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THE RIGHT TO COMMUNICATE (1) Listening to Others. (Check List.)
(Play audio samples of the following; see does any participant identify with a particular characteristic.) Pace: Many speakers talk at a continuously fast or slow pace. See how hard it is for listeners to follow them. Most of us can cope with about a minute of unvarying pace. This is not a long time in a radio interview; think what it can do to the listener if it goes on for longer than that. This is a correctable habit. The Fall-off: A common habit of speakers is to miss the beginnings or ends of words. This can be caused by an unconfident start, or a running out of breath. This again is correctable. Articulation: Certain vowels frequently get swallowed or overwhelm the utterance. Recordings exaggerate these distortions and electronically amplify them. Some consonants also suffer in this process. 's', 'sh', 'p', 't', 'k', for example. Such speech habits of dropping of consonants and vowels, or over-articulation, distract the listener from the content. This is not so easy to overcome. Repetition: Many speakers believe that it is clever to clutter an interview with certain core phrases. An idea or phrase may be interesting, brilliant even, however, hearing it too often in a short discussion can become annoying to the listener and eventually prove counter-productive. This can be consciously overcome. Fillers; Many speakers unconsciously rely on filler sounds in social discourse, which they carry into studio discussion. Some are stock phrases or sounds that we use as fillers for thinking time. Some of these are 'mmm', 'ah', or 'uh-huh'. We can also use stock phrases, such as 'okay', 'I see', 'you see', 'rather' and 'actually'. Or clutter a sentence with 'as a matter of fact', 'in point of fact', 'obviously' 'hopefully', or a particularly Dublin one, 'meself, personally'. If a conversation is peppered with any of these fillers, it can distract and irritate listeners. With care this can be reduced. Accents: Are about pronunciation. This includes rhythm, cadence and inflection. The ways a speaker changes pace, or doesn't, the ways the pitch of the voice rises and falls. We have all learned, culturally, to tell a great deal about a person by the way that they speak. Radio, because of its reliance on the sound of the voice, has highlighted the phenomenon of 'Received Pronunciation'; such as BBC English, or mid-Atlantic D.J. speak. Someone consciously 'performing' for the media can provide too much range, imagining that they have a fascinating voice. Honesty in delivery, a real engagement with the content, will probably see to the correct balance. Language register: We are all capable of changing the vocabulary and syntax we use to suit a particular circumstance. We shift language registers when we change from talking to a neighbour to addressing an 'important person', or when we appear on the radio for the first time. However, the impression we create may not be the one we require. This can be corrected. Breathing: The microphone is a cruel listener to breathing habits. Listen to a range of speakers as they gulp, snatch at air and wheeze their way through a sentence. Such breathing passes unnoticed in normal conversation, and exaggerated breathing is an asset on stage, but on radio, particularly, it is a significant distraction. Breathing exercises and growing confidence can eliminate most of these problems.
EXERCISE: The Freedom to Speak.
( 2 ) Listening to Ourselves.
As a starting point, introduce the voice balancing exercise that has been used effectively by actors for ages. This collection of sounds helps to touch off the whole voice in one looped and continuous process. Have each participant try it as a warm up exercise. Then try a series of short pieces written by the participants
themselves, or selected from texts provided. Record these, play
them back and encourage critical discussion, based on the earlier
listening exercise.
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