Communication Skills Tip: Melodic Phrasing for Powerful Presentations

When I was 13 I got serious about singing. I had a classical voice coach, Hilda Riggio based out of New Haven Connecticut, who started me out with the Bel Canto style of singing. These are typically classical Italian vocal exercises in the form of songs. The melodic phrases give purpose and direction to the otherwise monotonous warm up of the singer. When I spoke about thought chunking in Lanartco's tip of the week May 6, 2009, I asked you to consider thought chunking as creating a context and meaning for your messages. But it is so much more than that. It is the music in your presentation that ultimately keeps you and your listeners engaged. The first sign that you may be boring your audience with your speech, is if you are boring yourself with it. We can do that by continually using phrases of the same length. It is essential to mix up the grouping of words with some of them long and some of them short. Monotony is a repetition of a pattern. This can become a trance for your listeners and ultimately lead them to daydream rather than focus on your message. By varying the lengths of your chunks, you create the element of surprise and then keep your audience with you.

The next thing that becomes important in thought chunking is how well you use your breath. I remember when I would practice the Bel Canto songs, I often struggled with my breath support. If the phrases were too long, I had to either creatively adapt the phrasing so that I could add a breath, or I had to diligently build my control over my breath so that I could make it through the phrase. Great speakers such as Ronald Reagan, Oprah Winfrey and Tom Brokow are fine examples of people who know how to use thought chunking well. You can listen to these and other outstanding speakers at http://www.americanrhetoric.com/ You don't, however, need to be a public figure, professional singer or striving entertainer to take thought chunking to heart. The more you understand that communication is about connecting to others, the more you will practice thought chunking to build rapport and have meaningful dialogues. To be added to Lanartco's Communication Performance Tip of the Week, please connect to this link or send your email address to info@lanartco.com
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