Hi,

I have a problem with my the way I talk. I recorded myself talking with someone and reading and it seems when I talk I have a very deep, MONOTONE voice. I talk like a robot. Is there anyway of changing that? I know its a habit but I want to change the way I talk.

valinors_sorrow

Cultivate exaggeration! Its especially fun to talk to yourself or a pet that way LOL. Or take some voice lessons -- they'll have you doing scales to extend your range. How's your singing?

Fr_Chuck

The problem could be that you knew you were recording and were not normal in talking, while yes some people do talk that way, most have all sorts of emotion in thier voice on a daily bais.

But if you do, you will have to practice, try using lound and soft tones to set moods, pauses and changes in pitch of your voice.

smith1012

The thing is people would say my voice is so low, thus I talk like some robot. I try to pitch my voice higher, but it is hard to stay at that pitch without going back to talking at a very low tone voice. I think I'm too focused about how I speak that I can't talk properly at all. I don't really sing.

valinors_sorrow

Hmmm, i dont think its an up and down the tonal scale thing. Its a can you emphasize some words over others to give it a little rhythm thing. LIke this: the RAIN is spain (tiny pause) fall MAINLY in the plain... (LOL sorry, I couldn't resist)

You should try singing... when you are alone. Nevermind about carrying the tune, just to get some rhythm in the spoken lyrics. A kind of cut loose thing! I understand it helps stutterers too. Or attempt to imitate someone who is very expressive like Billy Crystal's you rook marrrrvolos!! Or Jim Carey's alriiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiighty!!

Remember too that deep voices are nice and monotone isn't the end of the world - Jimmy Stewart, while having a rather affected way of speaking, was pretty monotone too so its more important what you say than how you saying it!

smith1012

ALRIGHT THANKS. I do get scared to say words becasue I can't say it properly with my voice, but I guess I need to practise by reading more.

worthbeads

Pretend you are the announcer for Fox or a TV station, telling people that "a dramatic new series is coming which is bound to be a breathtaking thriller."

valinors_sorrow

I understand about the restraint on your voice out of fear or even habit. I was raised in a very emotionally cool and subdued household as if any expression was vulgar and being overly dramatic was a cardinal sin. I can still remember the very first time I raised my voice at someone and it felt gooooooooooood! LOL It helped that at the time I was dating a very expressive hockey player who's mother was a war bride from Italy and boy, could she yell!!!

wizzkid89

For me this question borderlins unfathomable, mainly because I do impressions, sing, and I make tones of jokes(meaning there is a lot of tone changes and dramatic changes), I would just advise you to watch movies I think.....mainly because you want to talk like someone else(at the very least not as much monotone), and studying peoples emphasis's on words and tones is how people do the best impressions. Try Rocky's (Yo' ADRIAN!) or Arnolds( SNIPER GET DOWN!), anything just pick someone and try and talk like them. However, sometimes it's hard to turn off impressions. It's not like you won't talk normal, but there are times(very few) when it will "slip" out, i.e. One time I was talking to a british lady and accidentally started my british voice, she didn't like it. But to be perfectly honest, I think you shouldn't care, voices are unique and if you have a monotone one then rock on.

gayle

It sounds like you might have Asperger Syndrome. Practice imitating normal recorded phrases. Make sure you record yourself and then play it back until you get it to sound like you want it to sound. Check out this site too Prosody home