Elena, a gifted medical writer, was honored to be chosen to train her expanding team in a New England Biotechnology firm, but was losing sleep over her quiet and self-conscious delivery when speaking to groups. Through her promotion to team trainer was welcome, she felt she lacked the skills to speak publicly with confidence and charisma. Elena isn’t alone, of course.

Trainers intuitively know that presentation and speaking competence increases trainees’ attentiveness, enjoyment and retention of material.

Yet, though speaking excellence is a key component of training, many professionals haven’t had the opportunity to formally learn and apply key oral image techniques.

Fortunately, the field of corporate presentation and speech coaching can add to trainers’ presentation toolkit — and to learners’ satisfaction and results during the training experience.

Let’s look at the top five skills trainers need in their speaking toolkits. Here, the focus is on your oral image — how to sound confident, clear and enthusiastic.

Skill No. 1: Vocal Variety

Vocal variety is the ability to use your voice as a tool for conveying meaning and emotion. To sound interested and interesting, one word in each sentence should jump out through increasing volume and pitch.

You can be generous with vocal variety by emphasizing even more than one word in a sentence. After all, no one has ever complained that a trainer was too interesting, so don’t worry about sounding overly dramatic.

To get started, practice emphasizing different words in each of these sentences:

• Trainers need to hold their listeners’ attention.
• Training is a rewarding and valuable profession.
• Trainers benefit from outstanding presentation skills.

Skill No. 2: Speed Control

Speed control is another key skill you’ll need in your speaking toolkit. As a best practice, try to keep up a good clip of around 200+ words per minute.

Here is a surprising fact: Your trainees will prefer a slightly faster than average versus slower rate of speech. The reason is that our brains can absorb up to between 400-800 words per minute, according to the research report, “Skilled Interpersonal Interaction: Research, Theory, and Practice.” However, our mouths are not so well equipped.

It’s been reported that the average speaker produces only 175-250 words per minute! Now, you know why our minds can so easily wander when we listen to speakers, and why trainers need to be more fluent than average talkers to hold learners’ attention.

The italicized text below contains 183 words. Time yourself to see if you can clearly speak the piece aloud in a one-minute time frame.

Presenters need to be mindful of what is being shown and what is being said at every moment. The ability to match verbal comments and the visual presentation is called synchronization or being “in sync.”

Here are some synchronization techniques to practice:

• Try to say the title of the slide as you click on the slide or turn the page, so the title is seen as the title is said.
• Use builds, showing only one segment of a slide at a time, in order to ensure that your listeners aren’t reading ahead. They can read much faster than presenters can talk!

Mastering the art of synching with word slides means helping presenters to think about what they can add to the words on the slide.

The presenter always wants to say more than is shown in order to hold attention and enhance credibility. We don’t want listeners to find the slides more helpful than the speaker!

So, the rule for word slides is: Say more than you show. Show less than you say.

Remember, YOU are always the most interesting visual in the room!

Skill No. 3: Pause Perfectly by Learning the 1-2 Technique

The perfect pause lasts for about two seconds-a count of 1-2. This silence allows your listeners absorb information, and for you to take a new breath. (Breathing is highly recommended!)

Use the 1-2 pause at the end of each thought, and where you would place a comma, if your message was written out.

Of course, if you are delivering complex or emotional information, statistics or difficult news, consider doubling your pause time.

Trainers are very concerned about what speech experts call vocalized pauses, those pesky ums, ahs, and you knows. The good news is that speakers are allowed some “mistakes,” so there’s no need to be self-conscious about an occasional vocalized pause. In fact, you’ll sound more authentic if your speech is a bit less than perfect.

Practice delivering the italicized directions below, pausing for the 1-2 count after periods, commas and thought groups.

Trainers who come across as comfortable, conversational and natural usually practice at least 10 times before their first training session.

Each trainer needs to find a practice method which leads to fluency and confidence building.

Practice ideas include:

• Saying your presentation aloud.
• Rehearsing in your head-perhaps visualizing the words.
• Practicing with a peer and receiving helpful feedback.
• Creating bulleted notes which evoke the whole thought.
• Starting with content practice before moving on to delivery.

Skill No. 4: Watch Your Words — Speech Clarity Techniques

Since trainers speak as part of their professional role, they are expected to have exceptional speech clarity compared other professionals.

Here are some techniques to help create a polished and confident speech pattern.

First, be mindful of words that end with “D” or “T,” especially on the last sound and word in a sentence. These consonants occur more frequently than others, so saying them clearly gives you an articulate edge.

Practice saying these sentences with a puff of air on the “D” and “T” sounds at the end of words.

• Executives who develop trust are bound to last.
• Training works best when the trainees invest time and interest.

Second, be on the lookout for consonant blends — two consonants together at the end of words. We all tend to drop the last sound, saying “jus” for “just” or “tes” for test.

Third, look out for lengthy words. The longer a word is, and the more syllables it contains, the harder it is to pronounce. When you face a tricky word, count the number of syllables, and figure out which syllable should get the emphasis.

Try pronouncing these common words. Three have four syllables and one has five:

• Literally.
• Incredibly.
• Financially.
• Eventually.

Note that the words of four or more syllables you have in your training vocabulary to make sure you are including all the syllables.

Skill No. 5: Value Your Voice: Volume and Pitch

Each of us has a unique voice, which is a combination of our breath support, vocal cord vibration, and the resonance chamber in our oral and nasal cavities.

Genetics, of course, play a role here. Though we may never have the vocal appeal of Meryl Streep or Morgan Freeman, trainers can find their optimum voice.

A clear voice (and a concise message) will add to your trainee’s engagement during your sessions.

Here are two ways to further help harness your voice for better speaking skills:

1. Find your best volume and vocal tone: Try this visualization. During an in-person course, picture your voice riding on an arrow or magic carpet, floating to the person who is farthest way. The key is to feel minimal tension in your throat, where your larynx is housed. The point at which you feel minimal tension and project with a clear, uplifting tone is your “optimal voice.” Have a peer judge whether you are too loud, too soft or just right. Note that a conversational volume works best in a virtual setting. Many trainers find that a microphone attachment adds to their ideal sound quality.
2. Love those vowels: Vowel sounds carry our unique sound. Practice lengthening them slightly for optimal voice quality. Opening your mouth wider on your vowels adds richness to your vocal quality.

Here are practice sentences with some great opportunities for lengthening and maximizing mouth opening on the vowel sounds:

• Howard and Carol like to sound confident and authentic.
• Outstanding trainers are open to all ideas.

In Conclusion

By investing in your speaking skills, your oral image excellence will be noticed — and will add to your reputation as a skilled trainer. Keep powering up your skills with the five pointers outlined above, and you’ll be known as a trainer who’s also highly-prized speaker.