3 Ways to improve your Sound

I was yesterday asked, "What can I do to improve my voice and speech in time for my presentation next week?" I have three suggestions. You can decide which exercise to go for depending on which aspect you want to improve. If in doubt, practise all three.

You absolutely should start with the breathing and vocalising as described in Warm up your Voice: Part 1 and Part 2 .  You can then add one or more of the following exercises:

• Is your voice weak, soft, breathy or tending to fade before your thought is completely voiced? You need to co-ordinate thinking, breathing and speaking by practising this counting exercise:
  
  Imagine yourself simply and calmly saying the word ONE, then inhale and speak “ONE”
  Imagine yourself saying the words, then inhale, speak “ONE TWO” on one breath
  Imagine, inhale, speak “ONE TWO THREE” on one breath
  Continue adding the word for one more number at a time. Practise once or twice a day until you are comfortable speaking each of the numbers from one to ten calmly and clearly on one breath. If it helps you, you can choose an object in the space about two metres away from you and project your words to this object.

• Is your articulation of consonant sounds slow or imprecise?  You need to practise these sentences to reduce mumbling and gain crisp articulation.  Allow your lips, teeth and tongue to move freely to form the sounds, keep your jaw relaxed.  Don’t strain or shout, the pace is steady and careful. These sentences have proved to be really helpful for improving confidence and competence in articulating English if that is what you need.
  
  Pass the pens and pencils please
  
  A packet of mixed biscuits
  
  Packing prickly pickles poses problems
  
  She sells sea shells on the sea shore
  
  Six times six is thirty six
  
  Bring me some coffee in a proper copper coffee pot
  
  What a lot of little bottles
  
  Quick! Quick! Quick! Bring the twins a drink!
  
  Red leather [lorry] [lolly], yellow leather [lorry] [lolly]
  
  Fred refused to view his defeat as final
  
  Leave the lazy lion alone
  
  The pilot landed the plane safely

• Are you unused to hearing and feeling your own voice as you speak? Simply practise humming, "HUMMMMMMM". With a relaxed throat and shoulders, and without strain, try humming more softly, more loudly by using more volume of air, sending your sound further, then nearer, humming at a higher pitch, at a lower pitch. In other words, playing with your sound. This will also help you sound more audible, expressive and interesting.

Good luck with your next presentation or speech

Andrea

To make an appointment for voice coaching or to book a workshop please go to my website

21 Reasons why working with a communication and voice coach might just be the greatest gift you give yourself in 2012

1. better voice projection lets you sound more confident
2. improved posture and physical poise lets you look confident too
3. an expressive and well-modulated voice is interesting, engaging, attractive
4. 'as we breathe so we think', if your breathing is more relaxed and more controlled so are you
5. you improve your ability to articulate ideas, explain your thinking
6. this in turn enables you to be more persuasive and more influential
7. your self-confidence improves
8. your self-esteem rises
9. you can speak up and speak out instead of remaining silent
10. so you find it easier to be more assertive
11. you contribute more socially, professionally and in your community
12. you communicate better in meetings
13. you communicate better at home
14. you communicate better in presentations and speeches
15. you speak better even when unprepared
16. you develop deeper awareness of yourself in relation to others
17. this leads you to listen more and with greater empathy
18. you find out how to be heard more clearly
19. awareness of how you communicate with yourself lets you develop more positive and encouraging self-talk
20. you learn how to deal with, and express more usefully, anger, resentment, frustration
21. you enjoy yourself more and gain more joy from your relationships!

These are just some of the ways communication coaching can help you

 ... in the meantime: good luck with your next presentation!

Andrea 

To make an appointment for coaching or to book a place on a workshop go to

my website

Latest rates September 2011

One of the first questions most of us need to ask about coaching and learning programmes is, "How much will it cost me?" My clients are sometimes surprised at how affordable my rates are, someone recently described my prices as "too cheap". That may be so for some, but I aim to remain affordable for ordinary Capetonians who want to improve their lives and perhaps their working prospects.

My latest basic rates as from 1 September 2011:

Communication coaching (one-on-one) R190,00/hour

These sessions are full of possibilities.  They can be about anything and everything to do with communication. We may include confidence, self-esteem, understanding personalities, voice and speech skills, public speaking, business presentations, interpersonal communication, social anxieties, social skills, customer interactions and other related material which will help you.

EFT R160,00/session or R900,00 for 6 sessions. The length of an EFT session is between one and two hours.

Group workshops and group learning programmes are priced according to content and timing. We start with an assessment for you or your business and employees, so contact me to get started.

Warm Up your Voice Part 2: Voice and Body

This is part two of the second of my Top Ten Public Speaking Basics


Again I should say that in my experience it is preferable to work with a qualified voice teacher if you want to develop the full potential of your voice.  The purpose of this article is not to give some "quick-fix" voice exercises to try once on your own to little effect, but rather to offer some guidance on warming up your voice in preparation for your next presentation or speech.

If you haven't already done so you can start with Warm Up your Voice Part 1: Breathing


After the breathing warm-up ...


Warm up your body

• free shoulders with gentle shrugs up to ears and then relax
• clench hands into fists, relax and gently shake out
• gently shake out each leg and then your arms
• give yourself a good upward stretch, arms above head, relax

Improve your posture
Have feet about hip-distance apart, distribute weight evenly over ball and heel of each foot.  If you are comfortable doing so, you can try going down onto your haunches, resting there for a moment and then rising smoothly upwards into standing without altering the distribution of weight on your feet.  This can give a good sense of rootedness through the feet into the floor.

Now lightly smooth down your lower back and buttocks with your hands, this allows you to slightly tuck in your pelvis without tensing your buttocks.

Now you can gently, lightly lengthen your spine upwards as it rises from your tail bone up through to your neck. Keep shoulders relaxed and falling away from your ears; chest relaxed, softened and open. 

If you were now to look at your self sideways in a full-length mirror you'd see your shoulder in line with your hip and your hip in line with the middle of your foot.


Face and jaw

• stretch mouth open as wide as you can, hold for count of five, release. Repeat.

• make exaggerated chewing movements using your whole mouth, tongue, lips as if chewing the biggest wad of gum ever!

Voice

• yawn
• voice on one breath, taken without strain: 'AH'
• voice on one breath, taken without strain: 'HUMMMMMMM'
• repeat on one breath, as above: 'LA LA LA LA LA'
• repeat on one breath, as above: 'ME MAH MAY MORE, ME MAH MAY MORE'
• say 'Bring me some coffee in a proper copper coffee pot'
• say 'She sells sea shell on the sea shore'
• say 'A packet of mixed biscuits'
• say 'Quick, quick, quick! Bring the twins a drink!'

Back to breathing

• Breathe out fully without force

• Wait till you feel the need to inhale, as your ribs spring apart inhale through your nose

• As you inhale allow your back to relax, note how your lower ribs float apart as your diaphragm contracts and moves downwards. Pay particular attention to the swing of the back ribs as you relax your back.

• As exhalation happens, let the air move out of your mouth, note how your ribcage moves simultaneously downwards and inwards and how your abdominal muscles slightly engage as the last of the air moves out of your body

• Continue breathing easily and comfortably in this way for five breaths.

You are now warmed up and READY TO GO!!!

Good luck with your presentation.