Chances are you won't believe this tip works until you try it out on someone whose feedback you trust. Here's what to do.
You're likely to be pleasantly surprised by the response.
So what's going on? How can a children's story have anything to do with adult audiences? When we feel nervous, our subconscious - doing it's job - kicks in to protect us. It compresses the natural up and down of our voices to make our words harder to take in. Get the significance? Please don't notice me. For many, the protective instinct is so strong they speak in sleep-inducing monotones.
The tip above reverses that problem.
You don't even have to find a children's book. You probably already know the beginning of something starting with 'Once upon a time...'
Once upon a time, there were three little pigs. The time came for them to leave home and build their own houses. The first little pig built his house out of sticks. The second little pig built his house out of wood. And the third little pig built his house out of bricks...
That should be plenty - go find a trusty source of feedback. Wait... please lose any idea that speaking is only about conveying facts. Decades back, philosopher Marshall McLuhan said, "The medium is the message." So right. You're the medium. You and your personality are a vital part of conveying any message. To children or adults.