I have been traveling a fair amount lately. Today, I began working on this post and had to connect to the Internet. As I browsed the Sheraton site, I noticed a link on the home page that encouraged you to share your story. When you click on the link it takes you to“Good Stories,”a site with stories on Sheraton travel from around the world. Kind of cool! It’s interactive and you get to explore the world through stories.
Storytelling is a form of communication that is common to everyone’s experience, and is becoming increasingly important as we face the large amounts of data and information that are now available to us, such as where to stay and what to see when traveling. Statistics on the recession are made more understandable when we hear stories of people losing their homes, or getting jobs in some innovative way. And presentations are more interesting when the presenter is a storyteller.
In business, creating a story out of raw information can help you see the problem better in order to understand the solution better. By collecting information to create stories, you can assure yourself that you can answer the key issues that need to be addressed to qualify your lead, to solicit a donation, to make your point or to find the best solution.
My first introduction to the importance of storytelling in business was the book, The SpringBoard Story by Stephen Denning. I love this book and highly recommend it to anyone who wants to be inspired about the importance of a great story.
And since reading that, I have explored this with many people, and watched as storytelling has become more and more important. Again, storytelling makes sense out of a complex world. However, it’s not all that easy to create a great story, and many people call something a story when it is not a story.
To paraphrase the words ofClarissa Pinkola Estes, stories are a conduit. They connect us to each other because your story reminds me of my own. In the simplest terms,
A story has to have a beginning, a middle and an end.
In addition, it needs to have emotional content, a feeling that we can relate to, even if it is a story about business.
It needs to have an obstacle to be overcome.
If you want to learn more about storytelling, here are three places you might look.
It’s Monday, time for Monday Night Football. Fans will be screaming in the stands and in the living room. Some will end the day without a voice. Most people don’t give laryngitis much thought, treating it much as they would a runny nose or a cut on the finger, thinking it will get better. However, the voice is more fragile than one would think, and even one bad scream can cause permanent damage. Screaming is considered to be vocal abuse, not just misuse. In most people, the small muscles of the vocal folds cannot sustain much abuse and laryngitis is an indication that you went too far!!
So if you go too far with that screaming, be sure to get some vocal rest. Be quiet, drink warm liquids instead of cold, and write notes to people instead of talking. Give yourself a couple of days to recover.
Note on SCREAMING as SINGING: My children used to try to convince me that “screamers” in rock music could scream without hurting their voices. Basically, this is completely false. There is no way to have a strong, flexible, healthy voice if you scream all the time unless you are a vocal freak…and there are some of those around too. On the other hand, if you like the raspy sound, scream a lot, smoke at least a pack a day, and if your voice gets tired, rock on.
This week, look at the list you created of things you like about your voice. Write one of these at the top of each page for the next five pages in your journal. Study that aspect of your voice for one full day. Consider how that strength affects others. What does it say about you separate from your words? How can you use that strength more effectively to present the vocal image you want?
My observations:
I have often been told that I sound friendly when I talk. I use a lot of variety of pitch in my voice, influenced greatly by my training as a singer. My challenge has been to add in the more commanding vocal sound that is created by using LESS variety of pitch. The most influential communicators use both appropriately. Conscious choices again. For more information on cadence in the voice, please see my post in December, or refer to my book on page 97.
What is the fifth thing you would like to change about your voice? Pay attention to your voice today and write your observations in your voice journal or your copy of my book, p.128.
By taking an inventory of the vocal patterns you hear in your own voice, and by studying those of speakers whose voices you find interesting or even annoying, you can begin to discern productive and unproductive patterns of speech. This is how you make the changes you want to create the voice you want. But listening by itself doesn’t make the change stick. You have to practice doing things differently, and practice them enough to change the habit you’ve been living. That’s why you do this three times a day if you can. It helps you make the change more completely.
Observation:
I spent some time yesterday listening to others present. I decided to count the “ums.” Actually it was pretty entertaining. I’ve heard that people who go to technology presentation will play acronym bingo, which is a similar sport! Counting verbal fillers is something I do with my clients. But what do you do once you have discovered how often you use verbal fillers? Well, just as with this journal, merely having someone count your fillers…”ums,” “uhs,” “you knows,” “likes,” etc…will make you aware of your habits. Then it is surprising how much more easily you can change them. I believe that the biggest reason for using verbal fillers is a fear of silence. What I do when I hear myself saying, or wanting to say “um” is to stop myself and say nothing. It works well to clean up my speech and remind me that every word is a conscious choice so I must choose wisely!
And now, CONGRATULATIONS! You have made it through your first week of your practical application journal. Take a break or keep going over the weekend. I’ll be back on Monday!
What’s the fourth change you want to make in your voice? Study it today.
This attention to your voice through a voice journal is designed to make you more aware of your vocal image as well as how your voice works so you can create the voice you want. While you are considering your own voice, take time to also consider the same aspects of vocal image in others that you hear. Through this awareness, you will have a chance to hear yourself clearly and to change what you want to cahnge. Remember, you cannot change what you cannot hear.
My observations:
Yesterday, I had to prepare to present in a room I’ve never seen before. I went in and looked around. There were no lights on the podium. In fact, the podium was in the darkest corner of the room. I knew that if I spoke there, no one would hear me because no one would see me. I know that sounds funny, but that’s the way it works. After inquiring about changing the set up, and learning that it could not be changed, I asked for a wireless mic, and determined that I would stand in the middle of the room instead of at the podium. That way I would have eye contact with everyone and they would all pay better attention..and they would all hear me.
It worked well. All the other presenters put people to sleep. Maybe it was the content of their talks but I really think almost anyone can grab an audience more effectively if the audience does’t have to strain to see them and if they are audible. A smile and audience participation also help, using power point only for punctuation and summaries!!!
In order to make a change in your voice, you have to be aware of what your voice sounds like. You have to be aware of how you use your voice on a day to day basis. To do this, you have to pay regular attention to your voice for a prolonged period of time.
You can take voice lessons or work with a coach. In fact, that is the best way to change your voice if you have vocal health issues or if you are an extreme voice user, such as an extremely busy public speaker. However, most people can start to make changes on their own by simply becoming aware of how they use their voice, and also studying some of the basics of vocal technique.
My suggestion is that you spend a month developing awareness of your voice. Keep a journal of on your desk or next to your phone so you can write down your vocal observations after you have finished a conversation. You don’t need to write more than a few sentences two or three times a day. The act of doing this will bring your attention to your voice. Awareness will allow you to develop conscious control.
To prepare for this, you need a recording of your voice and some observations of it, as discussed yesterday. (Please take a look and review that if you have not yet done so.) Then you need some specific goals. Take a moment now, and write in your journal what you would like to accomplish with your voice in the next month. You can write more than one goal, but probably no more than three. They may be goals such as
I want to have more control of my voice.
I want to eliminate vocal fatigue.
I want to have more breath control when I speak or sing.
I want to sound more friendly or more confident, etc.
Write your goals on the first page of your journal or on page 114 in Can You Hear Me Now? And come back tomorrow for the next step!
