In the June 2009 issue of Oprah magazine, Tim Jarvis discusses a psychology study conducted by Dr. Emily Pronin at Stanford on the power of speed reading to raise spirits. Pronin discovered that fast-thinking activities such as speed-reading actually induce a positive mood.
At the same time, she also found that in certain situations, such as times of stress, slowing down makes us happier. Pronin concludes:
"We found that varied thoughts tend to be more uplifting, whereas repetitive thinking tends to be mood downer."
The same is true for a listening audience.
A presentation with vocal variety - in volume, pace, pitch and emotion - is not only more interesting to listen to, but makes your audience feel better listening to you so that they want to hear more.
From the Green Room: Vary your voice. You will lift your audience's spirits so they have more energy to listen to you.
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2 comments:
Although I tend to ignore, disregard, pay no mind, and turn a deaf ear to anything associated with Oprah or her magazine, I think your point well taken.
Makes sense, but I am not sure how the 'speed reading' model applies, since blazing through a speech -- even if one is articulate -- seems to be exactly what you're flagging as a danger. But maybe you mean that it's all about tone variation rather than the actual speed.
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