Voice Synergy News
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Can our accent be a drawback?
Could our PM have a Brummie accent for example? The English language is full of a wide variety of local accents and all the baggage that goes with it. ‘‘Why can’t the English teach their children how to speak?’ go the lyrics in a song from ‘My Fair Lady’ an adaptation of ‘Pygmalian’ by George…
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Voice for Media Interviews
Whether you are the person asking the questions or the person in the ‘hot seat’, answering, your voice is crucial to the success of an interview. Remember to set aside time to warm up your voice before your interview. If your voice is relaxed and flexible, your vocal folds prepared, all will respond more readily…
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Speaking Difficult Words
Have you ever been in a situation where you really wanted to say something, but the words just wouldn’t come out? In our work lives, in our home lives, sometimes we really want to say something, but are unable to find the words to speak because it’s just too difficult to say them. Recently, in…
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It is International Women’s Day on 8 March
Women’s voices have been loud and steadfast through the ages, drawing attention to inequalities through determined resilience. I am fully supportive of women’s voices calling attention to important matters. Women on the international stage such as Michelle Obama (equality), Theresa May (negotiation) and Adele (representation) succeed in this. However, silence and powerlessness often go hand…
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Speaking with clarity
This month I have chosen an image of a duck to convey the crisp, clear sound of ‘K’ contained in words such as ‘Quack’ and ‘Duck’. Over the last few weeks I have been working with a client to help them discover the fabulous sound, ‘K’. Why is it important? The ‘K’ sound, if you…
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Happy New Year!
No Worries? No Problem! Habitual Speech Patterns Another year is underway and the tradition of making a New Year’s Resolution presents itself. Often, we fail to keep our pledges as they can be over ambitious. This year, how about making a personal resolution to use positive speech? Avoid the negative, or worse, double negative connotations…
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It’s Christmas! (Nearly!)
This year I would like to thank each and every one of you for your wonderful support as a recipient of my newsletter. I hope this year’s offerings have been useful, interesting and / or just fun to read. I would also like to thank those of you who have taken the courageous step to…
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Sir David Attenborough, his compelling voice
The cadence, tone, speed of delivery combined with the knowledge, respect and wonder of the natural world, all contribute to the unrivalled, expressive voice of Sir David Attenborough. As Sir David describes incredible wildlife sequences unravelling on our TV screens, he immerses himself and we listeners too, in the everyday worlds of jaguars, angel-fish, baboons…
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Voice training or voice coaching?
A few days ago, I went with my son on a hawk walk in the autumn-tinged fields surrounding Bath. He’s always been keen on wildlife and nature and this experience of flying a Harris Hawk, in conjunction with the West of England Falconry, was my birthday gift for him. Donning the leather gauntlet on his…
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Listening
The skill of listening is integral to speaking, it’s what makes a conversation. I am sitting at my desk, glancing out of the window to the pretty pink, late flowering hollyhocks, petals open to furry, pollen-covered bees, going over discussions that happened during my recent creative writing course. A key point has popped into my…