CSD 100- LESSON 12
Physiology of Glottal Fry
*Glottal fry occurs when* you use your lowest vocal register or pitch. The sound created is a low, glottal sound. When this sound is produced the *vocal folds are "limp" *or relaxed and are not being adequately powered by subglottic airflow from the lungs. Instead of vibrating with strength and steadiness, the folds "*flutter*" and fail to produce a clear, strong tone. *When you speak in the vocal fry* register, your listeners may get the impression that you are *tired, disinterested, or bored*. The glottal fry tone also communicates a *lack of confidence* in what you are saying. This is not the impression you want to give potential business partners, colleagues or dates! *When a speaker uses this vocal pattern*, listeners *become distracted* by how the speaker is talking and have *difficulty concentrating* on the message the speaker is trying to convey; therefore, communication effectiveness is impaired. Glottal fry can be heard everywhere from *reality TV, to radio broadcasters, to country music stars and gospel choirs*. Many people use this pattern when speaking or singing and *do not even know they are doing it*! Can you think of some celebrities who use this speech pattern? Do you have any friends or family members who have glottal fry? Do YOU have glottal fry?
Pitch & Glottal Fry
*Glottal fry, vocal fry, raspy voice, glottal rattle, gravelly voice, creaky voice* - these are terms for the same vocal pattern which may damage the vocal folds if used habitually. *Overtime, use of glottal fry* can cause your larynx to feel irritated and fatigued, and the rough quality in your voice makes it difficult for others to listen to your voice. *Glottal fry is usually caused by* either a lack of breath support, a vocal pitch that is too low, or a combination of the two patterns. *Glottal fry often*, but not always, *occurs at the end of a sentence* because in American English speakers usually use a *downward inflection* (lower pitch) at the end of a declarative sentence, and because the final words in a sentence may not be as well supported with breath as earlier words in the sentence.
Rate of Speech
*Rate of speech* is the speed at which we speak. American speakers of English speak at a rate of approximately *165-180 words per minute* (Rubin, 1994). Speech rate *will vary greatly* depending upon the region of the country a person comes from. People who live on the *East coast* generally speak more rapidly than people who live in the *South*. If you speak with a *rate that is too rapid*, your audience may have a difficult time following you and may be confused regarding your message. *Rapid speech rate* may also increase the likelihood of *mispronouncing* words and making *grammatical errors*. Speaking too rapidly also may be suggestive of *nervousness* or lack of confidence. On the other hand, if you *speak too slowly* your audience may *become bored*, or have a *difficult time focusing* on your message. They may become *distracted by how you speak*, rather than tuning in to what you are saying. And finally, a *constant unchanging rate of speech* almost always will result in a monotonous, predictable speaking voice (remember the teacher in Ferris Bueller?).
Tips for Varying Pitch
*Roger Love* is a voice coach who works with actors and singers. Over the past 20 years or so, two distinct vocal pitch patterns have emerged in the United States. These two patterns, *glottal fry and uptalk*, should be avoided. We will examine each of these patterns separately.
Pitch & Uptalk
*Uptalk, upspeak, rising inflection, high rising terminal, and high rising intonation* are all terms which have been used to describe the pattern of speaking in which declarative sentences are produced with *rising intonation at the end*, as if the sentences were questions. *Origins* This pattern of speech has been discussed in the popular media since the late 1970's, but there is disagreement on when the pattern actually came into being. Theories on the origins of uptalk range from roots speech patterns in *Scandinavia, New Zealand, France, Japan, and Ireland, to the San Fernando Valley in California*. Some say the pattern *denotes lack of confidence*, others feel it is *used as a sales technique*. *Impact* If you use uptalk frequently, you will give your listeners the impression that you are *not sure what you are talking about*. For students, professionals and anyone interested in communicating their thoughts and ideas, uptalk is an obstacle to being taken seriously in the academic and professional world. In a 2010 *Psychology Today article, "The Uptalk Epidemic" , author Athena Gubbe* describes uptalk as "*the very opposite of confidence or assertiveness*." She goes on to share her frustration with the "*Uptalk Epidemic*" and laments the fact that the pattern *has become less noticeable* as more and more people use it in their everyday conversations. While most individuals who use uptalk are not aware of the pattern, in this article *UC Berkeley Professor Dr. Robin Lakoff *theorizes that some women train themselves to use rising intonation in certain contexts to *protect themselves from being perceived as too assertive*.
Voice Projection
*Volume* is the loudness of a speaker's voice and *one of the most important aspects* in terms of *being understood by your audience*. As a nervous young student, you may have had a problem projecting your voice in the situations described, but chances are you effortlessly projected your voice in other situations without even thinking about it. For example, shouting to a friend, "Wait, you forgot your phone!", or to your neighbor, "I think we got some of your mail!" These examples illustrate that *voice projection is not really a skill to be acquired*, but is more of an *ability to be practiced*. When speaking to a large group of people, the trick is to learn to *project your voice to the back* of a large, sometimes noisy room, as naturally as when calling out to your friend or neighbor.
Pitch
In Lesson 1, we learned that *vocal pitch refers to* how high or low the voice sounds relative to the placement of your voice on the musical scale. Some of us have low-pitch voices (think of Darth Vader from Star Wars), and some of us have high pitched voices (think of a small child). No matter what your own vocal pitch, when engaged in public speaking, it is *important that you vary the pitch* of your voice to make your message interesting for your audience. It is the *combination of low, middle and high pitches* during connected speech which make a speaker's voice sound interesting and appealing to an audience. *Vocal variety should be your goal*. When we discussed vocal loudness, we learned that monoloudness can lead to a boring, monotone voice. Similarly, *not varying your pitch will result in monotone speech*. Monotone speech is difficult for your audience to attend to for any length of time. Just think back to your own school days and the teacher you had with the monotonous voice - that teacher's class likely had several students who had difficulty staying awake. *Monotone speech is one pitch pitfall*, but speakers must also be careful to not fall into a pattern of using pitch in the same way over and over again, because this may lead to a *sing-song pattern*.
How to Eliminate Glottal Fry
Now that you know what glottal fry is, how can you eliminate the pattern from your voice? The *best way to stop the pattern* of glottal fry is to first *become aware* that you speak in this register. Once you are conscious of the pattern stop yourself every time you hear glottal fry in your voice. Next, use these three strategies to pull yourself up out of glottal fry: 1. *Breathe!* As we learned in Lesson 3, the best breathing pattern for speech is *deep diaphragmatic breathing*. Breathe deeply and release air consistently during speech to provide enough fuel to fully engage the vocal folds and eliminate glottal fry. Take *replenishing breaths* when necessary, and do not try to force out too many words on one breath. 2. *Fully support the ends of phrase groups* The first words of a sentence are more fully supported with breath as compared to words near the end of a sentence - this is a normal pattern because as we get closer to the end of a sentence our breath stream is tapering off and vocal pitch is dropping. Words at the end of an utterance are not as clearly and fully voiced as words at the beginning of the same utterance. Be aware of this pattern, and when speaking, make an effort to make the last word of a sentence as strong as the first word. 3. *Raise the pitch of your voice - slightly.* Your speaking voice is clearest and most resonant at the middle of your pitch range vs. the bottom of your pitch range, so spend more time in that middle range! Practice starting your utterances at an incrementally higher pitch than your usual pitch. Think of speaking with a more 'enthusiastic' tone, and your pitch should raise enough to pull you out of glottal fry. *Benefits* Practicing these tips should help you reduce your use of glottal fry and improve your communication effectiveness. Listeners will be able to tune in to what you are saying and not be distracted by how you are saying it, and your message will come through.
Communication Effectiveness = What You Say + How You Say It
Some people overlook the importance of vocal delivery when planning an *oral presentation*. They may work hard on the front end of the presentation - researching and organizing information, but they fail to take into consideration that their vocal delivery during their speech can add impact to the presentation - or cause the interaction to fall flat. *Breath support, voice projection, rate, use of pauses, pitch and pronunciation* all work together to enhance the verbal message and strengthen overall communication effectiveness of the speaker. *Knowledge of and practice* using these components will increase your public speaking skills. In the pages that follow, we will examine a few of these voice characteristics which, when used effectively, will help you put your best voice forward.
Glottal Fry- Final Words
Speech-language pathologists do provide intervention for clients who use glottal fry, and wish to change their speaking patterns. *Fry is not considered a disorder*, but use of the pattern can have* effects on the individual's daily communication*. In 2016, the *American Speech Language and Hearing Association (ASHA) *published the following article on glottal fry in the ASHA Leader publication. It is interesting to note that in recent years *glottal fry phonation has been used as a voice therapy* technique for people with *vocal nodules or vocal polyps*. Speech language pathologists are sometimes frustrated by the fact that voice *patients often do not complete therapy techniques outside of the voice therapy sessions*, and this leads to longer duration of voice treatment and less robust treatment outcomes. Some SLPs have *added the use* of glottal fry, along with traditional voice therapy, because *glottal fry phonation can easily be used outside of the therapy session*. The use of glottal fry with these types of patients works as a therapy technique because *little subglottic pressure and airflow are required to produce glottal phonation*, and during glottal fry the folds vibrate slowly, reducing stress on the tissue. In addition, *during glottal fry the folds are shortened*, relaxing the tissue around the nodules or polyp.
How to Eliminate Uptalk
The *first step* in eliminating the use of uptalk is to *become aware* of your use of this speech pattern. Only after you build awareness of uptalk will you be able to change the rising intonation pattern. Record yourself and listen to yourself speak. Once you are able to identify uptalk, *tune in to your conversational speaking style* and take note of when and where you might use this pattern. Does it occur when you speak to certain individuals? Does it occur when you speak about certain topics? Once you have become aware of your uptalk pattern, use the idea of *deliberate practice of a declarative voice* and the tone of a command to habituate use of more appropriate intonation. Practice reading aloud lists of short commands and simple facts, such as the following. *Commands:* Shut the door. Turn on the light. Give it to me. Open the window. Take your time. *Simple facts:* The sky is blue. Grass is green. Dogs eat bones. Fish can swim. The sun is hot. As you read, *tune in to the downward inflection* of your voice *at the end of each utterance*. Gradually *increase the length of the commands* and factual statements as you continue to produce the sentences with a downward inflection at the end. When you catch yourself using uptalk in your speech, immediately produce the sentence again using the appropriate intonation pattern.
Varying Your Rate of Speech
The *key to being an effective public speaker* is to *vary your speaking rate as you talk*. *Changing the pace or rate of your speech allows the speaker to*: —Make his/her delivery sound more conversational and natural. —Emphasize key points by slowing down, or perhaps skim through concepts which are more general knowledge and less important to the topic at hand. —Show emotion (more rapid pace when excited about the message/ slow rate to show sadness). —Give a dramatic effect by pausing at selected points in the presentation. *How can you determine your own rate of speech?* —Set a timer for one minute. —Read aloud one or two pages of a scripted speech or presentation. —Count the number of words you read and divide that number by 60 to get your average number of words per minute.
Use of Pitch in Speech
The speaker featured in this film was using poor delivery on purpose, but many people fall into similar speech patterns without being aware. Have you wondered how you sound to others when you give an oral presentation? Is your own voice interesting to listen to? Do you vary your pitch? You can discover your own pitch patterns during speech quite easily by *audio recording yourself* giving a short oral presentation. By listening to yourself, you can get a good idea of your personal voice habits and understand how you might vary the pitch of your speaking voice to make your voice sound more interesting.
Voice Projection Techniques
The word "*project" means* to throw or thrust forward. *When speaking, projection means* you are controlling the volume of your voice in an effort to be heard by the entire audience. Of course, a *microphone* will amplify your voice and enable the audience to hear you no matter how quiet your voice, but many presentations you give will be in locations with no electronic amplification available. The following *tips may help you learn to project your voice* to make your message audible to your entire audience. -Focus your voice on a target. —Choose a target location in the back of the room to direct your voice toward. This might be a person sitting in the back, a wall, a clock, or some other object. When you give your voice a target, you should project naturally. —Breathe into the diaphragm! Breath powers the voice! —Open your mouth to let the sound out. As we learned in Lesson 3, the *bones and spaces of the oral and nasal cavities* will help to amplify the sound of your voice, and opening your mouth when you speak will *give your tongue more room* to get to the points of articulation it needs to travel to within the oral cavity. Remember - *your voice is similar to an instrument* (remember the trombone analogy?). It needs a *source of power* (breath), a *source of sound* (vocal folds), and *resonance* (amplification through the oral and nasal cavities). Focus Breath Open One final caution regarding vocal loudness during public speaking. While voice projection is vital to insure that every member of the audience can hear your message, when presenting information to a group of people it is *equally important to vary your vocal volume*. Speaking for a long length of time at the same volume is called *monoloudness.* *Monoloudness *speech patterns can put your audience to sleep! *Emphasizing key words* or phrases by speaking louder or softer, and using volume to reflect the emotional content of your message are two techniques to utilize to make sure you do not fall into the monoloudness trap.
Speaking with Confidence
When you begin your presentation, you might need to take a moment to focus on your breathing. This is normal. Make a point in your speech, pause and breathe, then continue speaking. After a while you should *establish a rhythm* and become comfortable with the speech breathing pattern for your presentation. Your ability to establish this rhythm is affected by your confidence, so *having a thorough knowledge of the material* you are presenting is a must.
Breath Support
Without proper preparation, an important presentation can fail. Most people cannot walk up to a stage or podium and expect to sound amazing. The *best speakers* take time to first "*warm up*" their voices. *Breath support controls* the air flow through the glottis, and *provides the voice with* endurance and strength, and *reduces the occurrence* of vocal fatigue. We know that breath powers the voice, so it is logical that a good vocal warm up should start with breathing exercises. Remember: *rapid, shallow breathing* is *characteristic of nervous energy *and it is not the breathing pattern you want to establish for your oral presentation. *Slow and balanced breathing* is *characteristic of control*, and this is the pattern *you want to strive for* as you get ready to speak.
