Voice Synergy News
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Learning a new accent
Some people acquire new accents as they grow up, some people grow up with accents they don’t like as a child and some people want to learn new accents. Moving from place to place can make you more aware of your accent. Regional accents (or regional dialects as they are called in the US), are…
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Speaking in front of an audience
Recently I ran a voice training workshop for candidates working for their Masters in Business. Some attendees spoke English as a second language, others lacked confidence, were aware that they did not project their voice and a common theme was anxiety about mumbling. During the ‘Voice for Presentations’ training, I tackled each of these recurring…
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Confidence to speak
Children are often shy and reluctant to speak in class. Avoiding speaking can become a habit that stays with youngsters as they grow into teenagers then adults. Lack of confidence in speaking can be a real handicap in the workplace. Speaking habits are formed early in life, our parents, grandparents, carers then teachers and our…
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Will Artificial Intelligence be Speaking In Court?
Voice for the courtroom is an essential tool in the barrister’s extensive skillset. Artificial Intelligence (AI) is widely becoming an additional, if not essential, tool of the barrister’s work in researching and preparing cases. Is a barrister’s voice likely to be replaced by AI in the years ahead? Currently there are plenty of news stories…
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Mocked For Your Accent?
In 2011 I conducted a survey with my colleagues at Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, into how certain accents were perceived. We asked participants whether certain accents were ‘trustworthy’ or whether they communicated an underlying meaning to the words. We discovered that strong regional accents, as well as heightened Received Pronunciation (RP) all…
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The most wonderful time of the year
Your voice is a star! The festive season is upon us, bringing good cheer and hope for the future. Yet this season makes a lot of demands on our voices. The weather is cold, dry or wet and windy creating challenges for our lungs and therefore our voices. Indoors, the heating is on, leading to…
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Spooky Halloween
Words that pack a punch or are slightly more sinister owe their effect to the vowels and consonants they use. Halloween is full of creepy clauses, shivering shadows, cackling witches and black cats. Long vowels in laugh, spooky, creepy, ghoul and haunted; short vowels pop out in bats, skulls and blood. Diphthongs hide away in…
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Stage Fright
“Let everything happen to you: beauty and terror. Just keep going. No feeling is final.” Maggie Smith. Such valuable advice from Maggie Smith, an excerpt from her memoire, You Could Make This Place Beautiful. A few days ago, Maggie Smith, one of the greatest actors of our time, died at the age of 89. Throughout…
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Gen Z giving phones the cold shoulder
Voicemails unheard, calls not returned, the new generation of communicators are avoiding telephone communications in favour of texting. A recent survey by Uswitch found a quarter of people aged 18 – 34 never answer the phone – they either have it turned to silent or ignore the ringing. They may also search the internet for…
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Voices from the Olympics
Over the last couple of weeks, many new voices have been heard on radio and television. The Olympians who have trained, focussed and succeeded in achieving medals have spoken. During epic swimming, cycling, running, gymnastic and equine events, knowledgeable commentators have offered their expertise and opinion as to what is going on. It has been…