I participated in an event that was hosted by one of the largest accounting firms in the world.

One of the topics was digital health: its current status and where it is headed.

The presenter started perfectly. He rolled out an interesting personal story. He was eloquent, and it was evident that he knew his stuff.

Another thing stood out as he began – he spoke at an incredible pace.

I was engaged and so was the audience. You could see it on people’s faces.

Only rarely am I so uncritical during a presentation as in this case.

I am a Virgo after all.

The speaker maintained the same pace of his delivery a minute into the presentation…and then two minutes in…and three.

It was like he only knew how to speak in one monotonous voice and at one speed.

It started to grow more difficult to keep up with his pace.

I looked at the audience.

And he was losing them too.

The speaker forgot that his voice is no less important than his posture or his slides.

If you speak monotonously then after a while it starts to feel to the audience like a hum or a constant weak background noise. The mind wanders elsewhere. They stop listening to you and start to think about other things. The same thing would happen if you were listening to music containing just one note and a rhythm that never changed.

Three ways to get and keep attention

You need to use vocal variety to create interest, excitement, and emotion.

How? By varying your speed, inflection, and volume, and timing.

Speed

Remember to adjust your speed. I did some research and learned that the average speaking time is about 150 words per minute. But that’s an average.

The point is to make sure there’s variation throughout your presentation.

Here’s another thing to consider: people are taken more seriously when they speak more slowly. Read that sentence aloud quickly and then slowly to prove it to yourself.

Inflection

An inflection is a raised pitch – a high note used to add emphasis to a word. I really like the way that toastmasters explains inflection.

A single change in inflection can change the meaning or implication of a sentence:

I am a life sciences communications expert (You, on the other hand, are an expert in something else)

I am a life sciences communications expert (How dare you imply that I am not?)

I am a life sciences communications expert (I focus only on that industry)

I am a life sciences communications expert (I stand out because of my expertise)

Volume

Volume is a great way to prevent your voice from becoming monotonous. It should be used to alert your audience to the nuances of your message. Change your volume when you’re changing an idea or an approach. Raise the volume gradually as you build toward a point. If you really want their attention, drop suddenly to a whisper for a big reveal.

Next time you use your phone to practice your presentation (have you seen “OK? Not OK!“), listen especially to your voice when you play it back.

Are you using variations in speed, volume, and pitch to keep your audience engaged?