Benefits of Voice Power Training

Your voice is really your personal and professional business.educationeasy.net business card. The benefits of voice power go beyond knowing what it is you want to communicate; it goes to the level of HOW to orally execute your message in the most effective way. This includes having specific training in oral skills through a process from preparation, to effective presence, and finally to an "awesome" performance.

How many of you have gone to an Ontario beach to enjoy the cool lake on a beautiful hot summer's day? Do you usually enter the lake by first testing the water's temperature with your big toe, then little by little you step deeper into it until you have to finally take that last plunge to become totally wet. Then once you're in you feel comfortable and wonder why you just didn't plunge right in from the start. Now, some of you do take a risk immediately, and charge at a run, splashing all the way into the lake, or you may even take a flying dive.

Now, this is the same approach that many people have, when it comes to preparing to speak in front of a group, or doing a presentation. Most of us who have come through the experience find it wasn't so terrible, and some of us love the thrill of it. Achieving Voice power has its benefits and is very similar to finally getting into the lake to swim, go underwater, snorkel, play around, float, relax, let the waves carry you, surf the waves, or get pulled on water skis - whatever adventures await you, will depend on your skills, passion, and follow-through.

In the water you prepare your skills to swim, breathe, control your breath underwater, or tread in deep water. It's the same way when you use your voice to communicate a message. There are four keys that you need in order to unlock your Voice Power: Breath, Resonation, Enunciation, and Expressive Delivery. These keys will open the lock to each room so you can pick up a specific voice power skill.

So, with the first key in hand you need to open the preparation door to breathing by using the diaphragm, just like swimmers, actors, and singers do. This will give you the maximum effect of how much air to use and how much to control or to conserve for later, with a minimum of effort.

Also, your diaphragmatic techniques for breathing help you relax and avoid nervousness. Relaxation is the foundation to Voice Power - for you need a balance of physical relaxation and mental relaxation as preparation to achieving vocal power. If you already take Yoga or know the Alexandra method of breathing then you already have a key. In addition to supporting your entire voice power package another boost of the diaphragmatic breathing technique is to allow you to project your voice to the listeners in the back of the room. It pumps the air out in the direction and distance you want it to land.

The second Key is the room where you will learn how to find your true voice or sound, resonating from within your chest, not simply in your neck or throat, or mouth areas, to produce your best tonal quality- a warm, rich, resonant and relaxed sound. Did you know that your voice improves as you age just like a good bottle of wine?

However, drinking anything with caffeine in it just before you need to speak will dry out your vocal folds and cause you to cough a great deal. Stress or tension in your muscles can be the worst enemy of your vocal sound. It will make your vocal folds tighten which raises the pitch level. For example, just as a swimmer in our beach scene may have his or her arm or leg strokes slightly off, a speaker can have stressed or tight muscles which will send the pitch level up to an annoying sound. There could be other speech challenges within how the sound escapes through either your mouth or nasal passages, and many other individual concerns. However, these things are fixable. Having voice power means you have the keys to find your optimal pitch level or true voice.

With your third key you will open the room to tongue twisters galore! Remember, a swimmer needs to know how to use his arms & legs to swim forward or backward; so, a person with Voice Power needs to take the time to exercise the speech muscles: the tongue, teeth, upper palate, and jaw- so there is never any miscommunication. Unlock the room to enunciate each word you speak. Drill yourself with tongue twisters for exact articulation so the beginning, middle, and end of the words are distinctly heard. Mumbling and speaking too quickly is becoming a Canadian habit, I think. I find the best time to do a quick warm-up is in the morning just after brushing my teeth: I say to myself as I look at my groggy early morning self in the mirror: "A big black bug bit a big black bear" 3 times,( go ahead you try it) then try this traditional classic: "Speak with the lips, the teeth, and the tip of the tongue" Now if that doesn't perk you up and get you going in the morning - at least you did your warm-up.

The fourth key opens the biggest room where presence and performance process takes place. This is the total package where you have your adventures in the water. With Voice Power training you have the benefit of knowing how to adjust pace, utilize pause, and "colour" your words to paint the picture for the listener. Inflection, which is the rise and fall of your voice and the use of emphasis that you place on the words, is critical to achieving Voice Power. Emphasis does not necessarily mean that you will say a specific word louder, it could be quieter, or even pause before or after a specific word to make a dramatic effect. Voice Power develops your picture in a 3D format by the art and skill of the sound and delivery of your voice, the passion, the authenticity, energy, and focus of your story. Part of Voice Power training will transfer skills from the actor's training so the listener enters into the world of your story, the characters, and the emotional impact.

For instance, it takes a person with drama techniques to interpret the writer's intentions through using his or her voice to bring those words to the very soul and emotional center of the listener. American President Obama has re-awakened our attention on voice skills which can transform an entire world to admire and motivate others to his vision of working together. With voice power you can persuade the listener to empathize or help your cause, because they can hear and see your passion and honesty in delivering your message. In my latest book it was important for me as a drama teacher to set out a series of effective drama strategies and tips to help speakers apply these to their vocal training to achieve a higher level of Voice Power.

So, what can you achieve when you have voice power? The nuances of Voice Power do not happen in isolation of each of the skills that I have mentioned. Rather, Voice Power is the icing on the cake, or the joy and adventure of playing in the lake. You will have the listener's attention and focus; you will have a personal passion and energy within yourself to engage some depth of thought or emotional connection to stir the listener in mind or action. This is not simply a speech; this is Voice Power! Learn how to tap into the power of your own voice as a source of personal expression and creativity, and as an enjoyable experience -have fun in the water!

Written by Brenda C. Smith

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