By Olga Smith
In this blog post, I would like to reveal how one can use elocution to their advantage when trying to create a first impression. First of all, let's outline the main principles of elocution: articulation, inflections, accent and emphasis, the voice and gesture.
In my opinion, the first thing to bear in mind is being appropriate in a certain space with a certain person/people. By appropriate, I mean adjusting your voice to different situations. For example, if you are meeting important business partners, it can be useful to appear serious and strong. How you can do this with your voice? Drop your pitch and speak from your "belly", it will add weight to what you say. Another situation when low pitch can be used is in a funeral. Put your voice at a low pitch and slow down the pace.
In contrast, a high pitch in a business scenario can be seen as a sign of weakness. In fact, one of my friends who owns her own oil business practised dropping her pitch so that men could take her seriously. You can find pitch exercises in our app 4Ps, Power, Pitch, Pace, Pause.
The second point I want to make is that generally, people like to be around optimistic and passionate people. To sound optimistic, use simple rising inflection and put optimism in your voice. You can find the whole chapter with theory and exercises on inflection in our app Fluent English Speech.
The third point is the emphasis, stress or accent. Think about what you want to say, and choose the keywords containing the meaning of your message. Stress the keywords, say them with a different voice power, louder or quieter. You can even make a pause before your crucial point to make it sound important. The longer the pause before your crucial word, the more important that word will sound. This will make your speech interesting and powerful; you will be able to create anticipation.
The fourth point, avoid speaking fast, slow down your pace. When you speak fast it may send a message to another person that you are nervous and lack self-confidence. Find the chapter how you can work with your pace in our app 4Ps, Power, Pitch, Pace, Pause.
The fifth point, make your speech clear and articulate. If you speak with a heavy accent and your speech is unintelligible, people might be discouraged to continue a conversation. You can develop clarity of speech with our practical app Get Rid of your Accent UK1.
The final, and most important point, is your body language, and first of all your posture. Open your shoulders, avoid lifting your shoulders at all costs, it makes you tense and sends a message of lack of self-confidence. Always keep your back straight.
Maintain eye contact with a person/people.
When you enter a room, imagine that you own this room.
If you sit at a dinner table keep your back straight, and lean on a chair; avoid leaning forward towards the person opposite you thus putting your chest almost on the table and sending a very strong non-verbal message to your opponent that you are too keen, which can be seen as a sign of weaknesses and used against you.
One of my students, recently mentioned that it was difficult for him to maintain a straight back when speaking to people who are shorter than him, he is quite tall. I can see how a tall person could be tempted to slouch and lean forward to blend in with shorter people. Perhaps, tall people can lean forward very, very slightly when listening to others for a very short time, but when they speak it is better to straighten up. Unless you are greeting the Queen (bowing is the protocol as you will see in the attached video), try keeping a straight posture most of the time. You can read more about posture preparation in our app 4Ps, Power, Pitch, Pace, Pause.
I want to finish with my favourite body language life hack: smile from your heart! When people meet you for the first time, on a very deep level they feel one of two things: is this person beneficial or dangerous for me? As a famous saying goes: “…people might not remember what you've said to them, but they will never forget how you've made them feel”. Your genuine smile tells them that they're liked and accepted and creates warmth in any interaction.
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