Reading Out Loud

After you write something, edit, and think it is perfect (or have forced yourself to stop working on it…) what is next? If you are a student, or are writing a presentation for work, sometimes you might have to read your writing out loud. This can be stressful, scary, challenging, or a piece of cake depending on your background, experience, and preferences.

In this week’s writing weekly, we are going to look at how you can present your writing and what tips you should add to your repertoire to improve your speaking style. Many of these are quite simple but when done right, create a big impact.

“Aloud” VS “Out Loud”

Before I begin, I wanted to drop in a comment about the words, “aloud” VS “out loud.” You will see these words used interchangeably which is correct. “Aloud” has origins in middle English from around 1300 CE. In the 1800s, “out loud” appeared as a casual synonym. While “out loud” was considered too casual for proper use back then, both “out loud” and “aloud” can be used interchangeably nowadays. In short, go forth and use which ever spelling your prefer but make sure you stick to one or the other and are consistent in your usage.

Speaking Tips

Reading your story out loud can be nerve wracking. I have a few tips to share that will be worth practicing to improve your presentation style and smooth out the process as well.

Speak Slowly

I am a fast talker. A big complaint I used to receive was that I talked too fast. If I am giving a presentation and I’m reciting my speech at the speed of light, people might not only misunderstand what I am saying, I might be entirely too hard to follow. Speaking fast can lead to mistakes as well if you rush and mispronounce something too.

Recover with Grace

It’s pretty common to make a mistake when reading out loud. We’ve all been there and have done that, but one thing is really important: recover with grace. When you make a mistake, whether saying the wrong thing or you mispronounce a word, it is key to simply correct and continue instead of drawing attention to the mistake. Instead of saying, “oh, shoot!” or trilling (I’m not sure what to call it, but when people make a loud noise to kind of shake out the mistake or reset their speech… this is so distracting and disruptive!) to clear your tone, simply pause, restate the same sentence, and continue on. It’s better to smile and laugh instead of getting visibly mad or frustrated. Negative reactions may make your listeners uncomfortable and can make your presentation style seem underprepared.

Make Eye Contact

When you speak, you do not want to stare at your paper or your presentation and never look at the audience. To the listener, that is quite boring because it seems like you are simply reading to read, and want to get it over with. If you are actively looking up and around as you read, this will help the audience engage and connect with you better. I recommend marking places to look up specifically as a reminder, or to look up at the end of sentences or paragraphs. If you get nervous directly looking at people, look just above your audience or my favorite trick, I look directly at people’s shoulders or foreheads so it looks like I am making eye contact.

Pausing

If you are reading a story and there is a moment when the audience laughs, gasps, claps, or reacts, it is a good idea to look up, smile, and pause until the noise quiets down before continuing to read. I was recently reciting a story from memory at a funeral and while it had been a long time since I had given a public speech, I was telling myself to speak slowly and steadily when the audience burst out in laughter at a joke of mine. I paused, smiled, and then continued. If you try to barrel through and keep on speaking through the laughter, your audience might miss something or might not be able to hear you for a moment.

Enunciate

A key to good speaking is enunciation. When you are still editing your story, a great tip is to read it out loud. When doing this, pretend you are giving a real speech. Say each word carefully, really give clear effort on the consonants, and make sure you are speaking clearly at a good pace. This will establish good habits for presenting. Avoid blending words together, mumbling, or not speaking clearly.

Breathing

Sometimes the hardest part about reading out loud is remembering when to take a breath! I’ve sung my whole life, so I understand the need to plan your breaths for when to take a breath, when not to, and how to take a good breath without the audience noticing. If you are reading something and are finding that you are having a hard time catching your breath, it is a good idea to stop, take a breath, and continue. Reading at a steady pace—and not rushing—can make this easier. Take a small breath at the end of each sentence or two, at commas when needed, but not in the middle of an unpunctuated phrase. Make sure you are breathing deeply and steadily instead of sucking in air loudly. When I first started singing as a kid, a great tip was to learn how to take a breath without moving your shoulders. This sounds silly, but this helps you to be quieter, move less, and be steadier as you breathe and perform.

Stopping to take a breath can help too if you are anxious when reading out loud. Rushing through can lead to forgetting to take a breath so be sure to take your time, pace yourself, and the reading will come out well!

Conclusion

These tips are here to help the next time you read out loud! There is a lot to think about and remember when you are reading something out loud. You might be worried about what people think of your story or presentation, what your voice sounds like, if your posture is okay, if people can hear you, or if you are reading too fast or slow. I recommend approaching and practicing each of these skills one at a time to improve.