I was recently coaching a highly skilled actor who has a habit of tensing in their throat when voicing, especially emotionally-laden lines. If you have ever performed, or watched a performance with empathy, you will understand that this is a very common and natural challenge. But have you noticed how common it is in daily life as well?
continue readingYou might be moving your mouth wrong
Are you aiming to speak with power and clarity? If so, you might have discovered that more mouth movement can be a huge component of success. But at the same time, there are ways to add more mouth movement that not only don’t help with clarity or loudness, but might actually make it worse.
continue readingShould you stop using vocal fry?
Vocal fry is a creaky sound that many of us make at the end of a sentence (at least occasionally), and some people use throughout their speech (the Kardashians brought this into the limelight). A lot of people consider it unprofessional and problematic, but is it?
continue readingAre you a dialect chameleon?
Some people seem to automatically pick up accents they hear around them. Is this you? Have you ever thought about why (or why not) you inadvertently mimic dialects you’re around? There are several reasons why this might occur.
continue readingWhy your virtual presentations are worse than in-person
If I had a nickel for every person who has told me how much harder it is to present well over Zoom (or Teams or Meet or whatever platform), I could actually retire at some point.
There are many reasons for a remote presentation to be more difficult in terms of connecting with the group, reading the room, and assessing whether listeners are “with” you. Today we focus on the role the listener plays in your success, and why it can be easier to present well in person.
continue readingStressed? Try humming for health
Yep, simply humming can affect your body and mood. I’m going to discuss a little of the data, and then give you a simple way to play with it on your own.
None of this is surprising, really, when we consider the widespread use of sound waves in Western medicine. Ultrasound is a vital non-invasive diagnostic tool, and sound waves are frequently used to treat tumors, kidney stones, broken bones, blood clots, and so much more.
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