CLARITY in preaching is not only a matter of central theme, precise word usage and sentence structure, and illustrations that illustrate. All of this may be in perfect order, but if the speech cannot be heard or understood little has been gained. Adequate attention must be given to proper speech production. In Gospel Workers, Ellen G. White has written:
"In all our ministerial work, more attention should be given to the culture of the voice. We may have knowledge, but unless we know how to use the voice correctly, our work will be a failure." --Page 86.
"Ministers of the gospel should know how to speak with power and expression, making the words of eternal life so expressive and impressive that the hearers cannot but feel their weight. I am pained as I hear the defective voices of many of our ministers." --Page 87.
"Ministers and teachers should discipline themselves to articulate clearly and distinctly, allowing the full sound to every word. Those who talk rapidly, from the throat, jumbling the words together, and raising the voice to an unnaturally high pitch, soon be come hoarse, and the words spoken lose half the force which they would have if spoken slowly, distinctly, and not so loud." Page 91.
Fortunately, much excellent help is available to us in this area. Under the general heading of speech, a number of books may be found in almost any public library on the subject of voice and articulation. The following three sources are worthy of consideration:
Anderson, Virgil A., Training the Speaking Voice, New York: Oxford University Press, 1961.
Black, John W. and Ruth B. Irwin, Voice and Diction, Columbus, Ohio: Charles E. Merrill Co., 1969.
McCabe, Bernard P. Jr., Communicative Voice and Articulation, Boston: Holbrook Press, 1970.
In an article such as this, it is, of course, impossible to treat the subject in much depth. Some basic guidelines, however, may be helpful. These will be considered under three headings: (1) Proper Breathing, (2) Pitch, and (3) Articulation.
Proper Breathing
Since the sounds of speech are produced by air passing over the vocal chords or bands in the larynx, attention must be given to proper breathing. But too often, when a conscious effort is made to "breathe deeply" the shoulders are thrown back and raised in an effort to enlarge the rib cage and expand the lungs. This practice is unnatural and ineffective and should therefore be discarded. Breathing from the diaphragm is natural and much more effective because it allows for control in breathing, which is essential to proper voice production. How to breathe properly is often a matter of learning good habits through practice and discipline. Virgil Anderson suggests the following helpful exercises:
1. Lie flat on your back in a relaxed condition and note the activity in the middle portion of your body as you breathe quietly. Place a book on your stomach and watch it rise and fall as you inhale and exhale. Get the "feel" of this method of breathing.
2. Stand in an easy position with your back flat against the wall and with the edge of a book pressed against your stomach three or four inches below the end of the sternum. Exhale fully, forcing as much air as possible out of the body. If necessary, help this process along by pressing in on the book. When as much air as possible has been expelled, begin to inhale slowly, pushing the book away from you in the process by expanding that portion of the body against which it rests. Feel the action of the diaphragm pressing the upper viscera out against the book. This exercise should be continued at intervals . . . until breathing has become easy and under perfect control.
3. Assume an easy standing position, but not against the wall this time, weight on the balls of the feet, chin in, chest up though not held rigid. Place the hands across the stomach with the finger tips touching at the position where the book was placed be fore. Breathe easily and quietly, feeling the expansion in front and at the sides. Take care to see that the upper portion of the chest re mains passive and relaxed.— Training the Speaking Voice, pp. 40,41.
On the subject of breath control, Anderson says: "One of the most serious faults in the management of the breath for voice production is that of allowing a portion of it to escape before vocalization has begun. A person may take a good, full breath, but if he loses half of it before beginning to speak, he may find that he must replenish the supply in the middle of a thought-group or finish the phrase under strain by squeezing out the last bit of air within the lungs. The breath should not be wasted; it should be retained and used only as it is needed to sustain phonation. Since even a passive exhalation resulting merely from relaxation causes the breath to be expelled with considerable force, . . . the process of control ling exhalation for speech becomes to a certain extent a control of relaxation of the diaphragm and other muscles involved. Control thus involves a process of gradually parceling out the breath as it is needed to maintain speech." --Ibid., p. 42.
A person cannot be heard clearly unless he speaks with sufficient force. Unfortunately, when an attempt is made to speak more loudly, the tendency is to raise the pitch rather than increase the force. Force in speech is a matter of breath control. As the air passes over the vocal bands with greater force, the volume of sound is increased. It naturally follows, then, that deeper breathing and greater volume go together. While it may be observed that a change in pitch takes place as the volume increases, it must be remembered that the change in pitch alone does not produce the change in volume. This is not to say, how ever, that the pitch of the voice is not important. It is intended, rather, to clarify the relationship between pitch and force.
Pitch
Speaking with the voice at an abnormal pitch accomplishes two things. First, it annoys the hearer, which affects clarity adversely, and second, it tires the speaker by placing him under unnecessary strain. It is important that the preacher learn to speak at what is known as "optimum pitch."
With respect to vocal pitch, Anderson writes as follows: "While there is no general basic level of pitch that is best for all voices, there is within the range of each one a pitch at which that voice performs with maximum loudness being attained with a minimum of effort, and the tone at that point being most rich, full, and resonant. This level, which is often referred to as the 'optimum pitch,' will be found to vary in different individuals because, it is believed, it results from a number of anatomical factors, one of them being the structure of the larynx itself, which, ... is instrumental in determining the pitch possibilities of the individual voice. It is probable that optimum pitch is also importantly related to resonance, being the pitch at which the resonators of the voice function with maximum effectiveness." --Ibid., p. 79.
To find your optimum pitch, Anderson recommends: "Using a piano if possible, sing down the musical scale with a sustained [a] (father) or [o], beginning with a tone that is easy for you, until you reach the lowest note that you can sing comfortably and with some degree of true quality. . . . This can be accepted as the lowest limit of your range. Now, beginning with this lowest note, sing back up the scale until you reach a point some three or four full steps (whole notes) above this lowest limit. This should be close to your optimum pitch.
"As an example, if you are a man and find that the lowest note you can sustain effectively is F be low low C, then your theoretical optimum pitch would be at about B or C three to four notes above your lowest note." --Ibid., p. 84.
To a local elder all this about breathing and pitch, et cetera, may seem too technical and bothersome. But in the light of the guidance given by Ellen G. White, can such matters be ignored? When called upon to stand in the pulpit and speak for Cod, or let God speak, can we afford to do less than our very best? Do people sit and suffer while you preach? They need not. A little practice and application of the suggestions made in this article can do much to help increase your effectiveness. Preaching is a privilege. It is also hard work. Your ordination to serve the church is God's promise that He will use you to His glory if you will but give Him your best.
Up to this point we have given consideration to proper breathing and pitch. In the next article, we Will discuss articulation as it concerns clarity in preaching.
