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Do You Sound As Good As You Look?
Today we are most concerned about the image we project. 55% of that image is our appearance; 37% is the sound of the speaking voice; and, only 8...
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Do You Sound As Good As You Look? Today we are most concerned about the image we project. 55% of that image is our appearance; 37% is the sound of the speaking voice; and, only 8% is our content - that which we are saying. When you hear yourself on your answering machine, are you shocked? Disgusted? Embarrassed? What you hear on your voicemail is that 37%. That sound is your vocal image. That sound is how are recognized by everyone else. Does your speaking voice complement your image or detract from it? Because the majority of the population is not breathing properly, that majority is also not aware that they have a warmer, richer, resonant speaking voice. Many of my clients are women who sound like teenagers, or worse yet, children, when they speak. I certainly wish I could still look 20, but I definitely don't want to sound that age or even younger. One of the many benefits of good voice training is that you will discover a voice that sounds mature, not old, not young - ageless. Another wonderful benefit is that the voice that has had training improves with age. After 40, nothing on the body is improving with age; however, the trained voice is a little like a bottle of fine wine. It actually gets better with age, which means when I'm 85, I may look it, but I will never sound like an old lady. How can this be? The trained voice uses the chest to power or amplify the voice instead of just the throat, voice box, mouth, and/or nose. By allowing your chest to be your major sounding board, you then lessen the wear and tear on your vocal folds (cords). Listen to Lauren Bacall or Joanna Woodward. Both are senior citizens; however, both sound fantastic. Good voice training involves breathing with the support of your diaphragm and speaking within your optimum range. When this happens, you will feel your voice vibrating in your mid-chest region. That is called resonance. One of the most beautiful voices today is that of Diane Sawyer. Her voice is like a blanket around your shoulders. It is warm, the one characteristic that describes every voice that is vibrating in the chest cavity. While raising my two sons, I never yelled at them; I projected. When you yell or shout, you are hurting your vocal folds as well as your listener's ears. When you project, you are increasing your volume but it is not 'loud', just bigger. Liken the voice to well-played symphonic music. When you turn up the volume on a classical recording, you can go a lot further on the output without hurting your ears than if you do the same with heavy metal. Much the same thing happens to the voice when we try to increase our volume improperly. Incidentally, children don't listen when you yell, but they do pay attention when you project. So save your throat; save their ears; and try projection. In addition you will find that you are in control when you project. When you shout or yell, you have lost it. If you wonder why people don't seem to listen to you or are always talking over you, is it because you are soft-spoken? Do people often ask you to repeat yourself? Those of us with bigger voices tire of straining to hear you and eventually we will take over the conversation. If you want to be heard, you need to learn to speak in a Volume Level 1, the normal volume level most people use throughout their day. It takes practice, and the retraining of your inner ear, but, to be able to hold the conversation is definitely worth it. There are so many benefits to training the speaking voice, but one of the best results is that you will actually like your voice. I can't tell you how many people have discovered their 'real' voice and said, I want that sound! Just how good is your vocal image? The Voice Lady Nancy Daniels, President of Voice Dynamic, offers private, corporate and group sessions in voice and presentation skills as well as Voicing It!, the only video training course on voice improvement and public speaking. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Nancy_Daniels
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