“Stop mumbling!"
“What did you say? You were mumbling, stop mumbling and start speaking clearly."
Haven't we all heard this conversation before? We may not hear that we are mumbling, but others notice. Mumbling is not a speech disorder per se, but it does characterize a pattern of speech that reduces speech clarity. The more persistent mumbling is, the more likely it is impacting your intelligibility.
Whether you're a lawyer, doctor, educator, or another professional, it's crucial to ensure that your message is conveyed clearly to your audience. Mumbling reduces the chances of effective communication and can mistakenly portray a lack of confidence in your words, potentially leading to distrust.
In this blog post, we will discuss...
What is Mumbling?
Mumbling, murmuring, or muttering all refer to the same thing. It describes speech that is unclear and is often characterized by speaking softly, rapidly, or without proper enunciation, making it more difficult for others to understand the speaker's words.
How Do We Produce Speech?
In order to determine how to stop mumbling, we first must understand what causes mumbling. To do this, let's explore what is necessary to produce articulate, clear, and mumble-free speech.
We use our breath, voice, resonance, and oral structures to speak.
Breathing is the foundation of speech. Without enough breath, our voice, resonance, and mouth movements won't work properly. Poor breath support can make us speak softly and mumble.
Voice is created as air passes through the vocal cords. Think of vocal cords as a pulled rubber band between two of your fingers. For voice to occur, the vocal cords must vibrate with our breath, which will only happen if enough air pressure forms below. If the vocal cords do not vibrate in the precise way they are supposed to, it will impact the production of certain sounds, specifically voiced sounds.
Next, this air must resonate through the nose, mouth, and throat, also referred to as the vocal tract. When a voice resonates, it means the sound made by your vocal cords travels clearly through your throat and mouth and out into the air around you. This also means that your vocal tract naturally helps make your voice louder and clearer. If you're not taking in a large enough amount of air or if your voice is strained, the resonance of your voice decreases.
Finally, articulation takes place. This is simply the movement of the vocal tract, tongue, palate, jaw, and lips to shape the particular sound you are looking to produce. For example, the /l/ sound is produced with your tongue tip up and jaws slightly apart, while a /b/ sound is produced with your lips together. When it comes to articulation, accuracy and speed are the most important for clear communication. Inefficient or inconsistent tongue and jaw placement during speech production results in distorted sounds, decreasing clarity.
Causes of Mumbling
Identifying the root cause of mumbling is crucial for addressing it effectively. Causes can be psychological, physical, neurological, or related to poor speech patterns. Understanding the underlying issue helps in learning how to stop mumbling.
Psychological
A lack of confidence may cause worries about the content of your speech and how others will perceive you. This can lead to mumbling as a way to minimize the perceived significance of your words.
Anxiety can contribute to a lack of confidence in oneself, leading to mumbling as a manifestation of nervousness.
Previous negative speaking experiences can also lead to mumbling.
Physical
A hearing impairment may cause an individual to have difficulty hearing certain sounds, making it challenging to produce them accurately.
Dehydration or not drinking enough water can contribute to mumbling. For example, not drinking enough water can lead to a dry mouth and less hydrated vocal cords, which affect vocal quality
Dysarthria, or paralysis, weakness, or incoordination in the speech muscles—including those of the respiratory system, mouth, and face—can cause mumbled or slurred speech. This condition occurs in both children and adults.
Apraxia of Speech occurs in both children and adults. While the speaker knows what they want to say, planning the message with the articulators and other speech mechanisms can be challenging.
Respiratory issues, such as difficulty with breathing or controlling breath, can affect the strength and volume of speech, leading to mumbling.
Fatigue can reduce energy levels, resulting in shallower breathing and less air for speaking. This can lead to mumbling, as words may not be articulated clearly due to insufficient airflow.
Neurological Disorders
Parkinson's disease: Individuals with Parkinson's often present with rigidity in all body movements. A reduction in chest wall movements impacts the amount of oxygen inhaled for speech, leaving less power, or fuel for speaking. Because of this, they often do not have a strong voice. In addition, a limited range of articulatory movements can lead to imprecise articulation.
A stroke can cause damage to areas of the brain responsible for speech production, resulting in slurred or mumbled speech.
Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI): Injuries to the brain from trauma can impact speech areas, leading to difficulties in articulation and mumbling.
Cerebral Palsy: This group of disorders affects muscle coordination and control, which can impact speech clarity and lead to mumbling.
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS): ALS affects the motor neurons, leading to progressive muscle weakness and speech difficulties, including mumbling.
Poor Speech Patterns or Speech Habits
Mumbling can persist from early childhood into adulthood without much awareness if their model for speech (a parent or caregiver) spoke in the same manner. It is not uncommon for an adult to come to my office with a low voice if their mother spoke in a similar low voice.
How Family Members Can Be Supportive
Family members can play an important role in supporting someone working to improve their clarity and stop mumbling. Here’s how you can be most helpful:
Encouragement and Patience: Understand that changing speech habits takes time. Your family member may have been mumbling for a while, so be patient and supportive as they work on this change.
Focus on the Message: Concentrate on the content of what your family member is saying, rather than how they are saying it. This helps them feel appreciated and encourages open communication.
Practice Speaking Together: Offer to practice with your family member, such as by reading aloud together or engaging in conversations. This can boost their confidence and provide valuable practice.
Seek Professional Help: If necessary, encourage seeking help from a speech therapist. Professional guidance can significantly aid in improving speech clarity and overall communication skills.
Why You Should Overcome Mumbling: The Benefits
When you stop mumbling and speak clearer, you will notice a direct impact on your communication skills. You may notice:
Increased confidence, feeling more capable in social and professional interactions. You might even choose to engage in speaking situations you never thought you would (like public speaking, for example).
Clearer communication can lead to improvements in relationships, with fewer communication breakdowns.
When you speak more clearly, you will achieve greater success in social and professional settings, making it easier to reach personal and professional goals.
Focusing on clearer speech helps promote better vocal health by reducing strain.
Overall, when you stop mumbling and speak clearly you can see improvements in communication effectiveness and overall quality of life.
Top 7 Tips On How To Stop Mumbling
My Most Successful Tips on How to Stop Mumbling Include:
Speaking in Front of a Mirror:
Stand or sit in front of a mirror with good posture and practice talking while focusing on your speech muscles (tongue, mouth, lips). Are they moving as they should, or is there not enough movement? Start by practicing with a sound, then move to syllables, words, phrases, and, lastly, sentences.
Use Breath Support:
Proper breathing techniques can improve your speech clarity. Speak upright with good posture, take a deep breath, and use your diaphragm to ensure adequate airflow for your voice, thereby enhancing clarity.
Slow Down Your Speech:
Good speakers talk at a moderate rate. To reduce a fast speaking rate, add more pauses or stretch the duration of vowels, especially when emphasizing important syllables and words. You don't want to speak too slowly or too quickly.
Focus on Enunciation:
Pronounce each word clearly and deliberately to improve articulation. Open your mouth just the right amount to ensure your speech is clear and understandable. Avoid opening your mouth too wide or too little.
Practice Tongue Twisters
Tongue twisters (like Peter Piper Picked Pickled Peppers) can be a valuable tool if you want to stop mumbling. They challenge you to pronounce difficult combinations of sounds quickly and clearly, which helps improve your ability to speak slowly and reduce mumbling. They cam also increase your awareness of how your speech sounds, helping you notice and address mumbling habits. Lastly, they can improve breath control, as they often require steady breathing and speaking, which is important for clear speech. Record Yourself:
Use a recording device
Use a recording device to assess how you sound and monitor your progress. This can help you identify mumbling or unclear speech and track improvements over time.
Utilize Non-Verbal Communication:
Complement your verbal communication with non-verbal cues like eye contact, nodding, and open body language. Maintain a confident posture and avoid slouching or avoiding eye contact.
Practice Speaking:
The only way to improve and solidify your skills is through practice. Start by speaking in your current situations or in new ones to build confidence and skill.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are there specific exercises or techniques to help me talk clearly?
Proper breath support, reducing your rate of speech, practicing pronunciation, recording yourself, and utilizing non-verbal communication are all effective strategies for producing clearer, more articulate speech.
Does mumbling mean you have a language disorder?
Mumbling is not necessarily associated with a language disorder; however, the underlying cause of mumbling could be related to a speech disorder.
Why do people mumble?
People mumble for various reasons. Some may not move their articulators (jaw, lips, tongue) enough to produce clear speech. Others might not inhale enough oxygen to create adequate voice projection.
How Speak with Stephanie Can Help You Stop Mumbling
As a speech therapist, my goal is to address the underlying cause of mumbling, which is why a thorough evaluation is so important. You will learn how to stop mumbling through targeted strategies. We will set goals focused on improving your speech and helping you speak clearly. Using evidence-based techniques, we will work on reaching these goals through practice, strategies, and feedback. We will also discuss compensatory strategies if they are needed in specific situations.
At Speak with Stephanie, here is what you can expect:
Thorough Speech Assessment: We will carefully evaluate your speech patterns to pinpoint the underlying causes of mumbling, which may include issues with articulation, breath support, resonance, and more.
Set Goals Together: Working collaboratively, we will determine clear goals aimed at improving speech clarity and minimizing or eliminating mumbling.
Evidence-Based Techniques: We will introduce you to a range of evidence-based techniques designed to improve breath control, vocal projection, resonance, and articulation. These may involve targeted exercises to strengthen oral muscles and enhance breathing efficiency. For specific neurological conditions like Parkinson's disease, specialized treatments such as LSVT LOUD may be recommended.
Practice: You will engage in regular practice sessions during therapy, as well as at home, in the workplace, and other environments to reinforce your newly learned speaking habits and skills.
Feedback: We will offer constructive feedback on your progress and make necessary adjustments to the therapy plan to address any challenges encountered along the way.
Utilization of Compensatory Strategies When Necessary: In certain situations, using microphones or amplification devices may be beneficial for individuals struggling with voice projection or speaking in noisy environments.
In-Person Speech Therapy for Adults Who Mumble in Skokie, IL
At Speak with Stephanie, we understand the challenges of mumbling and are here to help you speak clearly and confidently. We offer in-home speech therapy for adults who mumble near Skokie.
Schedule a free consultation today to find out how our personalized therapy can make a difference in your communication and help you be better understood.
Online Speech Therapy for Adults Who Mumble Throughout Illinois, New York, & New Jersey
If you're outside our in-home service area, we also provide online speech therapy for adults who mumble across Illinois, New York, and New Jersey.
Reach out today to start your journey toward clearer speech and improved communication, no matter where you are.
Additional Speech Therapy Services Offered at Speak with Stephanie throughout Illinois, New York, & New Jersey
At Speak with Stephanie, we provide a wide range of speech therapy services for children and adults. For children, we focus on helping with speech clarity, language disorders, and stuttering. Adults receive specialized support for various communication issues, including language disorders, speech clarity, stuttering, and aphasia. We tailor our care to each person's unique needs, ensuring they see significant improvements in their communication skills. Our comprehensive approach helps clients succeed in their daily interactions and reach their communication goals confidently.
About the author:
Stephanie Jeret is a Speech-Language Pathologist and the owner of Speak with Stephanie LLC. She obtained her Bachelor's and Master's degree from the City University of New York. She has practiced speech therapy in a number of settings including outpatient rehabilitation, telepractice, skilled nursing facilities, schools, and a private practice. She specializes in the evaluation, diagnosis, and treatment of a variety of communication disorders including articulation disorders, receptive/expressive language disorders, and fluency disorders. Information is available by emailing her at stephanie@speakwithstephanie.com or by visiting www.speakwithstephanie.com.