ABSTRACT
Perhaps you assume that your voice is something with which you are born and that it can’t be changed. Perhaps you take your voice for granted. But just as you can strengthen your biceps with exercise, you can improve your speaking voice with practice. Volume, pacing, and vocal variety are components that you can develop. Your choice of words is equally important in developing your speaking style. The language you use will determine whether you communicate or confuse. Later in this chapter we discuss the particular problems facing speakers who are using a language other than their native language, since this is a common situation in most scientific fields and technology-oriented careers today.
