43a) Preacher's Vocal Powers (10/18/1996)

The point: Avoid all vocal affectations, as they lead to suspicion of a weak mind or questionable motives.

Martin quotes Spurgeon's strong condemnation of unnatural, affected speech in the pulpit, highlighting how rarely preachers speak like 'a man' and how such artificiality is tolerated only in the church.

Well, that's an exaggerated way of underscoring what happens whenever there are vocal affectations. And Spurgeon speaks, very powerfully to this matter in his chapter on the voice and he writes, when you do pay attention to the voice, take care not to fall into the habitual and common affectations of the present day. Scarcely one man in a dozen in the pulpit talks like a man. This affectation is not confined to Protestants for the Abbe Milou remarked, everywhere else men speak.

2:21 - 2:59 Read in full sermon

The point: Avoid all vocal affectations, as they lead to suspicion of a weak mind or questionable motives.

Spurgeon's anecdote about a warder who spoke in an affected, preacher-like tone, amusing visitors, illustrates how unnatural such speech is outside the pulpit and provokes ridicule.

What would be thought of the man who should converse in a similar way in a drawing room? He would certainly provoke. Many a smile. Some time ago there was a warder at the Pantheon, a good sort of fellow in his way who, in enumerating the beauties of that monument, adopted precisely the tone of many of our preachers and never failed thereby to excite the hilarity of the visitors who were as much amused with his style of address as with the objects of interest which he pointed out to them.

3:23 - 3:54 Read in full sermon

The point: Avoid all vocal affectations, as they lead to suspicion of a weak mind or questionable motives.

Martin quotes Spurgeon's observation that many preachers adopt a 'holy tone' for Sundays, a different voice for the pulpit than for everyday life, which forfeits the right to be believed.

A man who has not a natural and true delivery, should not be allowed to occupy the pulpit. From thence at least everything that is false should be summarily banished. In these days of mistrust everything that is false should be set aside and the best way of correcting oneself in that respect as regards to preaching is frequently to listen to certain monotonous and vehement preachers. We shall come away in such disgust and with such a horror of their own, and with such a horror of their own, and with such a horror of their own, and with such a horror of their own, and with such a horror of thei...

3:54 - 5:04 Read in full sermon

Driving home: The instant you abandon the natural and the true, you forego the right to be believed as well as the right of being listened to.

Martin shares a personal anecdote about encountering a 'parish beetle' (an officious church official) in Scotland who carried the Bible on a pillow, illustrating Spurgeon's point about men becoming overly official and losing their natural manhood in the pulpit.

The moment some men shut the pulpit door, they leave their own personal manhood behind them and become as official as the parish beetle. Now, you don't know what a beetle is. Some of us do know what a beetle is. I remember very distinctly my first introduction to a beetle. I was preaching in a free church up in Scotland, and as I was ushered into the pulpit, this man with very officious look, very officious dress, carried the Bible in. Does he carry it in on the pillow and put the pillow there with the Bible? I tell you, if anything looked officious, it was the beetle carrying in the Bible on ...

5:05 - 5:52 Read in full sermon

The point: Be honest and open to constructive criticism from others, and listen to yourself on tape to identify and rid yourself of vocal distractions.

Martin recounts listening to a lecturer on rhetoric who constantly interjected 'ah' into his pauses, serving as an example of a vocal distraction that undermines the speaker's message despite his expertise.

if we are, by the grace of God, to have all of our vocal powers serve the interest of truth, we must not only avoid affectations, which raise questions about ourselves, but not only our sincerity and our good judgment, but all vocal distractions. I was listening in recent weeks to a man giving two lectures on the critical place of rhetoric in the curriculum of the Christian school, and if the man said, ah, ah, ah, ah, if he said it once or twice in the course of a paragraph, he said it a dozen times. And I kept, like saying, my friend, physician, heal thyself. He had somewhere along the line p...

7:42 - 9:00 Read in full sermon

The point: Cultivate sufficient volume so as to be heard commandingly and comfortably, directing your eyes toward the farthest circle of hearers.

Martin uses the analogy of shouting to someone on a sidewalk in danger from a car to illustrate how volume naturally adjusts to the distance and urgency of the message, supporting Dabney's counsel to direct one's voice to the farthest hearers.

We must so utter it as to be heard. This simple remark will suggest to your good sense the rule as to the gauge of loudness. The voice should always be loud enough to be heard throughout the audience and, except in animation, then we cannot spread it out across the audience. The voice should always be louder enough to be heard throughout the audience and, except in animation, the voice should be loud enough to be heard throughout the audience. So let's passages, it should not be much louder. To secure that result, it is well to direct the eyes generally toward the farthest circle of hearers, f...

10:09 - 11:08 Read in full sermon

Driving home: And a man may have the richest, most devout, Christ-centered, potentially edifying thoughts uttered in beautiful diction, in elegant syntax and grammar and all the rest, but if it can't be heard, it can do no good.

Martin contrasts speaking to his wife at the dinner table with public speaking, arguing that it is not unnatural or artificial to use a more 'stentorian tone' in a public setting due to the different context and audience size.

I am not speaking to you men in this classroom the way I speak to my wife, at the table. I wouldn't have a happy marriage after 40 years. Now, I don't speak with an entirely different voice and say, sweetie, how are you? No, no, no. I don't become some castrated wimp who speaks with a little feminine whine. No, I speak like a man to my wife, but she's my wife. And there's only 18 inches to 24 inches between her ears and my voice when we're talking at the table. And that influences the...

14:22 - 14:57 Read in full sermon

Driving home: And a man may have the richest, most devout, Christ-centered, potentially edifying thoughts uttered in beautiful diction, in elegant syntax and grammar and all the rest, but if it can't be heard, it can do no good.

Martin quotes Spurgeon on the importance of being heard but also distinct, using vivid metaphors like words playing 'leapfrog' or 'tripping each other up' to describe indistinct speech.

The volume? Yes. So when you come into a public speaking situation, it is not unnatural. It is not indulging in the rhetorical arts, or some would say non-arts and prostitution of communication, to speak with more of a stentorian tone. The commandingness that encompasses that group and the size of the group, the size of the auditorium, and that's what I'm trying to convey by the term speaking with sufficient volume so as to be heard commandingly and comfortably. Now, not only does that mean sufficient volume, but just sufficient volume and not too much. Spurgeon writes, always speak so as to b...

14:57 - 15:49 Read in full sermon

The point: Cultivate a variety of tone, pace, intensity, and volume in your preaching, reflecting God's variety.

Martin quotes Spurgeon's advice to cultivate variety in tone, pace, and intensity, including using whispers for solemn utterances, and noting that force, not just loudness, makes a voice effective.

physical capacity to develop greater ability to crank up the volume, and so I give you this counsel to cultivate sufficient volume. Then, fourth counsel, cultivate a variety of tone, pace, intensity, and volume. And here I quote again from Spurgeon, Do not start at the highest pitch as a rule, for then you'll not be able to rise when you warm with the work, but still be outspoken from the first. Lower the voice when suitable, even to a whisper, for soft, deliberate, solemn utterances are not only a relief to the ear, but have a great aptitude to reach the heart. Do not be afraid of the low key...

16:59 - 18:01 Read in full sermon

The point: Cultivate a variety of tone, pace, intensity, and volume in your preaching, reflecting God's variety.

Martin quotes Macaulay's description of William Pitt's voice, which, even in a whisper, could be heard across the House of Commons, illustrating that effective projection is not merely about loudness but force.

To a whisper was heard to the remotest benches of the house of commons. It has been well said that the most noisy gun is not the one which carries the bullet the farthest. The crack of a rifle is anything but noisy. It is not the loudness of your voice, it is the force which you put into it that is effective. I am certain I could whisper so as to be heard throughout every corner of our great tabernacle, and I am equally certain that I could holler and shout so that nobody could understand me. The thing could be done here, but perhaps the example is needless, and I fear some of you performed th...

18:01 - 19:08 Read in full sermon

The point: Cultivate a variety of tone, pace, intensity, and volume in your preaching, reflecting God's variety.

The analogy of a noisy gun versus the crack of a rifle is used to emphasize that the most effective sound is not necessarily the loudest, but the one with force and precision.

To a whisper was heard to the remotest benches of the house of commons. It has been well said that the most noisy gun is not the one which carries the bullet the farthest. The crack of a rifle is anything but noisy. It is not the loudness of your voice, it is the force which you put into it that is effective. I am certain I could whisper so as to be heard throughout every corner of our great tabernacle, and I am equally certain that I could holler and shout so that nobody could understand me. The thing could be done here, but perhaps the example is needless, and I fear some of you performed th...

18:01 - 19:08 Read in full sermon

The point: Cultivate distinctness of enunciation and correctness of pronunciation, using a dictionary continually.

Martin uses the example of God's variety in bird songs (crows vs. nightingales) to illustrate the desirability of variety in vocal delivery, reflecting God's own creative diversity.

variety. Let us have mercy upon our fellow creatures and not persecute them with the tedium of sameness. Be like God. He's a God of variety. Imagine if all the birds had a song like the crows, and only like the crows. No one would want to wake up in the morning and hear the singing of the birds. But if everything were the sweet song of the nightingale and of the canary, where would that unusual piercing crow sound be that is so plaintive and so moving in the open fields, and you hear it off at a distance? Well, God's the God of variety. Well, let's reflect his likeness in proclaiming the subst...

19:08 - 20:31 Read in full sermon

The point: Give at least 15 minutes a day to specific voice culture, as your voice is a most useful instrument in ministry.

Martin quotes Spurgeon's emphasis on giving consonants their due in enunciation, contrasting it with Dabney's focus on vowels.

preaching, how some will say, for example, Spurgeon, he was very strong in emphasizing to the students that in this matter of enunciation and pronunciation, that you must give the consonants their due. Practice indefatigably till you give every one of the consonants its due. The vowels have a voice of their own, and therefore they can speak for themselves. In all other matters, exercise a rigid discipline until you've mastered your voice and have it in hand like a well-trained steed. So Spurgeon says the consonants are critical.

21:56 - 22:32 Read in full sermon

The point: Give at least 15 minutes a day to specific voice culture, as your voice is a most useful instrument in ministry.

Martin quotes Dabney's emphasis on giving vowels their full sound, contrasting it with Spurgeon's focus on consonants, and concluding that both are important.

And then you read Dabney on page 305 of his work on preaching, and he says, the vowels are critical. Give the vowels their full sound, and the consonants will take care of themselves. Well, I take Dabney in one hand and Spurgeon in the other and say, God bless them both, and let's give our vowels their full worth and the consonants their full worth. And let's cultivate distinctness of enunciation and correctness of pronunciation. And then, coming to some specific suggestions, moving on to the next slide. Moving from the general to specific. Number one, and I've been harping on this with some o...

22:33 - 23:30 Read in full sermon

The point: Read aloud daily to strengthen your voice and accustom your lungs to the exertion required by ministry duties.

Martin quotes Ebenezer Porter on the importance of proper exercise for voice strength, particularly for clergymen, and the necessity of daily practice of loud speaking or reading.

surely as you would not leave your heart uncultivated and your brain uncultivated, don't leave your vocal apparatus uncultivated. Now, here again, I go back to the old masters, and without exception, the ones that I have read, emphasize the necessity of this matter of voice cultivation. You remember the comments of McElvain in this regard. And then Ebenezer Porter, who taught homiletics and pastoral theology at Andover Newton back when they believed something. And this large volume, along with his volume on pastoral theology, and the third volume I've come across, dealing with more technical m...

23:30 - 24:45 Read in full sermon

The point: Read aloud daily to strengthen your voice and accustom your lungs to the exertion required by ministry duties.

Martin describes William Russell's classic book on pulpit elocution, detailing its exercises for cultivating various vocal qualities and forces, to illustrate the historical emphasis on specific voice training.

to disorder of the digestive organs, or has a tendency to, to accustom himself gradually to that kind of exertion that will be required by the duties of his future profession. This is to be attempted by the constant daily practice of loud speaking or reading. And then he descends to even more concrete counsel, at least ten minutes daily, and occasionally half an hour should be devoted to it. And not only did these older writers give that kind of specific instruction, whole books were written to help people do it. This is an old classic by William Russell on pulpit elocution. Let me just give y...

25:56 - 27:08 Read in full sermon

The point: Read aloud daily to strengthen your voice and accustom your lungs to the exertion required by ministry duties.

The analogy of a shot put athlete training with a 16-pound ball and in the weight room is used to emphasize that ministers, like athletes, must specifically train their vocal apparatus.

exercises in order to cultivate all of these various aspects of our vocal faculties. Exercises in quality of voice, pure tone, pathos, repose, placid emotion, solemnity, repose solemnity, energy and sublimity, joy and sublimity, exercises in force, suppressed force, subdued force, moderate force, declamatory force, impassioned force, shouting, calling, and the rest of the vocal faculties. And then there are exercises in order to cultivate all of And then there are verbal exercises, stuff taken from poetry, from classical literature, in which the student was expected to practice his rhetorical ...

27:08 - 28:37 Read in full sermon

The point: Read aloud daily to strengthen your voice and accustom your lungs to the exertion required by ministry duties.

Martin recounts Spurgeon's exhortation to students with narrower chests to use dumbbells in the college basement to broaden their chests and increase vocal powers, highlighting the physical aspect of voice development.

exercises in order to cultivate all of these various aspects of our vocal faculties. Exercises in quality of voice, pure tone, pathos, repose, placid emotion, solemnity, repose solemnity, energy and sublimity, joy and sublimity, exercises in force, suppressed force, subdued force, moderate force, declamatory force, impassioned force, shouting, calling, and the rest of the vocal faculties. And then there are exercises in order to cultivate all of And then there are verbal exercises, stuff taken from poetry, from classical literature, in which the student was expected to practice his rhetorical ...

27:08 - 28:37 Read in full sermon

The point: Engage in regular cardiovascular exercise to ensure your physical instrument can support passionate preaching without faltering.

Martin uses the vivid metaphor of a preacher 'wheezing in the pulpit like an old pack mule ready to go to the glue factory' to describe the negative impact of poor cardiovascular conditioning on vocal delivery during passionate preaching.

That if when we go to speak in public, we are bringing to that exercise the whole of our redeemed humanity, if we are bringing to that exercise the whole of our redeemed humanity, if we are bringing to that exercise the whole of our redeemed humanity, if we are bringing to that exercise the whole of our redeemed humanity, if we are bringing a heart that is imbued with the felt impress of truth, and that felt impress would draw out intensity in the volume, would draw out passion in the manner in which we preach, then the instrument, the entire physiology of the preacher comes to play. And if in...

30:59 - 32:24 Read in full sermon

The point: If ministering to small groups in a small building, do not use a microphone; instead, learn to project your voice naturally to avoid bad vocal habits.

Martin quotes Broadus on how general health, muscular exercise, and singing improve the voice, emphasizing the holistic approach to vocal cultivation for ministers.

Broadus gives some very helpful counsel along this very line. On page 486 of his classic work, whatever improves the general health will improve the voice, especially muscular exercise, and particularly such as develops the chest and promotes an easy erectness of position. Singing cultivates the voice in almost every respect, probably to a greater extent than anything else except actual speaking. It is on many other accounts also very desirable that a minister should be able to sing, and sing by note, and young ministers and those preparing for the ministry should take much pains to learn to s...

33:13 - 33:56 Read in full sermon

The point: Do not cut yourself off from competent critics and practical disciplines; seek out judicious friends or teachers for helpful correction.

Martin uses the example of top-ranked tennis players still having personal coaches to illustrate the need for objective, competent critics to identify and correct imperceptible bad habits in vocal delivery.

Whatsoever your hand finds to do, do with all of your might. Now if that's true in its original context, to the slave who is doing his master's bidding in filling up and carrying to the pig pen the slop bucket, how much more when we are carrying into the presence of the people of God and needy sinners the Word and the truth of our gracious God and of our Savior. But then, secondly, do not cut yourself off from competent critics and practical disciplines. It is essential to continuous progress in vocal efficiency. See, practice does not make perfect, because practice may simply harden you in ba...

37:32 - 38:47 Read in full sermon

The point: Do not cut yourself off from competent critics and practical disciplines; seek out judicious friends or teachers for helpful correction.

Martin quotes McElvain on the necessity of securing a good teacher or judicious friend to point out vocal faults and defects, as individuals are often insensible to their own peculiarities.

The services of a good teacher should be secured. This rule applies to all the exercises which elocution prescribes. Wherever it's possible, the student should have the advice and direction of a good teacher, especially for the purpose of pointing out faults and defects and to exemplify all the good and bad qualities of voice. For we become so accustomed to our own peculiarities, whether of voice or in other respects, that we are, for the most part, insensible of them ourselves.

39:40 - 40:13 Read in full sermon