.