Teaching Tech: Using Your Voice

Keeping Your Class’s Attention: Your Voice

If you are only using a normal speaking voice for most of your lessons, and a louder voice (not a yell!) to mix it up a bit or to carry over ambient noises, you are missing 50% of your power.  To boost your students’ ability to listen to your directions, whisper.  It’s louder than a shout.

Your whisper is most effective when it’s accompanied by a forward lean (to show intimacy) and the volume must be loud enough to be heard in the back of the room.  It’s really a stage whisper.

Like any technique you use to boost your students’ attention, it slowly looses its effectiveness the more you use it.  Therefore, save it for critical information.  Your students will soon learn that they’d better pay attention when you lower your voice.  Try this next time you are addressing your class.