Your words can be shaped in five different ways: power, pace, pitch, punch, and pause.
Power
The power of your voice refers to volume. How large is your class? Each listener should be able to hear you without straining. First, make sure you are breathing correctly to project your voice. Then as you are speaking, vary the power of your voice. A soft voice or loud voice can be effective at different points in the story. For example, when Demetrius speaks to the angry mob, use a loud, booming voice. But when Timothy’s mother and grandmother teach him, use a soft voice. Developing the power of your voice requires practice. You may want to practice in front of someone, or you may prefer recording yourself on tape. Remember, too, to speak clearly and to enunciate properly.
Pace
Pace is how fast or slow you speak. Usually we speak too fast when we speak in front of a group. A good rule of thumb is that if you think you’re speaking too slowly, your pace is probably just right. Although your pace should be slow enough for everyone to understand, varying the speed of your voice can reflect the action or emotion of the story. Practice in front of friends or record yourself telling a story. This will help you evaluate your pace.
Pitch
The pitch of your voice is your expression, inflection, and tone. Nobody likes to hear a monotone speaker; we get tired of listening. Consider the actions and emotions of the story. Is it exciting, sad, confusing? Let your voice reflect the events in the story. Think about the word “no.” How you say no depends on your motive for saying it. If your no is doubtful, your voice will rise. If your no is certain, your voice will usually drop into your lower register to convey determination. How many other ways can you say the word “no”? Look at the Bible story for next week and highlight the actions and emotions in the story. Next, in the margin of your teacher’s book, write the emotions of the different words, sentences, and paragraphs. Then practice telling the story with these emotions. As you continue to develop your storytelling skills, you will be able to “color” your words without even thinking about it.
Punch
Punch is the emphasis we place on different words. We use emphasis for a variety of reasons. We might emphasize the crowd’s angry words toward Stephen, or we may repeat and reinforce Paul’s words to Timothy. Look through the Bible story and underline words and phrases that need to be emphasized. Be careful not to mark too many. Punch is most effective when it is infrequent.
Pause
When we speak in front of people, we tend to be very uncomfortable with silence. Therefore, we fill the silence with vocalized pauses such as “um,” “er,” “like,” and “ya know.” Vocalized pauses are distracting to your listeners. Make a conscious effort to eliminate these from your speech, even in daily conversation. Learn to be comfortable with silence in front of your audience. Silence will always seem longer to the speaker than it does to the listeners. An effective pause can indicate something important is coming, or it can serve to bring distracted listeners back to the story.
Remember, anyone can just read a story; to be a real storyteller takes practice.
