So many of us are self-conscious about our voices. We worry about the way we speak, communicate with others and express our opinions and desires. Ask people what they fear most in life and it is not altogether surprising that many people claim that "speaking in public" is their greatest fear of all! Fundamentally that fear comes from the knowledge that, when we speak, the listener makes immediate judgements about us from our voice alone. Assumptions can be made about our race, class, education, our competence, authority, breadth of knowledge, even the validity of what we are saying!
Are you concerned that your voice lacks authority and does not do justice to your message?
Do you feel that your own voice - or the voices of your staff members - could be improved upon in order to have a more positive impact in the work-place?
Does your job require you to give presentations or deliver persuasive speeches?
Maybe you want to improve the power, range or tonal quality of your voice.
Do you feel that voice problems may be impeding your job prospects and you would like to improve your vocal image for interviews?
Maybe your job requires you to speak for long periods of time under stressful conditions and you are concerned about voice-loss, or vocal fatigue.
Do you find that nerves and anxiety associated with public speaking have an adverse effect on your voice, in turn making you more nervous?
Maybe you worry that a heavy accent makes it hard for people to understand you.
Or maybe you speak English as a second language and simply want to improve your fluency and conversational skills.
Careful, considered voice work with an experienced coach can make a real difference to these and a whole range of other concerns.
Voice training can benefit a wide spectrum of people: Politicians; management; IT professionals; call-centre staff; media professionals; consultants; sales-people; teachers & lecturers; clergy; graduates & school-leavers attending interviews. Anyone, in fact, who needs to make themselves heard!
© Gillian McAuley