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The following example illustrates how inflection on different words changes the meaning of
a question. Say the question to yourself, raising your pitch (but not your volume) on the
underlined words, as indicated:
What am I doing?
What am I doing?
What am I doing?
What am I doing?
Inflection is the key to expression of mood. It can be emotional, persuasive, or convincing.
Using inflection can move an audience to tears or laughter and create a lasting impression.
Without inflection, the audience may fall asleep.
Like pauses, inflection is a way of punctuating speech; it can put the question mark at the end
of a question, make a statement of fact more positive, or help to put an exclamation mark at
the end of a strong statement. Inflection is the principal difference between just saying words
and speaking ideas with meaning.
Try the following suggestions to improve inflection:
Read aloud and communicate your emotions. Inflection conveys feeling and meaning.
However, feeling also produces good inflection. As an instructor, you must show your feeling
about what you say. To practice using inflection, read aloud and communicate your emotions.
Using a tape recorder is a good way to improve inflection because you must communicate
emotion entirely through your voice; gestures or visible facial expressions provide no help.
Downward and upward inflection.
Generally, downward inflection at the end of a
sentence expresses conviction. However, downward inflection within the sentence itself gives a
sense of finality to the thought and creates a mental break in the listeners’ thoughts. Use slight
upward inflection within the sentence to indicate that the thought is not yet complete; that serves
to bind ideas together and to give unity to the thought. Use upward inflection at the end of a
sentence only when you ask a question or imply uncertainty.
Force
Forceful speech combines the volume or carrying power of the voice with the demonstrated
vitality, strength, and conviction of the speaker; it includes the proper placement of stress or
emphasis on key words and phrases.
Like rate, pauses, and inflection, force is a way of
conveying conviction, of giving meaning, or of adding emphasis. Yet, unlike rate, pauses, and
inflection, it cannot be set apart distinctly.
Force involves rate, pauses, and inflection plus
carrying power, fullness of tone (or body), and proper regulation of loudness.
Listeners will not respond to a speaker who shouts and is insensitive to their feelings. Neither
will they be convinced by the cool, detached manner of a speaker who is consistently calm,
quiet, or patronizing.
To communicate, you must awaken reactions and feelings in your
listeners.
Knowledge of the subject and of the sequence in which you plan to present ideas will help you
to calmly lead the thoughts of your audience. You can then drive home a point with power and
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