You carry it around with you all the time, waking and sleeping. You talk with it, complain with it, cry with it, laugh with it, communicate with it, avoid communication with it, love with it. You use it and abuse it without giving it a second thought. You take it for granted.

If you've never been a singer, you've probably never thought of your voice--that ordinary, omnipresent thing--as your very own instrument. But it is. And as a public speaker, that instrument may well be your bread and butter! To keep your audience tuned in to your voice and your message, here are some things to avoid:

1. In your daily life, avoid coughing whenever possible. Never, never yell or scream at a concert or sports event, no matter how excited you get. You can do permanent and irreversible damage to your voice!

2. Speaking too slowly. You'll have your audience planning the menu for their next party during your talk!

3. Speaking too rapidly. If people have to strain to follow you, you'll lose their attention very quickly.

4. Clipping your words. Pronounce every syllable. (Washington, for example, is not Washen.)

5. Being verbose. Using an unnecessary number of words to express your thought.

6. Ending declarative sentences with an upward tilt of the voice, as in a question. You sound unsure of yourself, as though you need the permission of the audience before you're allowed to speak.

7. Talking too softly. Be aware that many people have some hearing loss. You don't want your audience to feel as if you're speaking only to a select few in the first two rows.

8. Talking too loudly. I have a friend who speaks with a gorgeous, resonant voice that would carry well in a huge hall. But in an intimate setting, such as in a workshop or small meeting, people may cringe.

9. Umm-ing and ahh-ing your way through your talk. Bor-ing.

10. Letting your voice fade away at the ends of sentences.

That's usually precisely where you make your important points. Keep the volume up so that your audience hears those important points.

For those members of your audience who are auditory, the mere sound of an unpleasant voice will actually prevent them from really hearing your message. (In their heads they'll be saying nasty things to you.) For the remainder of your listeners, a lovely-sounding voice draws them in to you and makes them more open to really listening to what you have to say. So give special attention to your voice. Develop it! Coddle it! Use it expressively! Enjoy it!

Carole McMichaels, Speaker, Coach, Author: Fearless Public Speaking: How to Get Rid of Your Stage Fright and Prepare and Deliver a Winning Presentation, invites you to join her free newsletter on speaking in public. You may also get your free report, "7 Valuable Tips on Writing a Mind-Gripping Speech". http://getridofpublicspeakingfears.com/