The tone of your speaking voice derives from pitch—the highs and lows in your voice. If you can mix high and low tones and achieve some tonal variety, you’ll add warmth and color to your verbal delivery. By contrast, if your tone never varies (speaking in a monotone), listeners may perceive your presentation as bland, boring, or even annoying (in the case of a relentlessly high-pitched voice).

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How much tonal variety should you aim for to make your voice interesting and enticing? Follow this guiding rule: use enough tonal variety to add warmth, intensity, and enthusiasm to your voice but not so much variety that you sound like an adolescent whose voice is cracking. As you practice your speech, try dropping your pitch in some places and raising it in others. If you’re not sure whether you’re achieving enough tonal variety, practice in front of a trusted friend, family member, classmate, or colleague, and solicit her or his feedback.

Additionally, consider using inflection—raising or lowering your pitch—to emphasize certain words or expressions. For instance, try a lower pitch to convey the seriousness of an idea, or end on a higher pitch if you are posing a question. Like italics on a printed page, inflection draws attention to the words or expressions you want your audience to notice and remember.