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THE WORDS YOU CHOOSE TO SPEAK SERVE AS PLATFORMS FROM WHICH
YOUR TONE OF VOICE CAN CHANGE THE MEANING OF A SENTENCE.
DRAMA
A dreary monotone will soon have
your congregation in a light snooze,
or finger-tapping in irritation. To
keep and maintain attention you
would do well to insert some drama.
I’m not necessarily talking about
staging an entertaining one act, one
actor play, or building to a frenzied
climax similar to that portrayed in
the wonderful church scene in the
movie The Blues Brothers – although
wouldn’t that be fun now and then?
Drama can be achieved in several
ways. First, varying the tempo: speed
up through content heavy sections,
slow right down for impact when
you deliver a punch. Pause to allow
reflection. Secondly, change your
volume, getting louder to underscore
key points and quieter to draw
people back to paying close attention.
Thirdly, play with your pitch. Using
higher and lower pitches creates
nuance.
LWPT8462 - Preach Magazine - Issue 2 v2.indd 27
ALIGNING THE VOICE WITH THE
MESSAGE
Have you ever noticed how
newsreaders alter their tone to suit
the mood of the item? They will often
have to segue from a trivial snippet of
celebrity goings on to a global tragedy
or the announcement of an individual’s
death. Each time, their voice will be
carefully tailored to suit what they are
saying. Sermons will also have their
own particular character, based on
their subject.
In an article from The Henderson
Group, we are reminded how much
our voice can actually influence the
meaning of what we say: ‘Tremendous
subtlety of meaning is conveyed by
voice. Not just nuance and emotional
context, but basic meaning of words
varies according to vocal inflection.
The words you choose to speak serve
as platforms from which your tone
of voice can change the meaning of a
sentence.’
VOICE CARE
Dr Jack Hyles writes in his book Teaching
on Preaching, ‘The voice of God’s man is
the thing that is used to transfer what is
in his mind to the minds of his people. It
is the vehicle which God has chosen with
which to deliver His truth to His people.
Because of this, the preacher must take
extra care of his voice.’
Common advice for caring for the
voice includes keeping well hydrated,
doing vocal exercises and singing often,
using the microphone for amplification
rather than shouting, practicing deep
breathing when speaking, and doing
physical exercise to develop stamina and
muscle tone.’
John the Baptist wouldn’t have had
a chance of fulfilling his calling as a
messenger, being ‘a voice of one calling
in the wilderness, “Prepare the way for
the Lord, make straight paths for him”’
(Mark 1:3, NIV) if he’d had no voice. Your
voice is vital to you in your vocation as a
preacher. I urge you to look after it well.
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