Does your voice trail off at the end of your sentences? It is natural for your voice to fade at the end of a sentence as you run short of breath. Soft-spoken people especially tend to trail off on the final phrase or word of a sentence. When listeners cannot understand a speaker, it is often the case that the endings of sentences are too soft.
To counter this tendency, consciously speak more loudly as you approach the sentence’s end. Deliberately stress the final word of each sentence. It is often the final word or phrase that is the point of the sentence!
To be loud enough, do what singers and actors do: use your abdominal and rib cage muscles to stay loud—or get louder—as the sentence comes to an end. Breathe deeply and have enough air to be audible through the final word.
Practice now: read aloud the sentences below, getting softer, then louder.
