Discuss ways to use your voice effectively during a presentation

What will be an ideal response?

Answer: Use the following techniques to improve your speaking skills.
• Speak to the back of the room. Speaking to the back of the room will help you adjust your volume so that you project your voice effectively. When you make eye contact with people in the front of the room, maintain the same level of volume so that people throughout the room can hear you. Too often, speakers lower their voices when they answer questions from people in the front of the room. Even in a small room, the person who cannot hear you will feel left out.
• Speak slowly, especially at the beginning of the presentation. Your audience may need a few minutes to get used to your style of speaking. You can help them by speaking slowly and enunciating clearly, especially at the beginning of your presentation.
• Modulate your voice. Nothing destroys audience attention more than a monotone presenter. One technique for animating your voice is to emphasize important words and phrases. If you are using slides, take your cue from the words you emphasized on the slides with color contrast or boldface.
• Minimize verbal tics. Many people unconsciously use certain words as fillers—for example, "like," "okay," and "you know." Be aware of your own speaking habits, and practice eliminating them in your speech.
• Use pauses—a remedy for the "ers" and "ums." Pausing intentionally is one of the best ways to prevent "ers" and "ums" because you give yourself permission to be silent. Silence can be a powerful tool. A quiet moment gives the audience time to process your information and indicates that something new is coming.
• Do not apologize for nervousness or mistakes. This takes attention away from your content. Just take a deep breath, regroup, and move ahead.