(A Quick Guide for Anyone Who Has to Speak Into One)
By Dawie Nolte · Nolte Productions
A lot of the “bad sound” complaints I get called out for have nothing to do with the sound system at all. More often than not, the system is working exactly as it should — it’s just being handed a difficult signal to work with.
I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve had complaints about a muffled, boomy or feedback-prone mic, only to find the actual problem standing right in front of it. A sound system can only work with what you give it. If the signal going in is weak, inconsistent or half-covered by someone’s hand, no amount of EQ or gain on my end is going to completely fix it.
This one isn’t really about the sound system at all. It’s for anyone who has to stand up and talk into a microphone — pastors, teachers, announcers, MCs — because a few small habits can make a surprising difference to how you actually sound, and to how much the person running sound has to fight to make you sound good.
Hold It by the Body, Not the Head
Most handheld mics are directional — they’re designed to pick up sound clearly from the front while rejecting sound from the sides and rear. That rejection is a big part of what helps keep feedback under control.
Cup your hand around the head of the mic — even just resting a hand over the grille — and you can seriously affect that pattern. The mic can start picking up more sound from other directions, the tone can become muffled or boomy, and feedback can become more likely.
- Hold it by the body or shaft, below the grille.
- Never cup your hand over the grille, even if it feels more natural or looks more confident.
- If it’s on a stand, reposition it using the stand or the base — not by grabbing the head.
Keep a Consistent Distance
Moving the mic toward and away from your mouth as you speak makes your level go up and down, and the person running sound has to chase that movement with the volume. Every time they push the volume up to catch a quiet moment, they’re also moving the system closer to feedback.
- Aim for a steady distance throughout — roughly a hand’s width (5–10 cm) from your mouth for a handheld mic.
- If you turn your head, move the mic with you rather than leaving it pointing at where your mouth used to be.
- Avoid dropping the mic to your side between sentences and bringing it back up at a different distance each time.
- Another golden rule that works well for people who aren’t used to speaking on microphones: let the mic grille rest lightly against the bottom front of the chin while angling the mic up toward the mouth. This helps keep the mic at a consistent distance from your mouth and makes you more aware of where it is.
Understand the Proximity Effect
The closer you get to most directional microphones, the more bass they pick up. This is called the proximity effect, and it’s the reason a mic can sound warm and full up close, but thinner and more distant a little further away.
Used on purpose, it can add richness to a voice. Used by accident, it’s often what makes a voice sound boomy, muddy or overly bass-heavy — and it’s a moving target because it changes every time your distance from the mic changes.
Find a distance that sounds good and try to stay there. If you naturally speak loudly, you may need to hold the mic a little further away than feels natural. If you’re soft-spoken, a little closer usually helps — just stay consistent once you’ve found your spot.
Point It at Your Mouth, Not Your Chin
A lot of people hold the mic down near their chin, angled up — it feels natural, almost like a newsreader. The important thing is that the mic capsule is actually pointing toward your mouth.
If the mic is pointing too far away from your mouth, you’ll lose level and clarity and may end up needing more gain from the sound system. Point the mic toward your mouth, or just slightly off-centre, and keep it there.
Watch Out for P’s and B’s
A hard burst of air hitting the mic capsule — especially on words starting with P or B — causes that unpleasant popping or thumping sound known as a plosive. Most handheld mics have some form of grille or wind protection to help with this, but it isn’t foolproof.
If you’re prone to popping your P’s and B’s, angle the mic very slightly off-centre rather than speaking directly into it. This can reduce the burst of air hitting the capsule without making a noticeable difference to how you sound.
Lapel and Headset Mics Aren’t Automatic Either
Clip-on and headset mics remove the guesswork of holding a mic, but they bring their own common mistakes:
- A lapel mic clipped too low on the chest can give a weaker and less clear signal, especially as you turn your head.
- Clipping it under a jacket or scarf can muffle the sound and add rustling noise every time the fabric moves.
- A headset mic positioned too far from the corner of the mouth can lose clarity and level in much the same way a handheld mic does when it’s held too far away.
- If the sound team has positioned your lapel or headset mic before the service or event, try not to adjust it yourself afterwards — it was very likely placed where it needed to be.
Why This Matters for Feedback, Not Just Clarity
Poor mic technique doesn’t just make you harder to hear — it can also make feedback more difficult to control.
If you’re holding the mic too far away, turning it away from your mouth or constantly changing the distance, the sound operator may need to add more gain to keep you at a usable level. That increases the overall gain in the system and can reduce the amount of room you have before feedback starts.
Good mic technique costs nothing and takes no equipment, and it’s one of the simplest ways to make the sound easier to manage.
If you’d like the technical side of taming feedback once it does happen, I’ve covered that in “Where and How Should I Set the EQ?”
And if good technique still isn’t enough and the system develops a problem of its own, it’s probably one of these: a hum, buzz or hiss, a wireless mic dropping out, or no sound at all.
A Quick Checklist Before You Step Up
- Mic held by the body, not the grille.
- Pointed at your mouth, not away from it.
- A steady distance — roughly a hand’s width away.
- Angled slightly off-centre if you’re prone to popping your P’s and B’s.
- Lapel or headset mic left where the sound team positioned it.
Golden Rules
✔ Hold the mic by the body, never the grille.
✔ Point it at your mouth, not away from it.
✔ Keep a steady distance.
✔ Don’t readjust a lapel or headset mic once the sound team has set it.
✔ Good mic technique makes the sound easier to manage and can help reduce the risk of feedback.
What I’d Recommend
Most of the posts on this blog are about tracking down problems somewhere in the system — a cable, a setting, a piece of gear. This one is different.
Sometimes the biggest improvement to how you sound has nothing to do with equipment at all. It’s a handful of small habits, and every one of them is free.
Next time you hand someone a microphone, it’s worth a thirty-second reminder: hold it by the body, point it at your mouth, and keep a steady distance. It makes a bigger difference than most people expect — and it makes the sound operator’s job a great deal easier too.
A great sound system can’t fix what never reaches the microphone.
If you’d like us to run a quick mic-technique session with your speakers, teachers or worship team, we’re always happy to help.
— Dawie Nolte