by Annette Hatton

Created on: September 07, 2009   Last Updated: October 20, 2009

Reading Aloud Magic

How to read aloud well.

Former Poet Laureate Billy Collins said, A poem will live or die depending on how it is read and it is never read cold. This refers to audience attention and applies equally to prose and technical papers.

Passion, comfort and confidence are three components in the battle to maintain audience attention. By incorporating these suggestions into your practices you will find reading aloud becomes enjoyable and your audience will listen attentively.

Bedtime stories aside, when you read aloud everyone in the audience should remain awake and focused on you. There is no such thing as impromptu reading, even if you are handed something to read moments before stepping to the lectern. Make time to practice the material aloud and think about the message before formal presentation. It is amazing how even once through improves delivery. More often you will have plenty of practice time.

What you want to do.

1. Entertain the audience. They should be awake and focused so be persuasive, interesting and worth their time.

2. Make it personal. Involve them by using more than merely the sound of your voice.

3. Be well practiced not programmed. You want your reading to sound spontaneous not boring or mechanical. You do not want to be the only one listening.

4. Practice, practice, practice then practice more.

The golden rule of reading aloud is: When you make what you read interesting to yourself; it will be interesting to your audience. Conversely, when your reading sounds boring to you, your audience will be bored. One thing worse than putting your audience to sleep is putting yourself to sleep.

Choosing your material.

Look for something with minimal two-way dialogue. Unless you are exceptionally gifted and dramatically well practiced leave multiple voice dialogues to someone who is. Introspective dialogue where the hero talks to himself is good. If you use the wrong voice, no one will know.

Leave them wanting more.

Ever notice when reading a novel the most exciting part is in the middle of a chapter, not at the end or beginning? Between chapters is a convenient place to stop, lay the book aside and go do something else. To keep you interested and turning pages, climactic action is nestled mid-chapter so when you get to the end of a chapter the prelude to the next action sequence has begun and continues building through the beginning of the next chapter. Look at the end or beginning of a chapter for your material.

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