I’m frequently asked to help people sound more authoritative in the work place. The request may come from their own feelings about their speech, or from a supervisor who notes this as an area for improvement. Spoiler: lowering your pitch doesn’t help!
conitnue readingAre you a “fast talker”? Speed may not be the real problem
Clients often tell me they talk too fast. They either notice this themselves, or a supervisor gives them that feedback, or they observe people often ask them to repeat themselves. When we get into the details, though, their rate is often not the problem.
continue readingReading a speech? Here’s one vital tip
While there are many elements to giving a good speech, and several other posts on this site about those elements, today we focus on just one.
How do you write out (and visually format) a speech to make it effortless to read and sound natural?
continue readingDo you have a weak vocal cord?
Vocal fold weakness (technically called paresis) is a surprisingly common problem, and it can go untreated because it can be difficult to diagnose.
continue readingExamining habits
“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.” (Aristotle)
The way we speak is habitual. The concept of habit runs deeply through the work of voice and speech training. This is especially true in theatre, where the idea moves beyond speech into other elements affecting actors’ performance.
In this post, we are simply dipping a toe into the basics of habits: what they are, why we need them, and how to change them if we wish.
continue readingEveryone has an accent (including you!)
I have been surprised lately to hear so many people insisting they do not have an accent. This couldn’t be further from the truth. Everyone has an accent!
continue reading