Alyson Connolly

Creating and operating a nonprofit organization can be a gratifying and worthwhile endeavor. Success depends on developing a good idea that meets a real need, testing that idea, planning (and then planning some more), and inspiring others.Though the work is demanding, it’s also deeply rewarding. Here, we include helpful information to help you raise money when you’re just starting out and apply for e-grants.

Body language can be even more important than your voice in delivering your message to the audience. Body language is crucial in exuding confidence in yourself and showing trust in your audience. Believe it or not, changing your posture can actually change your mood and, ultimately, how you perform. First things first.

Vocal fry, or creaky voice, seems to be everywhere nowadays, from podcast announcers to reality show hosts. What is it? To create sound, air moves past our larynx to the vocal folds, which vibrate smoothly. Vocal fry occurs when you speak in your lowest possible register, as low as you can go. You don’t have enough energy or breath to produce the sound.

Upspeak is a high rise in intonation at the end of a sentence that makes it end up sounding like a question. Upspeak perhaps reached its height in the “Valley girl” talk of the 1980s, partly due to Frank Zappa’s hit song, “Valley Girl.”Upspeak tends to creep into people’s speech now and then due to habit and mimicking others, or when they’re not feeling confident.

Don’t push or ram your speech down people’s throats. Sometimes speakers do this so they can be heard — they feel they must do it. It happens in the boardroom as well as onstage. In renowned vocal pedagogue Barbara Houseman’s book Finding Your Voice (Nick Hern Books, 2007), she states, “the brain associates effort with a need to close or constrict the throat.

Stuttering is a disorder where the rhythm of speech is interrupted by repetitions or prolonged sounds. It can start in children as they are exploring how to speak. Often, once a child gets older and more of a seasoned vet when it comes to speech, stuttering can go away. But not always. It can linger into adulthood.

Breathing is the first thing we do in life and the last thing we do in life. It’s with us wherever we go. Ever try to regulate your breath? You can, but not for long. When your problem is breathiness, you’re going to have to get in there and do a little tweaking. How breathing works When you take a breath in, or inhale, the lungs fill up with air, the ribs expand up and out, and the diaphragm, which is dome-shaped, flattens as the abdominal muscles move down and release.

Devoicing is when your voice sounds like a whisper and is almost inaudible. But it doesn’t just happen out of shame or embarrassment. You often devoice when you soothe someone. Doctors and caregivers use devoicing to sound reassuring and trustworthy. And it’s good for these things. But in public speaking, devoicing is problematic.