Louder/Longer Exercise #1

One of the easiest ways of making your delivery more conversational is to find the most important word or words in each sentence and say them louder or longer. Let me show you what I mean using a simple sentence.

I didn't say you lost the blue pencil.

Inexperienced speakers would give every word the same emphasis. But notice how the meaning of the sentence changes as I emphasize different words.

I didn't say you lost the blue pencil. (meaning: It wasn't me who said it.)

I didn't say you lost the blue pencil. (meaning: Once and for all it wasn't me who said it!)

I didn't say you lost the blue pencil. (meaning: maybe I thought it, but I didn't say it out loud.)

I didn't say you lost the blue pencil. (meaning: The blue pencil is lost but it may not be your fault.)

I didn't say you lost the blue pencil. (meaning: Mislaid, missing, perhaps. Lost is such a harsh word.)

I didn't say you lost the blue pencil. (meaning: Not our very best blue pencil, the one we use for all the special blue pencil ceremonies.)

I didn't say you lost the blue pencil. (meaning: I might have said you lost the red pencil or the green pencil but not the blue pencil.)

I didn't say you lost the blue pencil. (meaning: You might have lost the blue pen or maybe the blue folder, but not the blue pencil.)