Three Important Benefits of Speaking Correctly

How many times have you had to strain your ears to hear what someone was saying? Perhaps it was because the speaker was not loud enough, but more often than not, it was because the speaker was unable to speak clearly. If you want to be a confident speaker, don’t overlook the importance of having clear and correct pronunciation.

Here are three major benefits to doing so:

#1 is correct. Pronunciation is necessary to demonstrate that you are familiar with someone’s name, regional location, or specific terminology. If you have any doubts about how a word is pronounced, always double-check before giving a presentation, speaking on a podcast, radio, video, or television, or interviewing someone.

For example, while listening to a national radio show from Toronto, Ontario, the broadcaster several times mispronounced the name of a nearby rural town, Elmira, as a lead-in to an upcoming interview. It wasn’t until the interview that she finally corrected her pronunciation, much to everyone’s relief and amusement at the error.

Incorrect pronunciation can have a significant impact on your listeners, especially if you are providing road or traffic reports and mispronounce street names. Even using the word “road” instead of “Avenue” can cause confusion and lead listeners to the wrong location.

As a professional speaker, these blunders can backfire on you. However, if you have good pronunciation skills, you will be admired rather than laughed at.

#2. Clear Enunciation ensures that your audience understands your message better by crisply uttering the beginnings and ends of your words. Warming up your speech muscles with a few exercises will keep your articulators (lips, teeth, tongue, mouth, palate, and jaw) in peak condition.

To make your voice more audible, use diaphragmatic breathing. Also, open your mouth wider to prevent mumbling while your partner speaks clearly. Because of the accuracy of your words, your listeners become more attentive to the content of your speech.

#3. Having good articulation skills leads to increased confidence. Your delivery speed will improve. Your audience will give you positive feedback, which will boost your self-esteem. Isn’t that what we’re all looking for?

Make a recording of yourself to see if you’re speaking clearly. If not, now is the time to work on improving your speech clarity in order to attract your listeners.