On my last visit to the dentist, I once again realized that I have a very small mouth.

At this point, my friends always make a lot of unnecessary cracks.  But it’s true.  Cramming those x-ray thingies into my dainty jaws is always a struggle.

It’s a worse struggle because I’m a public speaking coach.  

See, the mouth is where sounds resonate.  Like a guitar’s body, like the innards of a grand piano, the better the space, the better the sound.  With no space to echo in, my voice insists on sounding tinny.

For those of you with the same problem, there are solutions.

First, practice humming into your face bones and sinuses.  “MMM”  sounds are best.  Make them echo around in your face.  Bonus: it feels like a massage.

Then be sure that your jaw isn’t all tightened up.  Yawn.  Rub your jaw joint.  If you clench your teeth, you can feel what my voice teacher friend Susannah calls your “cowboy muscle.”  You’ve seen the camera pan in on that strong silent face as he tightens his manly jaw in frustration.   We all do that when frustrated, so stretching it out makes it easier for your voice to get out of that teeny mouth.

Help people hear you by practicing your articulation.  Lots of consonants sound alike.   Was that name Pratt, or Bratt?   And can you say the word “anemone” clearly, or does it sound like “amenninny”?

Finally, practice enough so you can have fun explaining your interesting ideas to the big mouths.