Introduction > Presenting Science > Using Your Voice Effectively > Volume

Volume There's nothing worse than sitting through a presentation where you can barely hear the speaker, or being a speaker when the audience members ask you to speak up. It can be difficult to gauge how loudly you speak, and many presenters worry that they're talking too loudly, but this is rarely the case. There are several pieces of advice that can help you project your voice to the back of the room: aim your presentation at someone sitting in the back of the room - this encourages you to speak louder than if you looked at someone in the front row keep an eye on the audience at the rear of the room - you should be able to see from their reactions whether or not they can hear you standing upright with your shoulders back and chin up helps to project your voice avoid reading from prompt cards or notes whenever possible as this encourages you to look and speak down rather than out ask the audience if they can hear you at the back of the room and adjust your voice accordingly. Loudness often comes with practice as well - if you rehearse your presentation lots of times, increasing the volume each time, it becomes more natural to speak loudly. If you think you're struggling to use your voice effectively, find some vocal exercises to practice.

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