Anyone who speaks in public should learn how to use a microphone properly — that includes all of us who speak in churches. If you think you will ever speak in public, here is a list of things you might want to learn so you do not annoy the people who will have to listen to you:

• If you are a scheduled speaker, arrive early and ask to do a sound check with the microphone that you will use.
• When you do the sound check, learn where the on-off switch is so that you can be sure the mic is on before you speak.
• When you do the sound check, learn where the on-off switch is so that you don’t accidentally turn it off while you’re speaking.
• When you do the sound check, learn where the “pop” zone is for the mic you plan to use, so you can avoid it when you speak.
• When it’s time for you to speak, make sure the mic is on.
• If you hear the mic cut out while you’re speaking, assume you flipped the switch (and take your hand off the switch!) before you blame the sound system.
• If you hear yourself causing the mic to “pop”, move your head and mouth so that you are talking beside or over the “pop” zone.
• Be careful about bumping the mic or hitting it when you turn pages.

Here’s the short version of the same list:

1. Know where the on-off switch is on the mic and don’t fumble with it.
2. Don’t cause the mic to “pop”.
3. Don’t bump the mic.

But what you should really do is spend time practicing and learning how to use a microphone well before you have to speak in public. Here are some suggestions for learning how to use a mic before you have to speak.:

• Learn the difference between different types of microphones. Wireless mics often require you to speak very close to the mic in order to prevent feedback (a “rock ‘n’ roll” mic), whereas some stationary mics will pick you up from a long way away. If someone hands you a random mic, you need to be able to tell if you’re using a mic that requires you to hold it next to your mouth or one that you can stray away from.
• Practice using both types of microphone in front of a friendly critic who can let you know how you sound. If possible, record yourself speaking into both types of mic so you know how you sound in each type of mic before you go live.
• Then take the next step: learn how to hear your voice in the loudspeakers as you speak.
• While you are practicing with the mics, listen for “pop” sounds when you use plosive consonants like b, d, p, and t. Learn to hear when you make pops come from the loudspeakers, and then learn how to adjust the relationship of the mic to your mouth (basically, talk past the mic instead of directly into the mic) so you don’t cause pops. Note that different mics have different sensitivities to popping.
• While you are practicing with a rock ‘n’ roll mic, train your hand to hold the mic the exact same distance from your mouth all the time. In other words, don’t ever try to use your microphone hand to make gestures because doing so will make your voice fade up and down in volume as your hand moves towards and away from your mouth.
• While you are practicing with a rock ‘n’ roll mic, train your hand to hold the mic so you never, never touch the mic switch.
• While you are practicing with a stationary mic that can pick up your voice from a good distance, practice leaning into the mic and talking in a softer voice. This technique gives your voice an intimate quality, like a radio announcer.
• While you are practicing with that same stationary mic, try standing back from it and speaking to the back of the room as if there is no mic there to amplify your voice. This technique gives your voice an oratorical quality, like a preacher or a politician.
• To round out your mic skills, practice using a wireless mic, a handheld mic attached to a wire, a mic on a stand, a clip-on (“lavalier”) mic, and a mic at a lectern or pulpit. The more comfortable you are using different types of microphones, the happier your audiences will be (you can practice, or they can suffer, it’s your choice).

One last point: Practice makes perfect — and you should never stop practicing. I started doing community radio back in 1976, I preach weekly, and yet I’m continually refining my microphone technique. Just three weeks ago I went to the installation of Paul Sprecher as minister of Second Parish in Hingham, Mass., and was just stunned by the excellent mic technique of Rev. Kim Crawford Harvie of Arlington St. Church, Boston, and that of Rev. Jane Rzepka of Church of the Larger Fellowship, Boston. When I got back to New Bedford I tried out their very different techniques myself, and have now added more range to my mic technique.

Since practice makes perfect, go thou and practice.

Update: The last two paragraphs have provoked some strong reactions, expressed in a number of email messages. Let me say that no one should learn microphone technique just for the sake of producing certain vocal effects — microphone technique should serve your message, not the other way around. I learned a great deal from watching Kim and Jane, but I would never, ever use their techniques myself because I could not do so in a genuine way — as a preacher, I do not speak in a conversational tone, and I do not ever speak in an intimate tone (I think a male minister trying to preach in an intimate tone would be very creepy). Yet I still learned a lot from Jane and Kim, especially about using training and muscle memory to keep yourself a certain distance from the mic, and about learning how to listen to yourself in the loudspeakers as you speak. Now go out and practice.

Update: Another rant on microphone use: Link.