Finding & using your academic voice

Early in my career as a secondary school teacher, I learned that if I wanted to gain the attention of my class it was more effective to lower the pitch of my voice, rather than raise the volume. Lowering the pitch cuts through the noise, making our voices more resonant, and enables the sound to reach the back of the room. In the classroom, after a few attempts, this adjustment is easily mastered. The challenge of finding and pitching one’s academic voice is a little trickier but is of equal necessity.