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Using your voice

As a preacher your voice is one of the most important tools God has given you. It is the means by which you will deliver the culmination of many hours work. How you use your voice will play a major part in how well your congregation engages with the message you are trying to teach them.

God is not boring; the gospel is not boring; the Bible is not boring. When presenting God's word, you should not be boring. Below are listed some general guidelines that may help you improve the use of your voice.

Intonation
If you speak in a monotone for most of your sermon, you will probably lose even the most dedicated listener very early on. Your sermon may dangle them over the very fire of hell or take them to the edge of heaven, but if you speak in the same tone throughout a 20-40 minute sermon, you risk leaving your listeners counting the bricks in the church wall, instead of having them grab hold of the choice, spiritual morsels that you are dishing up for them.

When you are working through your sermon it is a good idea to practice the whole thing out loud. Are you asking your audience a rhetorical question? Make it sound like a question. Are you reeling off a long list of details in quick succession? Practice building up your tone throughout the list to keep interest and create impact. Are you dealing with a sensitive issue? Speak sensitively. And so on. These things may seem obvious, but it is surprising how many great thoughts are lost to the great sermon killer, The Monotone.

Speed
A good pace is essential for clarity and interest. You will need to find a speed of talking that you are comfortable with; not too hurried and not too ploddy. Try slowing downing at certain points for added emphasis, or speeding up to add excitement.

Another important and often overlooked device is 'the pause'. If used correctly this can be a powerful technique. It is good to insert a notable pause when moving between the main points of your sermon – this lets your congregation know that they are now moving on, gives them a chance to digest what they have just heard and will allow people who have drifted off to rejoin you. It is also good to use a pause to draw attention to a particularly significant statement or challenge that you may have just made. If you have trouble remembering where to slow up and where to insert pauses, practice your sermon before hand and put a reminder in your sermon notes.

Volume
Even when using a good public address system (PA) you should still project your voice. You should preach as if you are addressing your audience without a PA – a PA system is there to assist and compliment your voice, not magnify a whisper. However, bear in mind that you should never shout or strain your voice as this may cause damage.

If you set your vocals at a comfortable level, this will give you the scope to vary your volume. This can be very effective; you can go from a stage whisper, to a mighty declaration, all in one sentence. Being aware of your volume and how this can add to the delivery of your sermon is another way to keep the congregation engaged.

Practical
Let's see if we can apply what we've learnt. Here's a little exercise:

Read this line in a monotone: "He got up and put the kettle on".

Not the most exciting line ever. But it can be. Let's try inserting a pause, still in a monotone: "He got up... and put the kettle on".

A little better, but still needs work. We need to inject some excitement into this little statement. Let's ditch the monotone. Start low and end much higher on the word 'up'. Come back to where you started for the latter of the sentence. Remember to pause.

"He got up... and put the kettle on."

You may find you have automatically increased the volume of the, 'He got up' and speak quieter for the rest. That's great, if not try it again with the volume tweak.

Having included all of the above, our humble sentence is transformed from an everyday, matter-of-fact statement, to a tension filled, edge of the seats thriller of an utterance! "He got up...' (Why, what's happening? What's he going to do?), "and put the kettle on" (Why was this such a great event? Had he just had an argument with his wife about who was going to make the tea? Is he going to storm off in a strop? Ah, no, he's given in, he's going to make the tea... it was just a storm in a... hmm).

A silly little exercise, but we hope it demonstrates the difference that volume, intonation and a well placed pause can make. Try the same excise with "Are you bound for hell... or heaven?".

If you feel that you would like to practise using your vocal technique, try reading childrens' books out loud, such as, the Mr Men or Little Miss books. Your aim is to make it as exciting as you can. Make big sounds BIG, use emotion, go wild!

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