Prolonged Speech Technique
Overview
To begin with, this technique will sound very artificial. You will need to begin speaking extremely slowly, at around 40 syllables per minute. You will gradually quicken this over the weeks, aiming for the speed of most speakers who are fluent, which is typically between 120-150 syllables per minute.
How to do prolonged speech
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- DIVIDE YOUR SPEECH UP INTO MANAGEABLE SIZES that you can speak on one breath – it is important to always think about your breath control for speaking
- ONLY USE SOFT CONTACTS – this means that hard sounds like b, d and g will sound gentler and more relaxed
- KEEP YOUR SPEECH AT A SIMILAR PITCH THROUGHOUT – this will mean that your speech sounds quite monotonous to begin with
- RUN EACH WORD INTO THE NEXT ONE – so that you get a continuous stream of words
Relax!
Don’t worry if you sound as if you are slurring your speech, sounding a little drunk at the lower speeds! You will not be expected to speak like this all the time. To begin with, you will only be speaking at these lower speeds while you are practicing – you will not be expected to do this in public.
Once you can successfully use this technique at around 100 syllables per minute you will notice that your speech sounds much more like every day fluent speech.
Download Prolonged Speech Technique worksheet
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