The 5 Ps of Vocal Impact in

Presentations
28th Sep 2015

When delivering a presentation, voice projection is essential. The 5 P's is a way of

maximising all the vocal aspects.

P ower

- Too loud a voice can be annoying particularly for those at the front of the audience

- Too quiet can say that the Presenter lacks confidence and others at the back can't
hear

P itch

- Inject some energy into the voice to show enthusiasm for your message. The pitch or
tone will vary more and the speech sounds more interesting to listen to

- Remember to inflect the voice i.e. stamp vocally on certain words. For example,
saying 'Thank you very much' is less impactful than saying 'Thank YOU very much!'

P ace

- A good guide is an average of 120 words per minute in presentations

- Most people talk too fast (probably because they want to get it over with as quickly
as possible!)

P ause

- Pausing is good for emphasis on key quality points. Pre-empting a quality point with
a "Now this next point is very important", and a 3 second pause before making the
point, is impactful

"The most precious thing in speech are the pauses"

SIR RALPH RICHARDSON

P ronunciation
- 'E's and 'P's ; 'B's and 'D's are very similar sounds, and need to be enunced clearly

- Slowing the pace can help the Pronunciation

"Talk low, talk slow, and don't talk too much"

Pitch, in speech, the relative highness or lowness of a tone as

perceived by the ear, which depends on the number of vibrations per
second produced by the vocal cords. Pitch is the main acoustic
correlate of tone and intonation (qq.v.).

Pace: This is the speed at which you talk. If speech is too fast, then listeners
will not have time to assimilate what is being said. It is also a good idea to
vary the pace - quickening up at times and then slowing down – because this
will help to maintain interest.