How a Speech Pathologist Can Help You Be a Better Communicator with Lenora Edwards.

Welcome to Public Speaking with Peter George. Do you want to be calm, confident, and credible every time you speak in public? Then stay tuned as we discuss public speaking tips, techniques, and tactics that help you increase your impact, influence, and income.

Lenora Edwards is a certified speech-language pathologist and Chief Knowledge Officer with Better Speech. Since 2010, she has worked with individuals of all ages — from children learning to express themselves to adults who want to improve their speaking skills and become more fluent and effective communicators. Here's my conversation with Lenora Edwards.

Speech Pathology Is About More Than Lisps and Stutters

Peter: When people hear "speech therapy," they tend to think: I don't have a lisp, I don't have a stutter, so I don't need it. How do you respond to that?

Lenora: When it comes to speech therapy, people think either misarticulation or fluency. And although those are true, that's not the only thing we do. When we work with clients on public speaking, we work on vocal hygiene, appropriate breathing patterns, managing nerves, and in some cases, accent modification. We also work on eliminating filler words, stammering components, and nonverbal cues that may be miscommunicating what the client wants to express.

Vocal Hygiene — What It Is and Why It Matters

Lenora: The quality of your voice matters. Vocal hygiene means taking care of the tissues that support your expression. Appropriate hydration is truly important — especially when you're going on stage. Our vocal cords come together, open and close with our breathing and vocalization. Caffeinated beverages, whether soda or black tea, will actually result in dehydration, and your vocal cords don't sound or operate at their best. We also encourage speakers to warm up their voice before speaking, just as singers do.

Peter: I sip on water all the time when I'm speaking — even on this podcast. Honestly, it's defensive: I drink three large iced teas a day, which totally dries out everything. I have to sip water to combat that.

Lenora: And that works. It depends on where somebody is. What I love is that you figured out what works best for you — stop two days before a speaking engagement, then enjoy your iced tea right after. Medication can also affect voice quality, so it's just something to be aware of.

Managing Nerves Through Breathing and Visualization

Lenora: When it comes to nerves, we focus on diaphragmatic breathing and helping clients find ways to literally calm the nervous system. When you're in a heightened state of arousal — people are looking at me, I don't know what's going on — there's a chemical and hormonal exchange occurring. We walk clients through breathing techniques, visualization, and we put them in those scenarios during our sessions on Zoom. We move them into the experience while we're one-on-one, helping them navigate what they're feeling and the tools they need in that moment. So their nervous system becomes acclimated to being in that situation.

Peter: What I tell my clients when they say "help me get rid of that feeling" — I'm not sure you want to get rid of it. It's adrenaline. Having adrenaline says something important is going to happen.

Lenora: Exactly. When we don't know why that's happening and we're not comfortable with speaking, it becomes: I'm fearful, this is not good. But when you understand it, your body is simply saying something pretty cool is going to happen.

Accent Modification — Not Elimination

Lenora: We help clients modify their accent — not eliminate it. A dialect is the language you learned in your environment, and that's a good thing. We work with a number of physicians through Better Speech who want to more effectively communicate with their patients and colleagues. The goal isn't to say you're the problem. It's to say, here's what we can work on together. We practice in a way that's natural and conversational, so they can communicate clearly and confidently wherever they go — and they never have to wonder: can these people understand me?

What Speech Therapy Looks Like Online

Lenora: With BetterSpeech.com, we've been online since long before the pandemic. We're available throughout the entire U.S. and internationally, meeting clients on their schedule — weeknights, early mornings, weekends. If you went through outpatient therapy services, you might wait six months to be seen. Through Better Speech, you can speak with a board-certified speech-language pathologist as early as the next business day — completely free, with a complimentary consultation.

Peter: That's important, because when someone finally decides to look into something like this, it's a big step. If they have to wait too long, there's a lot of time to back out and second-guess it. Getting help right away is empowering.

Lenora: Exactly. We want people to be able to effectively communicate. You can visit betterspeech.com and click "free consultation" to get started.

Thank you for listening to this episode of Public Speaking with Peter George. Are you ready to be calm, confident, and credible every time you speak in public? Then visit petergeorgepublicspeaking.com and let's make it happen. I'll see you next time.