How to Improve Mumbling in My Speech

Reduce mumbling to clearly speak your heart and mind.

Improving your speech can make the difference between a lackluster exchange of dialogue and a powerful conversation. Mumbling is often the result of physical tension or a lack of confidence. Taking your eyes off the person with whom you are communicating or lowering your head makes the negative effects of mumbling even worse. Spending at least 15 minutes per day practicing several basic mumble-reducing techniques will have you more relaxed and speaking with your head up in no time.

Things You'll Need

• Clean wine cork

Instructions

1. Relax your jaw. Open your mouth while making a loud and natural "AH" sound in five second increments. Move your jaw from side to side and open and closed.

2. Loosen your jaw muscles. Grip the short ends of a clean wine cork between your front teeth. Begin talking out loud to yourself. Speak slowly and as clearly as possible. Take short breaks every 30 to 45 seconds. Continue this exercise for two to three minutes. Talking with a wine cork between your teeth stretches and works the jaw muscles in an abnormal manner and ultimately helps them relax.

3. Relax your mind. Focus only on what it is you have to say. Avoid extraneous thoughts as you begin to speak.

4. Practice three to five tongue twisters on a regular basis. Repeat the phrase, "She sells seashells down by the seashore" five to 10 times. Speak loudly and slowly. Enunciate every word and syllable. Speed up the tongue twisters as you obtain confidence and clarity in your words. Tongue twisters force your mind and body work in conjunction with one another until the synchronization feels natural.

5. Look your conversation partner in the eyes. Talk succinctly and use basic words at first to ensure your syntax and grammar are clear and effortlessly communicated. Adjust your conversation partner so they are standing behind a neutral or unmoving background to prevent your attention from shifting.

6. Reduce background noise, such as music, when beginning to speak. Limit conversations when you are exhausted to prevent natural, sluggish sensibilities in your speaking pattern.

References

• YGOY: Clear Speech -- Practice These Simple Tips
• American Speech-Language-Hearing Association: Dysarthria

Resources

• "Inc.": A Crash Course in Communication