At breakfast I sat with a German.
At lunch, a Bulgarian guy and a Dutch guy.
On my trip yesterday, there were women from Honduras, America, Thailand, England, India and two guys, one from Canada and one from New Zealand.
Last night, I ate dinner with a Bahamian. (he was born in the Bahamas), a Russian and a guy from Portugal.
As you can see, the conference I’m attending here in Bangkok is quite international.
There are people — and accents — from around the world.
And you know who I can’t understand?
Do you want to guess?
It’s not one nationality.
The person I can’t understand can come from any country.
I’m talking about…
THE LOW TALKER
This is a person who speaks with their volume turned to “low.”
In other words, he or she doesn’t talk loudly enough.
Could you be a low talker?
Do people say “What?” when you speak?
Before you go watch another pronunciation video on YouTube, try this…
HOW TO TURN UP THE VOLUME OF YOUR VOICE
- Sit up straight or stand tall
- Take a deep breath
- Fill your diaphragm with air (your stomach gets bigger, not your chest)
- Exhale as you speak
- Feel your voice coming from your chest (not your nose or throat or head)
Practice it alone.
And then practice it with real people.
If people can suddenly understand you, then the problem was not your accent — You are a recovering low talker!
