Project Your Most Influential Voice
Have you ever been in a yoga class or been in a potent workshop where the facilitator’s voice is making your skin crawl? The content may be amazing but the frequency from the voice presenting it is so distracting that you are not able to absorb the information.
Do NOT be that facilitator!
It’s worth taking a look at where you are speaking from so that you have a voice that not only is easeful to listen to but that works with the content you are presenting so you project your most influential voice. The object with any workshop, class or presentation is to engage with your audience, give them valuable information and create a life long connection.
You will not do this if you are speaking with a voice that is hard to listen to!!!!
1- Give this a try:
Record yourself speaking your content for about 10-15 minutes then listen to it back. If you are cringing or bored or agitated when you are listening to yourself, there is a good chance your audience will be too.
Next listen again for the tones you are using. Are they nasally like you have a cold, are they deep, are they high pitch, high pitch and nasally, etc. Just take inventory.
Awareness goes a long way. Now put your notes aside.
2-Now play with with:
Our vocal instrument has 4 resonant chambers: the Chest, the mouth, the nose, and the head. These chambers help to amplify the voice. Your voice will be more easeful to listen to as well as be more influential when you can speak from balance in these resonant chambers.
When you talk do you feel a vibration in the nasal area, chest are, head area, or mouth? Play here. If your teeth vibrate your in the mouth. If you can feel a subtle tickle behind the nose you are in the nasal cavity. If there is a sensation in the chest you are in the chest cavity. If its ambiguous and airy you may be in the head. You may notice already that you a combination of these resonant chambers.
3- Practice visiting all the chambers for vocal awareness and to change your speaking voice into its most influential voice.
Start with the sound ‘Ah’ – Tone this in the mouth then without changing the pitch lower your throat (actually the larynx ) so that you begin feeling the vibration of the tone in your chest. This happens without changing the note you are one. Now bring the vibration back to your mouth and send the vibration to the nasal area (act like you have a cold and your nose is stopped up). Now back to the mouth. Finally bring the vibration to your head. The top soft area in the back of your throat lifts and you may feel a tickle in the forehead. Bring it back to the mouth.
Now you can combine these, play with doing two chambers at a time.
Begin to notice which chamber is easier for you to access and which is harder.
These awareness exercises may help you bring to your speaking voice a balanced fullness that has a comfortable volume. This new balance in your voice will create a voice that people will want to listen to and continue to listen to! It will help you project you most influential voice!
Any questions? Just comment below. I’m happy to help.
Go here for more vocal empowerment tips
Below is a video that I thought might be helpful:
He only talks about two resonant chambers – the mouth (he refers to as dark) and the Head ( he refers to as light) and he is discussing a singing voice. However, Singing and speaking cross over and singing exercises can be helpful to the speaking voice as well. It is a great example of playing and balancing the resonant chambers. Have fun!