When people think I don't speak loudly enough.

Ok, I'm just wondering if anyone else has this problem. Whenever I give a presentation, make an order at a restaurant, talk to someone, etc. I often get told to speak up because they can't hear me.

I'm guessing people think I'm one of those people that are too shy or nervous during presentations or when making food orders that I just speak softly.

Truth is, whenever I talk at my "normal" tone, it sounds quiet to others, but to me it sounds loud enough. When I raise my voice so that people can hear me, it sounds like I'm yelling.

Does anybody else have this problem?

I don't have this problem, but I remember that there was a girl many years ago on the same German course as me and, despite our being in a small classroom, noone could hear her speaking at her normal volume as her voice was so quiet. The tutor had to keep asking her to speak a bit more loudly. Maybe you could ask someone you know to help you out? Practice speaking and reading out loud with them, and see how loudly you need to speak for them to hear you.

I used to think the same when I was younger. I sounded loud enough to myself, but nearly everyone told me I spoke too lowly. And it did sound like I was shouting when I was even a tiny bit louder. I think it's because I have sensitive ears. But I also used to have hearing issues as well. Now, I'm just loud, and too loud sometimes. I don't know when or how it changed. I guess I just grew out of being soft and quiet. Maybe when I had to start standing up for my mom, I figured I didn't have time to be soft and quiet anymore.

the tone of your voice may be the actual problem, and maybe not the volume itself.
just like how a low note on a piano seems to stand out less than a high note. it's the difference in the frequency of sound waves.
or a bass guitar as compared to a violin. they may both read the same decibels on a scale but the bass will always sound quieter.
try to change "how you talk" rather than how loud you speak. a lot of people unconsciously hold back or alter the tone of their voice without realizing it.
anyone who sings or performs public speaking of any kind has practiced this.

GrannySmith111 said:

Truth is, whenever I talk at my "normal" tone, it sounds quiet to others, but to me it sounds loud enough. When I raise my voice so that people can hear me, it sounds like I'm yelling.

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How good is your hearing? it might be better than average.

I had a issue like this years ago. I won't deny shyness and not socializing enough had something to do with it. I find I can project better when I relax my throat when I talk.

My job involves being around loud diesel engines. When I started out eight years ago, I used to be ignored because nobody was really hearing what i'm saying.
Our company has us take biannual hearing tests (to void liability) For a while I scored on the negative scale, everyone else would score higher. Despite they're wearing hearing protection, your hearing can still be affected over time. Fast forward to today my hearing results are now closer to my coworkers. Nobody has asked me to 'speak up' for a while.

Only if I have to speak in front of people, other than that no. Maybe the people who tell you this have bad hearing, not uncommon these days with people blasting music in their ears.

GrannySmith111 said:

Ok, I'm just wondering if anyone else has this problem. Whenever I give a presentation, make an order at a restaurant, talk to someone, etc. I often get told to speak up because they can't hear me.

I'm guessing people think I'm one of those people that are too shy or nervous during presentations or when making food orders that I just speak softly.

Truth is, whenever I talk at my "normal" tone, it sounds quiet to others, but to me it sounds loud enough. When I raise my voice so that people can hear me, it sounds like I'm yelling.

Does anybody else have this problem?

Click to expand...

I do yes. My father used to "mumble" and i wonder if I have the same strange problem. I dont know why people cant hear me. Hows your posture? Apparently that makes a difference somehow.

I used to mumble a bit and talk quietly, but now... well. Ask people around here and they'll tell you just how loud and obnoxious I am.

I don't know what changed. Maybe I've gained confidence. Maybe I just stopped caring about being intrusive or interrupting or something.

*shrug*

Just imagine everyone else is hard of hearing and you need to make yourself accessible to them.

until I was 28, 29 I got that a lot, then I started thinking that people were deaf and made a conscious effort to speak up
but it really went away only after feeling more comfortable with people

I have the problem that i talk too fast, in a way that it's sometimes impossible to figure out what i'm saying. It's not the same, but kinda similar i guess. :/

I have this habit of trailing off at the end of my sentences if I suddenly become unsure of myself which is a total pain for things like presentations and recordings. Also if someone cannot hear what I have said and ask me to repeat myself I suddenly feel very ashamed and defensive as if they are attacking me so I get even quieter because I'm self conscious...

I only have this problem if I'm not talking to unfamiliar people regularly enough.

I just started eating chocolate and it solved my problem with this.

Yeah I have this same problem, whenever I'm in a group of people I usually am afraid and speak rather softly. However when I was at my grandmother's funeral, I actually spoke loud enough which surprised me. Sometimes whenever people are nervous or scared in front of a group of people I think some people have a hard time speaking up for others to hear them. I could be completely wrong about this but this is what has always happened to me. Whenever I'm not thinking about it though, I'm able to speak loud enough.

I used to be a quiet speaker, once I learned to speak up, I get told I sound aggressive- can't win.

Yes, I have this problem too. The thing is, my voice can be louder than I want it to be, at times, and has a lot of bass to it. I would rather speak "too quietly" than too loudly.