Mumbling can be frustrating for the listener as you are trying everything you can to pick up the sound and understand what the person is saying. But no matter how hard you try, you always end up asking the speaker to repeat themselves or you didn’t understand what was being said. For the speaker, if many listeners have asked you to repeat yourself or you notice that you’re not engaging with people on a deeper level because of this pattern, then this is a habit that we need to solve so we can communicate clearly. In this blog, we’ll explore three ways to stop mumbling and how to express yourself more confidently.
1. Slow Down Your Speaking Pace
One of the primary causes of mumbling is unclear pronunciation and articulation. This unclear pronunciation and articulation comes from your mouth. When your mouth isn’t open wide enough to create the sound, the sound vibrations sit inside the mouth which causes you to mumble. To solve this, we must consider incorporating pronunciation exercises into our daily routine.
One of the exercises to practice is looking at all the vowel sounds and exaggerating the pronunciation. Speak slowly and over-enunciate the sound so you can feel the jaw moving. Spend time practising long and short vowel sounds and the more you practice you become more aware of your mouth movements. Once you can practice saying the sounds slowly and accurately, turn those sounds into words where you are saying them more at a conversational speed.
2. Record and Listen
Following on from the previous point, conversational speed does not mean speaking as fast as you can to get the words out. It means speaking so the other person can hear you and also process all the words you have given to them. When we rush our words, it becomes difficult for the listener to understand us and this is where miscommunication occurs. Once we’ve practised slowing down our speech, we are more aware of how our mouth moves. This awareness will help us rectify our mumbling habits when we are talking to others. But to help you develop this skill further, you need to be able to record yourself speaking.
You might be delivering a presentation or you’re speaking in a meeting, but you need to track when you are speaking, and when this mumbling pattern occurs in your speech. Then, once you know when it happens, you can go back and correct it. When you’re speaking in the moment, it is always hard to think about saying the sounds precisely, so by recording yourself you can go back and evaluate yourself.
3. Get Feedback From An Expert
Finally, one of the best ways to get rid of mumbling and improve your communication skills is by seeking constructive feedback from a professional Voice and Communications Coach like me. Working with an expert will help you fast-track your learning, pinpoint exactly what the problems are and how you can solve them. Normally, when you work with an expert, they will give you the tools and techniques you need to help you. They will listen to you speak and provide honest feedback regarding the way you talk.
When solving a habit like mumbling there are many factors that I also like to consider, the mouth position, correcting the tongue, lips, and jaw as well as your rate of speech. Each person who mumbles will vary so it’s my job to make you sound more confident and remove this habit so you can sound articulate and focus on building your relationship with the other person you are speaking to.
Conclusion
Mumbling doesn’t have to be a permanent aspect of your communication style. By incorporating these strategies into your daily routine, you can enhance your clarity of speech and become a more confident communicator. Remember that improvement takes time and patience, so be patient with yourself as you work on these techniques. Whether it’s in personal conversations, professional settings, or public speaking scenarios, the way we speak can bring out how you relate to others. Start your journey today by booking a call with me.