Reading Aloud

Leave space between each word.

Read the spaces. When we write, we leave a blank spaces between words so that it is easier to see which letters go together to make a word. In the same way, you should stop talking at the end of a word when you read so that it is easier to hear which sounds fit together to make a word.

Take a breath at each period.

You have to breathe sometime. Each sentence is a thought. By taking your breath at the end of a thought you give the people time to think that thought before you go on to the next one.

Read ahead between sentences.

While you are breathing, glance ahead at the next sentence so that you are ready to read it clearly.

Lower the pitch for the important phrases.

Use a deeper voice and slow down, too, when you get to the most important parts. The important sentences are the ones you want easiest for people to hear. The people listening may get excited by what you are reading, but only if you take your time and speak so that they can understand.

Read the headings to yourself.

The headings will help you to know what the most important ideas are so that you can give them the right emphasis. The headings are a cue to you, as the reader, so that your voice can be a cue to the listener. Plus, the pause while you read the heading helps divide the reading into parts in the same way that the heading divides the page into sections.