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Voice Power. The Care and Feeding of the Professional Voice

A comprehensive article on voice, this one ...

Whether it's the rich, resonant tones of Richard Burton, the breathiness of Marilyn Monroe or the nasality of Fran Drescher, the sound of the voice conjures up an image—an impression—and can influence perception.

Speakers know how to use the voice for effect but don't always use the voice effectively. This can cause a variety of illnesses which can prevent speakers from doing what they do best—speak.

and it goes on to give basic, practical ways to care for and cure the voice. I have saved it here in the library

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Public Speaking – Using Your Voice With Power and Impact

In case you were thinking of just getting on with it, here are three really good reasons why you should think carefully about your voice and how to make full use of it when you speak in public:

1. Audiences are more inclined to listen to an interesting voice, hence the use of actors in voiceovers. And they will stop listening if they struggle with the audibility of a presenter.
2. Just as with visual stimulation, auditory stimulation has a huge influence, much of it subconscious, on how an audience responds to the speaker and interprets the meaning in the message.
3. Public speaking is a physical pastime just like sport. The more you do it the better you should be. The more coaching and practice you have the better you will definitely be....and with greater power and stamina. And if you fail to warm up first you may well strain yourself!

Coaching your voice

o Sing in the shower. Give your lungs and larynx a good work out it will also add power to your voice.
o Practice your scales. Go through each of the vowels moving up and down to retain comfortable use at high and low levels. Humming will get you to feel your comfortable vocal range
o Read out loud. Children's story books are great to practice dramatised delivery of words and comfortable regulated breathing.

Posture

o Correct posture will result in a relaxed upper body which will mean better breathing and better voice power. It is that simple.
o Stand upright and straight with shoulders back and chin gently lifted.
o Centre yourself and turn from the hips 45%s left and right.
o Practice lifting and rolling the shoulders to relax them.
o Imagine you are balancing a book on top of your head
o Tilt the head up it helps relax the jaw
o Relax yourself physically, loosen the jaw to relax the throat, and release the tension from your shoulders and neck and improve resonance.

Breathing Control

o Good breathing creates resonance which creates vocal power. Trying to squeeze power from the throat or unnaturally lowering the voice in a growl will strain your voice.
o Practice breathing evenly from the diaphragm and not the chest. It frees up the chest to add sound capacity and resonance. And it gives greater stamina.
o As a breathing stamina exercise, inhale counting to 5, hold and exhale counting to 5, and repeat increasing the count up to 10
o Practice speaking within your vocal range and diaphragm capacity to develop a powerful voice not a strained voice that is forced from the throat. When you speak, leave something in reserve on the out-breath.

Nurturing your voice

o The dreaded "gruffness" is nearly always due to digestive mucous in the tubes caused by eating too late or food that is too rich. So avoid both.
o Avoid coffee and chocolate, these dehydrate you.
o Lubricate your throat. Warm water with lemon is highly recommended.
o If you need to clear your throat cough quietly rather than "slap" the vocal chords

Projecting your voice

o Enunciate. Open your mouth and project the words. Speak as if you want to be lip read.
o Smile as you speak!
o Aim your voice to the last row in the audience. Keep your chin up.

Emphasise through Pace

o Maintain attention and emphasise meaning by increasing pace when talking about up-beat, new, exciting things.
o Encourage the audience to agree and to accept your point by increasing pace.
o Slow down when emphasising seriousness, concerns, or when asking the audience to think hard about something

Emphasise through Pitch and Modulation

o Add interest and meaning with high pitch to emphasise excitement, surprise, belief in what you are saying.
o Use low pitch to emphasise seriousness and concern, and when you are being reflective.
o Move from low and high pitch to stress changes in mood and lead audience thinking.
o Questions end on a high pitch and statements end on a low pitch.
o Use following silence to dramatically emphasise the point just made. Use it to encourage the audience to reflect and consider. Use it to indicate a change in direction in a presentation. And use it to take a sip of water!

All of these tips will add power and impact to your presentation delivery. Practice them regularly so that they become natural habits and the more powerfully persuasive you will be.

Bob Howard-Spink is a partner in Persuadability. For more advice and free tips on how to present your messages with persuasive language and compelling images please visit us at http://persuadability.co.uk.
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Does your audience know what you just said?

Well do they?

No I'm not asking if they were distracted.

I'm asking, Could they hear you?

Breath is what allows you to project your voice.

Did they hear each word?

Articulate each word, so that they know what you said.  Make sure your pronunciation works for your audience.  Do they relate to your colloquialisms and sayings?

Explain abbreviations and acronyms or at least make sure their context ensures they are understood.

Don't lose the audience before they even have a chance to be distracted, and you will if they don't even know what you said.

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Improving the voice starts with the breath

The voice is the richest, most versatile communication tool we possess.  It is also the most overlooked and underrated in terms of the attention  we give it when thinking of our presentation skills. Most people take  their voices entirely for granted. Ninety percent of Americans have  never taken a course in singing, breathing, enunciation or any other subject that would improve their vocal skills. That's a shame, because  just a little time and effort can bring valuable rewards.

Find out how in Pivotal Magazine...
 

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Make Your Voice Your Number One Asset

Turn Their First Impression into a Lasting Impression.

If you are a successful business leader and entrepreneur today, you know how vital it is to have executive level speaking and communication skills.

You must be able to motivate or impart crucial information. You must speak clearly and directly. You must be assertive without being aggressive to strike the balance between warmth and authority. Your audience must hear and understand you.

How you sound has a tremendous impact on how your message is received. To be most effective, the quality of your voice must genuinely match the meaning and content of your presentation. Is your voice all that you want it to be?

To illustrate how important your voice is, think about a time you had a phone conversation with someone and you knew exactly how they were feeling simply from the sound. Though the effect can be subtle or it can be very obvious, voices always reflect a person's inner state and you know if they are angry, depressed, happy, or nervous.

When someone has a nasal quality, hoarseness, or they sound monotone, it's harder to focus on what they're saying. The most brilliant and innovative ideas and information can be lost as a result of a voice that's hard to listen to for some reason. This inability to be heard or understood can have serious consequences in your business.

Ask yourself how others perceive you and the words you are saying. When your voice and your content of your message match, it gives you credibility. It makes you compelling to listen to. Your listeners will intuitively trust and respond to you.

One of the best ways is to start listening to people and consciously identifying who, in your opinion, has a compelling voice. To identify the memorable qualities, ask yourself these questions while you listen.

Do they sound polished?
Are they charismatic?
Does their voice seem professional?
Are they passionate but not pushy?
Do you sense their warmth and sincerity?
Would you trust what they say?
Is their voice resonant and connected?
Do they sound truly confident?

When you've identified the qualities you like, evaluate your own voice by recording yourself or getting feedback from a trusted friend or colleague. Your next step might be to find a reliable self-study vocal development program or a qualified coach.

Developing a resonant balanced voice is an ongoing process and it may take several weeks or months before you or others start to notice the differences. However, continuing with the process will positively affect your communication, your presentation, and ultimately your business and career.

The author of this article, Katherine Scott of Voice of Destiny™ , is a singer, songwriter, author and professional voice coach. For over fifteen years in her private voice practice, Katherine has inspired singers and speakers to discover or uncover the strong engaging voice they were always meant to have. In her unique approach, the voice is an intersection point for connecting the sound, how they express who they are, and their personal vision of their successful career and life.

You can find insights and solutions to vocal challenges at http://www.youruniqueexpression.com. Visit http://www.vocalmapping.comfor free audio voice tips and voice exercises to use on a daily basis so your voice will sound fully present in any situation.

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Use your voice to get results

This is the key to using the power of your voice.

The best things to learn are

• The one mistake even professional singers make that drains the power from their voice... and the secret pencil trick that shortcuts your way to a voice that commands respect.

• How to master your natural voice in the shortest time possible... while you improve your level of communication with everyone you meet! (You'll learn everything those stars paid thousands of dollars for!)

• Why "beginners" are able to use these simple techniques to quickly surpass more experienced professionals... even if you sound like the Wicked Witch of the West!

• How an ordinary pillow helped all-pro linebacker Dick Butkus transform from football star to television analyst. (Not one voice coach in a thousand even suspects the power of this simple technique!)

• A stunning secret revealed by singer Mel Torme which offers an insight into his lifetime success.

• How to instantly diagnose mistakes in your voice — so you'll never have a communication problem again. No one will ever mistake what you are saying.

• How Lucie Arnaz overcame an allergic reaction that inflamed her vocal folds and used an instant mind-body secret to sing like a nightingale!

• How you can dictate your own identity to the world – as you want it to be – and not have it dictated to you!

"My Name Is Bond – James Bond" - "Arthur Joseph started as a teacher of mine years ago. Over these years, he has become a good friend whose teachings of Vocal Awareness have become a constant in my life. He enlightens with compassion and understanding of the human spirit and above all else, it works." - Pierce Brosnan, Actor

Isn't it frustrating? You speak as clear as a bell and people misunderstand what you say. Even worse, people misjudge you for no apparent reason!

People spend thousands on Lasik surgery to improve their eyes, tens of thousands to change their nose, cheeks, and chest, yet not a penny to change the way they sound. But for the first time ever...

You can use the Vocal Power Course. Get the information now.  (and yes, the link is now working!!)

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How to say More Than Words

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The study of vocalics or paralanguage deals with the non-verbal qualities of speech. These qualities include pitch, amplitude, rate, and voice quality. Linguists argue that the way in which a person says something often means more than the actual words being spoken. Paralanguage instantaneously conveys information such as gender, education, origin, mood, and our relationship with the person being spoken to.(... more)