Idea 34: Don’t worry about your voice or gestures
Do the thing you fear, and the death of fear is certain.
Ralph Waldo Emerson, American essayist
Many of the textbooks on communication devote a great deal of space to the techniques of breathing, intonation, pronunciation and gesturing. Doubtless there is much to be learned here, but it is possible to overstress the importance of these elocutionary actions.
Beyond the essentials of clear and distinct speech there is little that must be said. Variety in tone and pitch stem from one’s natural interest and enthusiasm. If they are ‘put on’ or practiced in front of the mirror, the result can seem self-conscious and even theatrical â in a word, unnatural.
Being natural should not be equated with vocal ...
