Aim for a pleasant, happy expression, but not a full-blown smile. Your cheeks shouldn’t feel sore after holding a short conversation.
Avoid exaggerated yawning or gulping to achieve this. Anything more than a gentle effort is counterproductive.
This is especially important while you are singing, or when trying to address certain types of lisp.
When talking to someone roughly the same height as you, maintaining eye contact is a good way to ensure your chin stays raised.
“Bah Beh Bee Bih Bo Boo Buh” “Vah Veh Vee Vih Vo Voo Vuh” (et cetera) For more of a challenge, include the vowel “aw,” which is similar but distinct from “ah” in most dialects. You can also include combination consonants such as “SL” and “PR”
Ache mate paid saint stray Eye nice rhyme pie height Voice noise coin Load toad flow Crowd sprout found Air square prayer (not always considered a diphthong, but still good practice) Cute few ewes Onion union million Don’t worry too much if you can’t identify the two vowel sounds in some of these. Different dialects of English often pronounce diphthongs differently, or even as single vowels.
James just jostled Jean gently. Round the rugged rocks the ragged rascal ran. Silly Susan sells sea shells by the seashore.
You can probably find a voice recorder on your computer or online. Your phone may have a voice recorder too, but it may not be high enough quality for enunciation practice.
You can also try recording yourself speaking out loud, then counting the number of words per minute you use. Although “normal” speed depends on region, culture, and other variables, most people speak at a rate between 120 and 200 words per minute. [9] X Research source
If you experience unintentional, gulping pauses, methods of overcoming public speaking could help keep this under control.
Focus on this exercise if people ask you to speak up or repeat yourself frequently, or if you are training to give a spoken presentation.
