Proper delivery of a speech depends on the proper enunciation, and the proper enunciation depends on the proper pronunciation. Pronunciation of a world changes depending where in the world you happen to be, which means that when delivering a presentation a speaker must be careful to ensure that they are properly pronouncing each and every word that crosses their lips. Speakers that are careless about this quickly find themselves crucified by their avid (and often rabid) listeners.

The pronunciation of the word is a changeable thing. Even within a language nothing is set; for example, in England the word schedule is pronounced with a soft ch sound rather than the hard ch heard in the United States. Program is now pronounced PROgram rather than proGRAM. Neither, advertisement, Elizabethan, rations, oblique, route and quinine all have multiple pronunciations depending on the speaker’s location. Fashions come and go in speech, leading people to pronounce words a certain way only to find that way displaced later on. Some of these unique pronunciations have not gone out of style, instead remaining to plague linguists and gradually become an accepted part of mainstream vocabulary.

The first rule of ensuring excellent pronunciation in public speaking is to invest in a dictionary specifically intended for the speaker’s primary language. While bilingual dictionaries are an invaluable possession for anyone traveling in a foreign country, public speaking demands a higher level of formality and a wider range of vocabulary than can be found in a bilingual resource.

The second rule is to make sure that the dictionary purchased for the first rule is up to date. Speech and pronunciation change regularly as language grows and develops. Dictionaries can go out of date at an incredible rate of speed as slang and the jargon associated with specialized fields find their way into mainstream combination.

The third rule for students of public speaking seeking correct pronunciation of a word or phrase is to consult the authorities in the field to which a term officially belongs. For example, a speaker searching for the proper pronunciation of the word oblique could and should consult a military leader, who would tell them that the proper pronunciation of the word among the members of the armed forces is done with the long “i” sound. Speakers should always keep their ears open to the dialogue going on around them when they are out in public in order to hear anytime a new word slips into a mainstream and to discover new pronunciations of old words that they were not aware of previously. Familiarity with correct pronunciation can be secured only like liberty-at the price of eternal vigilance.

Books, radio programs and television shows are all excellent resources for discovering new vocabulary and pronunciation. A good speaker can never be too familiar with their language, which means that by closely observing the speech of the others and paying close attention to their own they will be able to expand their vocabulary, improve their pronunciation and exponentially increase the persuasive power of their public speaking skills. 

My Name Is Christopher Carlin And I Want To Give You Twenty Free Public Speaking Tips