Chapter TwentyArticulate Clearly

In the musical My Fair Lady, Eliza Doolittle is transformed from a cockney flower girl into a British lady, all due to a change in her pronunciation. Her speech coach, Henry Higgins, believed that enunciation was far more important in defining her status than social class or wealth. And he was right! At an embassy party she was accepted as a woman “of royal blood.”1 While none of us wants to pass as royalty in the business world, we do want to portray leadership—and the way we enunciate our words can make a huge difference in how people perceive us. This chapter suggests how you can improve your articulation, and strengthen your center stage voice.

Why A-R-T-I-C-U-L-A-T-E?

We all speak thousands of words every ...

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