Let’s face it, we all mumble from time to time. Either we don’t want our spouse or boss to hear us because we are afraid of their response or because we are uncertain of what we are saying. (And sometimes we are just being lazy)

But mumbling is unattractive under any circumstance, and it impedes the communications process.

Do your “ing’s” always lose their “g’s?”

Does your “yes” turn into “ya?”

Here is a quick test to determine if you mumble. Get an audio recorder and capture ABC News anchor Peter Jennings delivering the news for one minute. (If you don’t have a recorder handy, then hold a cell phone or a regular phone and capture the sound on your own voicemail.

Play back Jennings’ audio and focus on how clear and distinct each word and syllable is.

Now comes the fun part. Record yourself saying the very same script (or just read a random selection of news out of the paper). Next, listen to your own recording. Do you sound as good as Jennings? (Probably not)

What do you like about the way you enunciate?

What do you not like?

Now, listen to yourself a second time. Be honest with yourself. You can not solve any mumbling problems if you aren’t aware of them in the first place. If you follow this exercise, you will become keenly aware of your own voice, and that is the first step toward solving your problems.