Diction, also known as pronunciation skills, is something that has been drilled into each one of us right from our schools. Diction has two meanings. It means: a) clarity of speech b) choice of words.
Having good pronunciation with clear enunciation is always an asset in communication skills, especially if you are using your voice and speech for your profession, be that of a teacher, a doctor, a lawyer or a corporate professional.
To achieve perfect diction, one has to learn to use the right articulators and mannerisms. When we speak words and sentences, this is done as a continuous stream with perfect coordination of the various parts of the mouth and achieving perfect diction requires a great deal of practice.
Not all languages are phonetic. That is, quite often the spelling and the pronunciation of the words don’t synchronize. The English language is a good example of this. So, when one wants to perfect the diction of such languages, it is more difficult and one needs a proper coach for guidance in order to get an in-depth knowledge of the language.
Diction, as mentioned above also refers to the choice of words you use to describe your thoughts and ideas. The effect of diction in changing contexts can make all the difference in how an audience perceives you whether you seem credible interesting precise or none of the above.
Good diction is important for many reasons. Here are some benefits of improving your diction:
- To increase audience understanding and interpretation of ideas being presented.
- Increased quality of speech
- Improving your confidence
- Connecting with others
- Impactful First Impression
Let us share some few tips on perfecting your speech diction. For starters, we are listing down the phonetic chart for English here.
Step 1
Since diction calls for flexibility of the tongue, lips, palate, etc …, start off by performing simple tongue and lip exercises.
Step 2
- Understand and read the sounds from the phonetic chart and to do this you will need verbal guidance from either a teacher or a coach like us.
- Make a list of words with each sound in the beginning, middle and end of a word.
- When you have mastered the enunciation of all the sounds, move on to sentence level.
- The moment you feel that you have done enough practice, it might be a good idea to record your reading and listen to yourself.
- As soon as you feel have developed a fairly good diction of the language, you can practice words and sentence drills which will test your pronunciation skills.
Communicating with good diction will definitely set a good first impression with clients, office colleagues, and your audience. You will be perceived as confident and trustworthy when you communicate in the right tone, pace and clarity. Using good diction will also help you to convey your ideas effectively and efficiently. Improving diction will take certain amount of practice and exercises to enhance the quality of your speech style. When you are positive about your speaking voice it also paves a way to communicate confidently and fluently.
Are you looking to improve your voice with individual lessons, classes, or have any questions? Call us or WhatsApp us on: 9870227993/8130629106
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