Many people have a fear of speaking in public. The best orators can usually deliver a speech without any notes or cue cards, but for most of us, a few prompts are necessary. This leads us to having to read in public instead.
If you have ever sat through a speech delivered entirely by reading a script, you will know that in many cases, there is a stilted, unemotional feel to it. Often this is accompanied by pauses as pages are turned over – or worse, dropped to the floor – and a complete lack of eye contact with the audience. Can you remember the content of any speech delivered in that way?
The answer to that question is almost certainly not. This is because to retain information, we need to have been engaged in the first place. Learning the art of public reading can help with any kind of speaking engagement, when you do not have the confidence or ability to fly without the safety net of notes.
A good exercise is to start with a very simple piece of writing, such as a short poem or nursery rhyme. You need one that has no real emotional overtone, so nothing too sad or uplifting; Mary Had a Little Lamb is ideal.
Begin by reading the piece in your head. You are probably already familiar with it, but read it to refresh yourself with the meter, or flow of the writing. Work out where the natural pauses are and where the punctuation gives direction. For example, are there question marks that indicate an inflection in your voice?
Next, read the passage or poem out loud to yourself a few times. Try to read slower each time. One of the first lessons learned by actors is that they must deliver their lines slightly slower than they would normally speak. If there are any difficult words to pronounce, break them down into syllables for now, or check the pronunciation with an online audio file if you can find one.
Now try reading the same piece of writing, but with different emphasis. Make your voice rise at the end of each line. Add some anger or aggression to your voice, and then read the whole thing with a smile on your face. By now you will have noticed how your facial expression can affect the way some words sound when spoken. Finally, read the whole thing in a whisper. Really define each word carefully so that each is perfectly understandable.
This exercise introduces the idea of adding an extra layer to the written words in front of you. If you can use the expression of your voice, you can create more interest from your audience. Speaking in a monotone is not an option for public reading.
If you know that you will be giving a public reading of some kind in the near future, you must make yourself familiar with the writing you will be delivering. This does not mean learning it like a script unless you feel confident that you can do this. It simply means identifying each section of the speech or document, getting a feel for the context and the important parts, and finding the right speed and tone of delivery.
Practice reading aloud by yourself to begin with. You may find a dicta-phone helps, but you may also be surprised at how different your voice sounds when recorded. Remember to time yourself giving the whole reading, as you will almost certainly have a specific time limit.
Because you are familiar with the written words in front of you, there will be places where you know what line or words come next. These are the times that you should look up at your audience. Have the writing printed in large typeface with double line spacing so that you can find your place again easily.
One other point to remember is the size and location of where you will doing the public reading. You must make sure that your voice projects to the back of the room, and looking down at the page does not adequately allow this. If you can stand at a lectern and read, rather than sitting down, your voice should carry more effectively.
Before you deliver your reading, have a few practice runs in front of one or two friends or family members. Ask for their feedback: were there any words that they had difficulty hearing or understanding? Did they think you were rushing or speaking too slowly? Try and incorporate their comments into your final public reading.
If you still have difficulty with the speed of your reading, have a glass of water next to you. Mark places in the text where it would be natural to pause slightly, and then take a sip of water each time you get to a marker. Alternatively, if you are sitting down, change your body posture when you get to each marker, by crossing or uncrossing your legs for example. This will help you regulate your breathing and give your listeners a moment to focus again on what you are saying.
The art of public reading can only be perfected with practice. You may want to take a few acting lessons if you are going to be reading aloud regularly, to help with your posture and breathing. However, even the most practised readers fluff their words sometimes. Just smile, apologise, and pick up again from where you went wrong.