Elocution Exercises You Can Do at Home

If you want to work on your elocution techniques, here are a few simple exercises to get practising at home and become more aware of how you use your voice and articulate clearly.

Here are five elocution exercises you can practise at home.

1. Start With Your Breathing

Your breath supports your voice. When you're tense, you might hold your breath or take shallow breaths, making it harder to speak comfortably.

Start by standing or sitting comfortably. Place a hand on your abdomen and breathe in gently, noticing your abdomen expand. Breathe out slowly without forcing the air. Repeat a few times, keeping your shoulders and chest relaxed. You should feel the expansion of the belly rising as you breathe in and deflating when you breathe out.

Once you feel comfortable, try saying a short sentence as you breathe out. Notice whether you can finish the sentence without rushing or running out of breath.

Watch my breathing exercise video on YouTube and follow along as you practise.

2. Warm Up Your Tongue, Jaw and Lips

Your tongue, jaw and lips help you form speech sounds. If you speak quickly or hold tension in your jaw, your words may become less clear.

Before practising, gently open and close your facial muscles, as wide as you can and scrunch it as small as you can. Then stick your tongue out and move it around in a circle and stretch your lips into a smile before relaxing them. And finally massaging the jaw joint so your jaw is nice and relaxed.

Next, say a few simple sound combinations slowly, such as “puh, tuh, kuh”. Say it a few times on repeat, focus on movment of the tongue and the lips, from the front going to the back and make each sound distinct and crisp.

Keep the movements gentle. The aim is to become more aware of the muscles involved in speaking, not to force them.

3. Practise Clear Articulation

Articulation is about how you form individual speech sounds and how you flow from one sentence to another fluidly. If you tend to mumble, swallow word endings or rush through sentences, practising your articulation can help you become more aware of how clearly you speak.

Choose a short paragraph from a book or article. Read it aloud slowly, paying attention to each word. Make sure you finish the ends of words rather than letting them disappear. Repeat the paragraph at a natural pace while keeping the same clarity.

Watch my articulation video on YouTube to practise alongside me.

4. Read Aloud and Experiment With Your Voice

Elocution isn't just about forming sounds correctly. It's also about using your voice expressively.

Choose a paragraph and read it aloud three times. First, read it neutrally. Then read it as though you're excited to share some good news. Finally, read it as though you're explaining something important to a friend.

Notice how your pitch, pace, emphasis and tone change. Think about which words deserve emphasis and where a pause might help your listener follow your meaning.

You can also practise pausing between ideas instead of filling every silence with “um” or “erm”. Pauses give you time to think and help listeners process what you're saying.

For more advice, read The Importance of Pausing in Public Speaking.

5. Practise Tongue Twisters

Tongue twisters are a fun way to practise coordinating your tongue, lips and jaw.

Try these examples:

• Red lorry, yellow lorry.
• She sells seashells by the seashore.
• Unique New York.
• Peter piper picked a peck of pickled peppers.

Start slowly and focus on producing each sound clearly. Once you can say the phrase comfortably, gradually increase your speed without losing clarity.

Don't worry if you stumble over the words. Slow down, try again and notice which sounds you find difficult.

If you tend to mumble when speaking, you might also find these 3 Ways to Stop Mumbling useful.

How Often Should You Practise Elocution?

Try practising for 10 minutes a day. You could spend two minutes on breathing, two minutes warming up your mouth and five minutes on playing around with your voice.

Consistency matters more than how long you practise in one session. Recording yourself once a week can also help you notice changes in your clarity, pace and expression.

Interested in Elocution Coaching Online

If you want more personalised guidance, our elocution coaching can help you identify your speaking habits and develop exercises suited to your needs. At Speaking Voices, Emily assesses your voice, works 1 on 1 with you towards your goals and helps you gain the voice you want.