Whether it’s a presentation, discussion, or interview, having a powerful voice can help you make an impact and stand out from the crowd. A strong voice gives you the ability to project your message and show the confidence and presence necessary to effectively communicate your thoughts and ideas.
Often, we relate a powerful voice to singers and professional speakers, but
anyone can develop a more powerful voice.
The Importance Of Developing A More Powerful Voice:
Studies show that there are direct links between people who have a strong, vocal tone and success. A well projected voice helps you sound credible and authoritative. A captivating voice can distinguish you from others, as you will less likely be drowned out and overshadowed. This increases your ability to lead people. When others believe in what you say, you can impact the world around you.
It’s important to find your authentic voice to create a lasting impression and
an instant reveal into your personality.
When you’re nervous to present your ideas in a meeting or have difficulty getting your point across in a discussion, your emotion can be heard in your voice. The audience can sense your thoughts and feelings. If you feel afraid, you will sound afraid. If you feel happy, you will sound happy.
According to Buddah, “You are what you think you are.”
Therefore: If you think you are confident, you will feel confident, and in turn, sound confident.
When you speak clearly and project your voice, people will feel your conviction and become more likely to take action and buy in to what you are saying.
How Speech Coaching Can Help Make Your Voice Stronger:
In the studio, in-person and on line, we analyze the way you are breathing and work to help you coordinate your breath with your voice.
Inhale breath, exhale sound.
The Key To Optimal Vocal Production Is Through Diaphragmatic Breathing:
For a stronger voice, you have to have support. Your core muscles must be engaged to help the breath travel through the vocal folds. This will increase your vocal power and help you to be heard.
The abdominal muscles assist to control the amount of air that enters and exits the body. As the diaphragm lowers slightly, it allows more space for lung expansion. The belly and lungs can receive more air. When the diaphragm slightly raises, it assists in pushing the air out. Imagine a a balloon filling and expanding with air. When it pops, the air is released and the balloon is flat.
Sound is the result of air vibrating through the vocal folds. Your unique voice is designed as that air travels through the larynx, the spaces within the bone structure of your face, the placement of your tongue, lips and the shape of your mouth.
How Does Posture Affect Your Voice?
Through speech coaching, we observe your posture to show you how it affects your sound. We work to align your spine to open the rib cage for optimal breath intake and to create a strong appearance.
There are 5 points of alignment to consider to help keep your spine erect and support your core to prevent tightening of the muscles around the larynx (where the vocal folds are housed). This will help them perform without constriction. Speech coaching can help you with posture exercises to breathe more efficiently and develop a more dynamic presence.
How To Overcome a Quiet Voice?
Many people ask if it is possible to develop a powerful voice even if you were born with a naturally quiet one? However, it’s important to note, none of us are born with a naturally quiet voice. We come into this world kicking and screaming letting everyone know we have arrived! It is only over time, that we learn to be quiet; as we are often told, “ssshhhhhhh!”
If you have a soft, quiet voice think back to your developmental years and reflect on how you were asked to behave. Those behaviors shape who we become and how we sound. If your volume is low, you were most likely asked to be quiet.
In speech coaching you gain control over your voice to use it as a tool and work the way you want. Once you learn how to coordinate the breath with your body, we work on mindset and voice skills to find your authentic sound to properly project and amplify your voice. As you improve your posture, learn diaphragmatic breathing, and discover vocal techniques and exercises you will create a stronger voice regardless of the starting point. Articulation and Enunciation are also key elements to better speech delivery.
Vocal Quality and Vocal Projection Will Help You Become a More Engaging and Inspiring Speaker:
Clarity of your voice and enunciation is vital to your vocal quality. You can practice by slowing down and saying each word clearly in a steady rhythm. Vocal Quality is dictated by the following 5 elements:
tone
pitch
rhythm
volume
inflection
Vocal projection is about gaining control over the volume of your voice to deliver your words with power. You want to be heard in the back corners of the room. Test this out with different volumes while speaking. Gradually increase the volume until you find a comfortable balance.All of these factors combined help make your voice stand out.
As you develop a stronger voice you will learn it’s not just about the technical aspects of vocal production but also connecting with your audience. The way you deliver your message is what makes your words believable and memorable.
6 ways to Engage Others With Your Newly Designed, Powerful Voice:
Be assertive, yet sensitive to others to ensure your voice is heard. Assertiveness helps get your point across without coming off as aggressive or overly opinionated.You can be assertive and communicate your needs and opinions without putting down another person in the process.
Know key points of what you want to say and say them in a clear, concise manner to help people pay attention. Long drawn out sentences are ineffective as people’s minds wander to something else that better draws their attention. You have 3 seconds to make an impact. Grab it and get to the point.
Use active language when speaking. Active language allows people to better understand the message that you are trying to convey, rather than a passive message lost in translation.
Use "you" statements rather than, “I” to ensure that people feel that you are speaking to them. “You” creates inclusivity and helps ensure that they understand the point you are trying to make.
Be open to feedback from others. Self-awareness is imperative for growth. A different perspective can help you see things through another’s eyes to view room for improvement and growth.
Listen more than you speak. Have you heard of the 5:1 one rule? Good leaders often do this, showing they value the other persons time and opinion. Listen for five minutes and speak for one. Nothing is worse than a one sided conversation.
Being passionate and expressive can help to make your words more inspiring. As you speak, speed up and slow down your words and increase and decrease your volume to stress your point. Look around the room and make sure that everyone feels like they’re part of the conversation.
Studies show, “For a successful interaction, body language accounts for 55%, the voice - 38% to equal 93%. The actual content of our message, the words, is valued at 7%.
Practice is key to improve your sound. However...
Practice makes permanent, not always perfect.
It’s vital you receive constructive criticism from someone you trust, who is knowledgeable, to become self aware of habits you need to break and ways to improve.
6 Ways To Create a More Impactful Speech:
Embody your message, truly feel it as opposed to just presenting the message, to create more impact.
Vocal inflection and volume show conviction.
Pacing is key when sharing emotion.
Keep the end goal in mind. How do you want your audience to feel and what do you want them to do?
Have a conversation. Imagine yourself speaking with one other person. Use your voice the way you would to help them understand.
Use enthusiasm to make your voice heard and remembered. Let your emotion shine through. People are motivated to act when they feel something. When a speaker is passionate about their message, the audience’s emotions are moved. It’s your job, as a speaker, to move them with your voice.
What Happens When You Work With a Speech Coach:
As you develop your voice, you’ll discover that a more powerful voice is within reach for everyone. Whether you speak to an audience of one or a hundred, you want to speak loudly and proudly to positively identify yourself and your ideas.Make sure that your voice and words are spoken with authenticity to resonate with your audience.
Your vocal folds are like any muscle in the body, and with practice and training you can coordinate and strengthen them.When you employ diaphragmatic breathing, pay attention to key elements of the voice, improve articulation and intonation, and learn to project your voice with conviction and authority, you’ll will increase your ability to impact the world and those around you.
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