Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1904-03-07
WOMEN AND THE ART
OF PUBLIC SPEAKING

a SlhANGEK VINO mad attended n
"a woman's club meeting remarked
to member Of the club that its
president spoke very well, The club
member, who did not speak at all we'll
replied, with sneer.
Yes, she ought to speak well. When
she was elected president she went and
took a course of training in elocutlon
Would you think she was as vain and
silly as that"
well, | think it's a thousand plties
more club women did not take elocu-
ton lessons said the other woman,
III they did they would not bore us so
with their shrill, squeaky paper read
ing. Notice now when the average wo-
man has a speech TO make. Ninety out
OF hundred times she reads paper
instead OF speaking to her audience.
which Is fatal blundcr to begin She
has gloves on nearly always, too, so
tight that she has no free motion Of her
hands. She holds her paper before her,
| pltches her voice away up In her head,
then In shriD, jerky tones which can be
heard no more than ten feet away pro-
ceeds TO 30 mechanically through the
contents Of that essay II asked 10
speak louder, she screams In tone a
little shriler a little more heady.
Keeps II up minute. then her voice
drops back again into the same monot-
onous squeak, like the sound OF one
single high note hundred times re-
peated upon a piano, Mark Twain HIM
self couldn't make an impression on an
audience II he uttered his Jokes In that
manner"
Just so Mark Twain couldn't No
doubt the women who read papers in
the piercing, jerky way have heard OF
the three kinds OF tone OF the human
voice-head tone, throat tone, chest
tone They have also heard that every
public speaker who knows his business
uses Invariably the chest tone makes
his voice begin deep In his chest when
he wishes II by what seems contra
dlctlon to travel farthest, Invariably
the carrying voice is the one that is.
sues lrrn the chest, Try now to pro-
nounce the word speak" In the three
ways. First make 1t issue from your
head with the thin, feeble sound $50
many women employ In reading club
papers.
Next say Speak with your throat
tone. The throat tone habitually used
VIII speedily ruin any voice and pro-
duce chronic sore throat, yet 1t Is sur.
prising how many Americans, even
public speakers employ this harsh. ma.
sal throaty voice.
Now utter the word speak with
your tone pitched In your chest. Seep
Your voice carries far; Il sounds deem
ana musical. You can talk with ease
Tor an hour or more by employing this
strong, easy pleasant chest tone a
good way TO acquire 1t is TO read aloud
hall an hour at time several times 4
week. one unaCcustomed to reading
aloud viii fatigue herself In ten min.
ules by speaking In the squeaky head
tone II she employ the throat tone
her voice VIII become husky and strain.
ed and her throat viii give her pain
AFTER u few sentences. only by using
the eVen pleasant chest tone, with its
falling infection and musical lower
pitch, can she read on and on without
fatigue or any spasmodlc Catching IN
her throat Here lie yhe secret and
source of unfalllug voice power, Make
both source aud secret your own.
The practice Of the chest tone will IN
user have calming, stcadylng nfu-
ehce over many poor, nervous. any.
ious Worried woman who has her
little paper to read IN the club or re.
port TO make In a church socIsty. The
woman who uses It habltuary in com.
mon conversation viii feel an eve,
growing power within her to Impros.
her words upon others On public ami 90
private. MAE" rnf''N rN.fI.,