Diction exercises for adults: 5 minutes at home

To practise diction at home, take a short sentence, say it at a comfortable pace and check whether each word and ending is audible. Repeat one difficult combination separately, then put it back into the full sentence. Start with the three exercises below; allow roughly 3–5 minutes in total.

Clear speech does not require maximum speed or volume. The aim is to make your words easy to hear without asking the listener to guess. These sentences were written for practice; this is not a programme for correcting individual speech sounds.

Before you start: choose one sentence

Sit or stand as you would for an ordinary conversation. Say: “Send the list by five so I can check the dates.” Use your normal voice. Notice one place where words merged or the end became hard to hear. Avoid trying to change your tone, breathing and delivery all at once.

1. Finish the words

“The pack is sealed, the form is signed, the address is checked.”

Say the full sentence. Then repeat it in three short parts, pausing between them: “The pack is sealed / the form is signed / the address is checked.” Finish each word before moving on. Do not push out or artificially stretch the final sound.

Join the parts into an ordinary sentence again. Check whether “sealed”, “signed” and “checked” can each be heard in full. If an ending disappears, repeat just that part a little more slowly. Two or three comfortable attempts are enough for a first round.

2. Unpack a difficult combination

“Send the next draft on Thursday. The first three pages are ready.”

Choose a place that trips you up, such as “next draft”. Say each word separately, then both together. Follow with the whole sentence. The pause is a practice tool; return to your normal delivery on the final attempt.

The sequence is: word → combination → sentence. If a sound gets lost at the join, slow down at that point. Repeating the entire line faster and faster may hide the same difficulty you wanted to notice.

3. Say a work sentence to someone

“Send the list by five so I can check the dates.”

Imagine a colleague who needs to hear the request and the deadline. Say the sentence once without speeding up at the end. Pause briefly after “by five” if that helps convey the meaning. Then try your own version, such as: “I will check the dates tomorrow morning and reply before lunch.”

This check goes beyond individual sounds: is it clear what needs to happen and when? A carefully pronounced but very long request can still be difficult to follow. If the whole meaning needs repeating, simplify the sentence.

A roughly 3–5 minute practice plan

• About 30 seconds: your starting sentence and one observation about an unclear word.
• About a minute: the word-endings exercise.
• About a minute: a difficult combination and the full sentence.
• Another 30–60 seconds: the work sentence and a second check. Use any remaining time for one comfortable attempt.

These timings are a guide, not a target. Before a call, you can choose just the work sentence. Keep a comfortable volume, avoid clenching your jaw and stop if the exercise feels uncomfortable. You do not need objects in your mouth or forceful effort for these tasks.

A self-check without judging your voice

If someone is available, ask them to listen without seeing the text and repeat the request and deadline. Ask which particular word they had to guess. If you are alone, pause and say the sentence again, checking your chosen spot: this is self-observation, not an independent assessment.

• Can the last word be heard without guessing?
• Are the endings still audible at an ordinary pace?
• Are the action and deadline clear on the first listen?

Change just one thing next time: the pace at the difficult spot or the length of the sentence. Fast reading alone does not demonstrate clear diction. Continue with the website’s 30-second Diction exercise: it starts only when you press the button and does not record your voice.