How can I improve my speaking skills?

*** Words Clearly Spoken
What do you need to do?
Express words so that they can easily be understood by your audience. This involves (1) proper use of the speech organs and (2) understanding of the structure of words.

Why is it important?
When you enunciate carefully, others can understand what you say. Words that are clearly spoken are likely to be taken seriously.

IN ORDER to communicate effectively, you must speak clearly. What you want to say may be interesting, even important, but much of it will be lost if your words are not easily understood.
People are not motivated by speech that they do not really understand. Even though a person has a strong voice and can readily be heard, if his words are slurred, they will not move others to action. It is as if he were speaking in a foreign tongue, unintelligible to the hearer. (Jer. 5:15) The Bible reminds us: “If the trumpet sounds an indistinct call, who will get ready for battle? In the same way also, unless you through the tongue utter speech easily understood, how will it be known what is being spoken? You will, in fact, be speaking into the air.”—1 Cor. 14:8, 9.

What Makes Speech Indistinct? It may be failure to open the mouth sufficiently. Jaw muscles that are rigid and lips that scarcely move may contribute to muffled speech.
Speaking too rapidly may also result in speech that is difficult to grasp. That is like playing a recording of speech faster than it was designed to run. The words are there, but much of the benefit is lost.
In some cases, indistinct speech is related to a structural defect in the speech organs. But even those who must cope with such a problem can do much to improve by applying the suggestions in this study.
Frequently, however, indistinct speech results from a slurring of words—running them together so that they are difficult to understand. The problem may involve skipping syllables or significant letters or dropping word endings. When a person indiscriminately runs words together, his hearers may catch some ideas and phrases but they have to guess at others. Failure to enunciate clearly can impair the effectiveness of a person’s teaching.

How to Speak Clearly. One of the keys to saying words clearly is understanding the makeup of words in your language. In most languages, words are made up of syllables. Syllables are made up of one or more letters that are uttered as a single unit. In such languages, each syllable would normally be sounded when you speak, though not all with the same degree of emphasis. If you want to improve the clarity of your speech, slow down and do your best to express each syllable. At first this may sound overly precise, but as you practice, you will gradually resume a smooth flow of speech. For the sake of fluency, you will no doubt run certain words together, but this should be avoided if there is any danger of obscuring the sense of the words.

A note of caution: To cultivate your enunciation, you may practice speaking and reading in an overly precise manner. But do not allow that to become your regular manner of speaking. It would sound affected and unnatural.
If your speech sounds somewhat muffled, learn to hold your head up and move your chin away from your chest. When reading from the Bible, hold the book high enough so that shifting your gaze from the audience to your Bible requires only a slight downward look. This will allow your words to come out unimpeded.
Learning to release tension can also improve your speech. It is well-known that tension in the facial muscles or in those controlling your breathing can have an adverse effect on the speech mechanism. Such tension interferes with the harmonious coordination that should exist between your mind, vocal organs, and breath control—an operation that should be smooth and natural.
The jaw muscles need to be relaxed in order to respond readily to direction from the brain. The lips must also be relaxed. They have to be ready to expand and contract rapidly so as to put the finishing touches to many sounds that originate in the mouth and the throat. If the jaw and the lips are tense, the mouth will not open properly, and sound will be forced through the teeth. This will result in gruff, muffled, indistinct speech. Relaxing the jaw and the lips, however, does not mean becoming lazy in speech habits. This needs to be balanced with the habit of forming sounds so that enunciation is clear.
In analyzing your situation, you may find it helpful to read aloud. Closely observe how you are employing the marvelous organs of speech. Do you open your mouth sufficiently so that speech sounds can come out without obstruction? The tongue, you must remember, is not the only organ of speech, though it is one of the busiest. The neck, the lower jaw, the lips, the facial muscles, and the throat muscles all play a part. As you speak, do you seem to be doing so without facial movement? If so, then there is a strong probability that your speech is indistinct.
If a tape recorder is available, record your own voice while you are speaking in a natural way, as you would to someone you feel comfortable with. Record several minutes of conversational speech. Listening to that recording can help you pinpoint any trouble you may have in clearly sounding certain words. Watch for instances of slurring, muffling, or clipping of words, and try to determine the cause. Usually the weakness can be remedied by working on the points discussed above.

Do you have a speech impediment? Practice opening your mouth a little more than you have in the past, and try enunciating even more carefully. Fill your lungs when you take a breath, and speak slowly. Doing this has enabled many with speech impediments to speak with improved clarity. If you lisp, pull your tongue away from your front teeth when uttering the s and z sounds in words. Although your problem may not be completely solved, do not despair. Remember that Jehovah chose Moses, a man who may have had a speech impediment, to deliver vital messages to both the people of Israel and Pharaoh of Egypt. (Ex. 4:10-12)

HOW TO DO IT
Speak and read individual words clearly—with proper enunciation, sufficient volume, and at a reasonable pace.
Do not slur expressions or run words together in such a way as to make the meaning uncertain to your hearers.
Hold your head up, and open your mouth sufficiently when you speak.
Practice relaxing your neck, jaw, lips, facial muscles, and throat muscles.
EXERCISE: Speak in your normal manner. How much do you open your mouth? Do you need to open it a little more and make fuller use of facial muscles? Practice doing that as you read Matthew 8:23-27 aloud. Be sure to hold your head up, and endeavor to relax the muscles of your jaw.