A beautiful and clear speech helps to better convey the idea to your interlocutor, and to talk with a person who has everything in order with diction is much more pleasant than with someone who speaks indistinctly. From early childhood, many parents make sure that their child pronounces all letters and sounds correctly. But this is not enough for speech to be clear. Diction is also influenced by the rate of speech, the way a person pronounces words, etc. If you have problems with speech, then you should not despair. There are many exercises to improve diction.
Instructions
Step 1
One of the easiest ways to improve your diction is to say tongue twisters. Don't immediately try to pronounce the tongue twister quickly. Learn it first by speaking slowly. Pay particular attention to difficult words and sounds. After that, you can proceed to the next stage. Articulating clearly with your lips, try to silently pronounce a tongue twister. You can ask a friend or loved one for help to try to read what you are saying on the lips. Then say the text in a whisper, while pronouncing the words clearly and distinctly. After completing this exercise, speak the tongue twister already loudly, but slowly. Only then can you try to pronounce the text at different rates, in different styles, etc.
Step 2
Record your speech on a voice recorder. For example, read a story. Turn on and listen to the recording. Do not be alarmed if the voice sounds unfamiliar, because the voice is distorted when recording. Instead, pay attention to the speech itself. Are you speaking clearly? Did you pronounce all the letters and words clearly? Check your mistakes. For example, you find yourself swallowing endings of words or speaking too quickly. With these shortcomings in mind, read the story again. Listen to it again on the recording. Do this exercise until you are satisfied with the final result. And after a few months, you will notice that your speech has become clearer and clearer.
Step 3
Breathing is important for correct, clear speech. There is thoracic and diaphragmatic breathing. To determine which type is typical for you, place your right hand on your chest and your left hand on your stomach. Inhale slowly, if the left hand rises, then breathing is diaphragmatic. Usually, such people speak loudly, quite understandable. If the right hand rises, then chest breathing. It can get confused during a conversation, because of this, speech can be distorted. To avoid this, you should train the diaphragm. For example, you can do the Solfeggio exercise. Try singing a note, holding it down for as long as you can catch your breath. If you do this exercise daily, you will soon develop your diaphragm. It is also helpful to take several deep breaths and exhalations before speaking. This will help tune the speech apparatus, as well as relieve nervous tension.
