Clenching or grinding the teeth can be related to various physical problems, but I’m interested in it because it can mess with voice and speech! So let’s look at why we do it and, most importantly, how to stop.
continue readingOne simple way to instantly add authority to your voice
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 readingThree ways to make your dialect work more convincing
We’ve all seen it. Accents that make you want to cringe (apologies to poor Dick Van Dyke in Mary Poppins for using him as an example here). But how amazing it is when we are completely fooled! How glorious to be engaged with a character and story that uses a dialect to enhance the experience. How do the Meryl Streeps of the world do it?
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 readingFifty blog posts on voice, speech, accents, and presence
I just learned that I have made 50 posts on this page over the past few years. These posts cover everything from “diaphragmatic” breathing to allergies to vocal health/injuries to projection to learning accents to hoarseness to owning a room. In case you missed any, here’s a complete list:
continue reading