How to practise a speech with voice memos

Most people practise a speech by talking into their phone. In the car, on a walk, in the kitchen while the kettle boils. A voice memo is quick, private and always with you, which makes it one of the easiest ways to rehearse. It only helps, though, if you record runs that are worth listening to and then listen back for the right things.

This guide covers both, and how to get honest coaching on a voice memo you have already made.

Record a voice memo worth listening to

A run you mumble sitting down tells you very little about the day. Make it as close to the real thing as you can.

• Stand up. Your voice changes when you stand, and so does your breathing.
• Speak at full volume. Say it as if the back of the room has to hear you, not as if someone is asleep next door.
• Do it in one take. Stopping to redo a line is the one thing you can't do on the day, so practise carrying on.
• Time it. The voice memo shows the length, so you'll know if you are over.

If you use an iPhone, set Voice Memos to Compressed (Settings, then Apps, then Voice Memos, then Audio Quality). Lossless makes very large files that are hard to share or upload.

What to listen for in your voice memo

Listening back is where the improvement happens, and it's also where most people give up, because hearing your own voice is uncomfortable. Wait a few hours so it sounds less like you, then listen once, all the way through, for three things.

• Where you rushed. Nerves speed almost everyone up. Our guide to speaking slower has drills for it.
• The ums. Count them in one minute. How to stop saying um explains why pauses work better than willpower.
• Where your voice went flat. Usually the middle, when you are thinking about the next line instead of the one you are saying.

Pick one of those to fix on the next run. Trying to fix everything at once makes the next voice memo worse, not better.

How many times should you rehearse?

Most speeches feel ready after four to six full runs spread over a few days, with one change between each. Stage fright eases with every run, because the words stop being something you are trying to remember and start being something you have said before. For the bigger picture, see how to practise a speech at home.

Get coached on your voice memo

Your own ears are good at spotting the ums and harder on everything else. On Stagefright you can upload a voice memo of your own talk and get the same coaching as a recorded run: your pace in words a minute, your pauses, your filler words, how much your voice moves and one thing to try next time. Voice Memos, WhatsApp voice notes and most audio files work.

On an iPhone, save the voice memo to Files first, because websites can't open the Voice Memos app:

1. 1In Voice Memos, tap your recording, then the three dots.
2. 2Tap Share, then Save to Files.
3. 3On Stagefright, start a run on your talk, pick Upload a voice note and choose it.