If you want a near symmetric smile and clear diction, do the exercises prescribed below regularly. They were compiled from suggestions of professionals working in various aspects of a related industry, such as radio disc jockeys, speech therapists, & voice coaches. We can all improve in the area of intonation, voice, & mouth/lip control. See video for demonstrations.

PLACING EMPHASIS
Place emphasis on the bolded word and see how the meaning of the same sentence changes. This shows you that you should be careful with how you say what you’re saying.
I didn’t say she took that book…. Meaning: Someone else said it, not me.
I didn’t say she took that book…. Meaning: I said something else, not that.
I didn’t say she took that book…. Meaning:This was implied, but not said by me.
I didn’t say she took that book…. Meaning: I did not say she took it, it was he
I didn’t say she took that book…. Meaning: She bought it, not took it.
I didn’t say she took that book…. Meaning: This book, not that one.
I didn’t say she took that book…. Meaning: The book wasn’t taken, it was the pencil.

COLORING
Say the following words in a descriptive manner that tells the listener what it means according to your pitch:
High/Low
Loud/Quiet
Soft/Hard
Small/Big
Love/Hate
Nice/Mean
Exciting/Boring
Sharp/Dull
Beauty/Beast
Lovely/Ugly
Normal/Weird
Exotic/Strange

MISSING SOUNDS
Practice pronouncing the following words clearly by saying every syllable and not dropping any sounds, slurring or substituting words:

Playing            Therapy            Bottle               Girl                Wake
Working          Theater            Gifts                   Pearl             Curt
Talking            Thesaurus        Guests               Curl               Bird
Listening        Thigh                Gentlemen        Shut             Artist
Eating              Thought            Brink                 Hurt             Company
Drinking          Theme             General              Loin              Depths
Thinking          Theology         Clothes              Bun              Mountain
Doing                Third               Chocolate          Foil               Thin
Saying              Thesis             Comfortable      Verse           Thug
Anything         Thirty             Opportunity       Person        Theatrical
Going                Thermal         Sentences          Toy               Theoretical
Trying               Thousand       Library               Learn           Speaking
Ringing            Thunder          Government    Voice            Hearing
Dealing            Thank              Wanted              Turn              Seeing

PACE
Time yourself speaking the paragraph below. Finish the whole thing in 30, 60 ,then 90 seconds. Find a comfortable pace to speak in and take care to announce all the syllables clearly! The bolded word is the midpoint, where you should be half way through at each 15, 30, and 45 second point, respectively.

Thy plants are an orchard of pomegranates, with pleasant fruits; camphire, with spikenard, spikenard and saffron; calamus and cinnamon, with all trees of frankincense; myrrh and aloes, with all the chief spices; a fountain of gardens, a well of living waters and streams from Lebanon. Awake, O north wind; and come thou south; blow upon my garden, that the spices thereof my flow out. Let my beloved come into his garden, and eat his pleasant fruits.

In case you’re wondering, the above paragraph is from the book called the Song of Solomon 🙂

If you want a near symmetric smile and clear diction, do the exercises prescribed below regularly. This series of 3 parts were compiled from suggestions of professionals working in various aspects of a related industry, such as radio disc jockeys, speech therapists, & voice coaches. We can all improve in the area of intonation, voice, & mouth/lip control.

MOUTH/TONGUE/JAW MOVEMENTS

Oral skills for proper speech & development:
1. Massage your gums
2. Brush or press different objects of shapes, textures, & scents across your lips, cheeks, & tongue
3. Exaggerate and round your mouth to make these vowel sounds:
a. Ooo
b. Eee
c. Ooo-eee
4. Make ‘Puh’ sound, popping the P to emphasize, Tuh sound, & then Kuh sound
5. Kiss kiss, now hold and move it to the L to R and back again
6. Blow, either by whistling or using an instrument
7. Sip through a straw
8. Keep your lips together as you contract the cheeks
9. Smile big
10. Keep your jaw still as you say ‘lalalalala’
11. Put the tip of your tongue behind your upper teeth and hold it
12. Repeat these letters:
a. Ttttt
b. Nnnnn
c. Ddddd
13. Use your tongue to:
Move the tip from left to right of the inside of your mouth with your mouth closed
a. Make circles to trace your lips, either on the outside or inside
b. Stick it out as far as you can and curl it up & down
c. Form your mouth in a perfect ‘O’ shape and circle your head in both directions while holding it
14. Speak the following words and sounds 5x:
a. Buttercup
b. Lollipop
c. Rocketship

Want a video for demonstrations? Let me know…