14/12/2015
When You're Using a Microphone ...
A microphone is a tool to amplify your voice,
not a substitute for good vocal expression. It
won't make a boring voice interesting—just
louder. Learn the techniques of good
microphone use.
When you use a microphone, you still have to use your full voice
to engage your audience and establish your identity as a speaker.
Under the pressure of presenting before an audience, a speaker can
lose natural vocal expression. Be aware of that risk and guard
against it. As you rehearse, experiment with volume, pitch, and
rhythm to achieve optimal expression and emphasis.
By varying your volume, pitch, and rhythm, you'll be able to convey
meaning and emotion. Without variation, your voice will sound
boring, monotonous, and robotic.
Even though you're using a microphone, your audience will still
listen for the emotional and semantic cues contained in your voice,
cues that a microphone doesn't supply. Use vocal diversity to make
sure your audience understands and feels the tone of your message.
"Experiment with volume, pitch, and
rhythm."
Do a sound check.
In some situations, a technician may set up the sound system and
actively control the levels while you speak. In that case, rely on the
technician to set the right levels for the size of the room and the
audience. But make sure you get rehearsal time so you can
participate in the sound testing.
In other situations, a technician may set up the system and leave the
rest to you. In that case, do the sound check yourself. Don't be
tempted to skip it. Even if you have experience using a microphone,
every system or room presents potential issues for which you need
to be prepared.
Find someone to act as your audience,
moving around the room to evaluate sound volume and quality. Test
for the levels that fill the room with sound. Then go slightly louder
to compensate for the murmuring and rustling of an actual
audience.
If you have no access to a technician and have to set up the
system yourself, keep written instructions nearby. Follow them
precisely. Take extra care with the sound check to make sure the
system is operating properly.
Know how the microphone works.
Obvious as it may seem, know when a microphone is on or off.
You certainly don't want to be caught broadcasting remarks that
you meant as a private comment. Nor do you want to get off to
a great start, only to find that the mike is off. So make a mental
note of the off, on, standby, or mute modes. Before and after you
speak, switch to the appropriate mode.
The lavaliere mike: placement is key.
The lavaliere mike is the type that clips to the speaker's clothing, so
how you dress is a primary concern. Wear something with a lapel
or tie so the mike can be easily clipped to it. A jacket or a blouse
that opens in the front will also do, as long as you can fasten the
lavaliere firmly.
A lavaliere mike can be wired or wireless. The wireless type makes
an additional sartorial demand: its transmitter pack will be attached
to clothing in the back of your body near your waist. So wear a
belt or something with a pocket to keep the transmitter in place and
neatly out of the way.
Most types of lavaliere mikes work best when placed eight to 10
inches below the chin-ideally, in the center. If you're using slides,
fasten the mike slightly more towards the side where the slides are,
since you'll be looking at the slides from time to time as you
speak. If the mike is placed too high, it'll create hot and cold spots
when you turn your head. (Imagine that the base of the letter "V"
is coming up from microphone. You can move your head within that
"V" and be heard.)
Make sure buttons, material, jewelry, and strands of hair are well
out of the way. If they hit or rub against the mike when you move
or shift your stance, each small rustle will be amplified and
transmitted.
"If the mike is placed too high, it'll create
hot and cold spots when you turn your
head."
The lectern mike: position yourself
properly.
If you're using a microphone that rests on a lectern or stand, be
sure to place yourself at the proper distance. The capabilities of
different equipment make different demands on the speaker, so find
the position that will clearly capture and carry your voice. Speak
over or across the microphone, not into it.
Make sure that the microphone (or anything else that may be on the
lectern) does not block your face or interfere with your gestures
and movement.
Stand with good posture.
To create sound, the vocal apparatus needs breath and space.
Enable your voice by standing straight, aligning your head with your
spine.
Warm up to avoid throaty tension. If you're hunched, bent, or
tense, the sound waves you produce will bounce around your throat
rather than flow out toward your audience.
Twisting or bending the neck puts your voice at a biomechanical
disadvantage. By holding your head up and not looking down, you
will assure that air flows out smoothly as you speak.
By standing upright, you will improve the sound of your voice and
facilitate the most effective use of the microphone. From an upright
stance, you won't be talking into the microphone, but across it.
That's what you want to do.
Don't crowd the mike.
Most people get too close to the microphone. Crowding the
microphone will distort your posture and your voice. Don't get so
close to the mike that you could chomp a bite out of it. The
microphone is designed to capture a voice that flows over or across
it, not into it. If you get too close, the mike will amplify every
breath, every snap of your jaw, every click and hiss of the words
you pronounce.
Crowding the mike can also create annoying feedback, popping, and
screeching from which most audiences will recoil. While your listeners
may tolerate one or two such incidents, they will tune you out if
the problem persists.
In communication, your goal is always to reach your audience. The
vocal elements you build into your delivery have everything to do
with achieving that goal. And keep in mind: The microphone is a
tool. It won't turn a poor delivery into a good one.