How to use a microphone
More than 10,000 people attended the Lincoln Douglas debates, and yet they debated without amplification.
It's only quite recently that we began to disassociate talking-to-many from talking loudly. Having a large and varied audience used to mean yelling, it used to be physically taxing, it would put our entire body on alert.
Now, of course, all of us have a microphone.
The instinct remains, though. When we know that hundreds or thousands of people will read our words online, we tense up. When we get on stage, we follow that pattern and tense our vocal cords.
We shout.
The problem with shouting is that it pushes people away. WHEN YOU SHOUT IN EMAIL, IT SEEMS ANGRY. Shouting creates a wall between us and the person at the other end (even though it seems like many people, sooner or later, there's one person at the other end).
Shouting destroys intimacy, and it hurts our impact, the impact that comes from authenticity.
We feel speech and words long before we hear the words, and we hear the words long before we understand them.
The solution is simple: whisper.
Practice whispering.
Whisper when you type, whisper when you address a meeting.
Lower your voice, slow your pace, and talk more quietly.
The microphone will amplify your words. And we'll hear them.
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