Archive for June, 2010

Jun 30 2010

How to Harness Your Vocal Impact: A Conversation

On June 21, I had a conversation with Flora Brown, Ph.D, on her radio show.  We talked about many of the things addressed on this blog, including open and closed cadence, aligning your intention with your content and your voice, and mask resonance.   You will hear examples of open and closed cadence and how to apply it, a discussion of the importance of intention as it relates to your voice with audio examples, and a fun exercise using mask resonance.  Please listen here and share your thoughts.

Share

No responses yet

Jun 25 2010

How to regenerate your voice when you’re rusty..and you’re ON!

Published by under vocal power

How do you get your voice back when it’s been awhile since you’ve used it?  If you haven’t been “on” for awhile, you may find yourself at a loss for voice, let alone words.  Never fear, however.  Here are some simple steps you can take to revive your voice, perhaps getting it in better shape than ever.

1. Renew your sense of purpose.  You’ve got an opportunity to start fresh, not just pick up where you left off.  Use that opportunity to get centered on your purpose for using your voice publicly.  When your intention is clear, your voice will follow that path.  Here is a related post on intention.
The Power of Intention:  The secrets your voice reveals

2.Reacquaint yourself with your voice.  How does it feel?  Familiar?  Different from what you remember?  If you’ve never used vocal warm-ups, this is a great time to start. If you have used them before, pull them out, dust them off and start making those funny sounds again.  Connect with a voice trainer  For starters, here are some related posts with vocal exercises:
Creating a buzz
How Now Brown Cow
Breathing Lessons

3.Reinvigorate your voice/body connection.  Your voice is part of your body.  When your body is in shape, your voice will respond better.  Get some exercise that stretches you to breathe more deeply.  And while you are at it, build breathing into your presentation. Here’s a related post:
Pause: Create a Powerful Presence through Silence

4.Reconnect by practicing out loud.  You can’t just think about your voice and expect it to be there.  Spend time each day going over your presentation out loud.  Find a place to practice where you can speak at full volume.  This will also help you evaluate and memorize your presentation.  This post on The Eloquent Woman tells you why and gives some great tips for how to do this.
Boost your memory by talking out loud

5.Refine your vocal image by making sure that it aligns with your intention and your content.  Re-imagine how you want others to perceive of you and make sure your sound reflects that. Use color words, cadence, pace and pitch.  Here are some related posts.

Fine Tune Your Vocal Image Through Ear-Training
Investing in Your Vocal Image

How do you regenerate your voice after a vacation or when you haven’t used it in public for awhile?  Share your ideas, tips and concerns.

For more ideas on getting back in the limelight after a hiatus, this post is part of a blog carnival hosted by The Eloquent Woman.  Follow this link to take a look at the wide array of advice from the experts!

Share

No responses yet

Next »