As a young man I distinctly remember an uncle of mine who owned a vinyl record recording of the famous broadcaster Walter Cronkite. He was speaking of the first moon landing of Apollo 11. Through the analog hiss of his stereo came a voice that you could not help but intently listen to. With deft control over his voice, Cronkite could have been talking about baking cookies and everyone in the room would have been enthralled by him…and then baking cookies of their own. You can also have similar control using downbeats.
Important words—the ones we wish to have the greatest impact on listeners—should end with what is called a “downbeat.” A downbeat requires you to lower the pitch of your voice so that it makes what you are saying clearly discernable to the ear. It also adds audio “weight” to your words which in turn signifies importance. The tactical use of downbeats with your voice is without a doubt the key to credibility and clarity. Newscasters will use a downbeat at the end of every sentence, so their story always sounds credible and clear. Try this exercise.
Say these sentences aloud:
“Good Morning. I’m Tom Coffing and this is the Speech Doctor”
It sounded fine and normal, right? Well go ahead and downbeat the end of each phase, and notice how clear and professional you will sound. Look at the phrase with the proper words bolded to signify the downbeat that should stress those words and read aloud, paying close attention to lowering the pitch of your voice into a downbeat:
“Good Morning. I’m Tom Coffing and this is the Speech Doctor”
I am sure you could hear a clear difference in the two phrases when keywords are stressed. Simply using a downbeat at the end of each sentence will already make you an incredible speaker, but using them to stress important words can make an even bigger impact.
Let’s look at John F. Kennedy’s famous speech, and note where he uses downbeats:
“My fellow Americans…ask not…what your country can do for you…ask what you can do for your country!”
This speech was made famous by his flawless delivery and use of downbeats. Kennedy practically immortalized himself in the hearts and minds of the American people with this powerful statement. Would Kennedy have made the same impact if his downbeats were not stressed? This may very well have been the most important message ever delivered by an American president. Not only was the statement meaningful and catchy, but Kennedy’s delivery was faultless. Next time you hear this quotation, pay attention to the downbeats President Kennedy uses to empower his message.
Practice Tip: When writing your speeches, it will be extremely helpful to mark the words you plan to downbeat. You can do so by either bolding these words or accenting them in some way. This way, when rehearsing your speech, you will remember to hit every possible downbeat.
Some of the most famous public speakers, like the aforementioned Walter Cronkite, use downbeats with nearly every word. “And that’s the way it was.” This method will add tremendous credibility to your message and have your audience hanging on your every word…that you downbeat. From Shakespeare to Cronkite, downbeats are an orator’s best friend.
Lets talk about crunching your big toes.
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