How to speak with meaning

Learn to develop your voice and body language so that you are conveying meaning authentically, confidently, and comfortably.

You have a toolbox
You can use your voice and body to encourage your audience to react in the following ways:
- Connection: "I trust this person."
- Engagement: "Every sentence sounds so interesting.”
- Curiosity: "I hear it in your voice and see it in your face.”
- Understanding: "The emphasis on that word/that hand gesture...now I get it.”
- Empathy: "I can tell how much that hurt you.”
- Excitement: "Wow. That passion is infectious.”
- Conviction: "There’s determination in your eyes.”
- Action: "I want to be on your team. Sign me up.”

Take the written word to the spoken word
- Find the 1 word in each sentence that carries the most significance and underline it.
- Look for the word in each paragraph that really matters and double underline it.
- Look for each question mark and bold that sentence so you know where to pause for an audience response.
- Find the big “AHA” moment and put a big star next to it.
- If there is a funny part, put a smiley face next to it.
- Find any confusing/big words you might use in your talk and circle/highlight them, so you can replace them with more audience-friendly words or explanations.

Lesson vocabulary:
Passionately – in a way that shows strong feeling or emotion“... a talk that is well-prepared and passionately delivered will always impact an audience.”
Radical – very different from what is usual or expected “Here's a radical question: Why bother to give a talk?”
Automatically – happening on its own without someone having to do it “But that doesn’t just happen automatically.”
Invested – deeply involved or committed to something “That something extra has to be thought about, invested in, and developed.”
Humanity – the quality of being human, showing kindness or emotion “Our humanity turns information into inspiration.”
Emphasis – special importance or force given to something “The emphasis on that word, with that hand gesture, now I get it.”
Empathy – the ability to understand or feel what someone else is feeling “Empathy. ‘I can tell how much that hurt you.'"
Infectious – spreading easily from one person to another, like feelings or excitement “Wow, that passion is infectious!”
Conviction – strong belief or certainty in what you say or do “Conviction. ‘Such determination in those eyes.’”
Inspiration – a feeling or idea that makes you want to act or create “We think of inspiration as the force that tells the brain what to do with a new idea.”
Attention – the act of focusing your thoughts or listening carefully “Inspiration, on the other hand, sets off our mind’s attention alert system.”
Alert – a state of being ready to notice or respond “Alert! Alert! Important new idea incoming! Prepare to activate!”
Evolved – slowly developed or changed over a long time “The human response to spoken language has evolved over hundreds of thousands of years.”
Reckless – acting without thinking about danger or consequences “I was as reckless and foolish as any young man can be— this is why wars get fought— but I also felt more alive than I've ever done since.”
Gradually – slowly, over time “I found the scope of my existence gradually diminishing.”
Diminishing – becoming smaller or less important “I found the scope of my existence gradually diminishing.”
Bewitching – extremely beautiful or charming in a magical way “When I was a young man, I spent six years of wild adventure in the tropics... in some of the most bewitching parts of the world.”
Ecologically – related to the environment or ecosystems “I was, I believe, ecologically bored.”
Astonishment – great surprise or amazement “His words are interesting, but it’s the way he says them that gives his audience a feeling of curiosity and astonishment.”
Timbre – the special quality of a sound or voice “Voice coaches talk about at least six tools speakers can use: volume, pitch, pace, timbre, tone...”
Prosody – the rhythm and musical rise and fall in spoken language “Voice coaches talk about... something called prosody, which is the musical rise and fall of your voice.”
Variety – a mix of different types or changes in something “The key to being an exciting speaker is to create variety in the way you speak.”
Hypnotized – in a state where you’re very focused and unaware of other things (often used figuratively) “Listening to a talk like this can feel like being hypnotized.”
Playful – full of fun or lightheartedness “If there are bits that are lighthearted or playful, run a wavy pencil line under those.”
Lighthearted – cheerful and not too serious “If there are bits that are lighthearted or playful, run a wavy pencil line under those.”
Vulnerable – open to being hurt or affected emotionally or physically “Standing so openly may feel vulnerable, but that vulnerability can be nice for an audience to see.”
Anxious – nervous or worried “They may be feeling a little anxious, and shifting from one leg to the other eases their discomfort.”
Authentic – real, true to yourself, not fake “And that is giving your talk in your own authentic way.”

The TED-Ed Student Talks program provides free, customizable activities for educators to support their students in identifying, developing and sharing their ideas with each other and the world. Learn more at the Student Talks page.