Audibility
A part of effective communication is audibility, which means projecting your voice appropriately into the conversation. You don’t have to shout, but you do have to talk clearly and directly in order to engage with the people that you are talking to.
Many language learners fail to maintain consistent audibility. Some people talk overly quietly. Other people start off well, but then let their voices trail off during the conversation. This is not good practise in Australian English because it stops you from connecting effectively with your audience. It can create the impression that you are talking to yourself. If the doctor goes quiet, then it can appear to the patient that the doctor has made a value judgement (e.g. in the taking of sexual case histories).
Listen to these audio extracts to see what we mean.
AUDIO Example: Trails off
AUDIO Example: Goes quiet around sexual history