I don’t consider myself socially anxious, because I know it’s an actual medical condition and I can endure public interactions. But I do consider myself socially awkward. I don’t talk a lot, and when I do I get nervous. I fidget a lot, and I’m just not comfortable being in public. As much as I would like to ask how I can stop being this way completely, I want to start slow.
One of the main problems I see with myself is that I don’t talk loud enough when I’m in public. People always have to ask me to repeat myself, and when I open my mouth and talk I can just hear myself talk really quietly and at times mumble. I feel like I’m not physically capable of talking loud. It’s quite ironic since my family has actually told me I have a “naturally loud” voice, so this definitely has to do with me just not being comfortable in public.
Are there any tips, or anything I can do to try to speak louder? I think this would be a good place to start.
1 comment
Practice using your voice when alone. Sound out the words. Feel where the sound originates. Is it in your gut, your throat, behind your teeth? Practice moving the sound between the different positions. The more variety you have, the more interesting you’ll sound.
Do you have good posture? Do you point your chin a little out when you need to be heard? Because you need as open an airway as possible to be heard at times.
Your voice is an instrument which requires conscientious practice like any instrument. Keep using it and you’ll get better.
There are a ton of speaking voice exercises on YouTube. Pick any one of them and go from there. But definitely practice. Talk to yourself. Have conversations with yourself. You’ll get better.