Voice Werx

Sustained Practice

2011-10-18T13:21:00.000-07:00

My husband is passionate about music. Due to the fact that our children go to bed early his ability to practice the piano in the evening is encountering a brief hiatus. Fortunately for all of us, he has rediscovered his love of the guitar and has jumped into his training with his usual zeal and determination. Once he sets his mind on something, his commitment to practicing that skill can only be deterred by births or deaths, and his guitar playing is no exception. Every night he spends at least an hour and a half practicing and then another half-an-hour doing music research. I count myself as being a fairly committed individual but he puts me to shame every time!

A friend once told me that if a person spent five-minutes every day exploring a subject, by the end of the year they would be deemed an expert on that particular topic. I think that is probably a gross overstatement and am more in line with Malcolm Gladwell's ("Outliers") idea that it takes at least 10,000 hours to develop a skill to the point of mastery.

On the other hand, five minutes is better than no time at all, and at the moment it is about all the extra time I have, which is why I am drawn to Craig Valentine's "52 Speaking Tips" audio postcards. If you sign up, each week you will receive a five minute tip that you can spend the week experimenting with. Craig Valentine is Toastmaster's 1999 world champion and after listening to the first session I feel like I have something concrete to focus on this week. The first lesson is on finding a foundational phrase and using it to structure your entire message. His belief in creating this program is that sustained practice leads to real growth. I have seen it in my husband and countless others and look forward to giving these exercises five-minutes of my time each day.

Check them out and let me know if you give them a try:

http://www.52speakingtips.com/

Lost and Found

2011-08-08T13:05:00.000-07:00

How fortunate I am to have had a vacation and better yet an opportunity for a working vacation where the work was as stimulating and as uplifting as a journey to a tropical island. (Well, maybe that is a slight exaggeration). I spent my holiday this year on Vancouver Island, on a bluff overlooking the most stunning vista: ocean, island and mountains for as far as the eye can see; deer practically eating out of my hands and hummingbirds resting just inches from my nose.

Now several years ago, while shopping for a present my son's second birthday, I met a woman who is a poet, facilitator, social worker and much much more. Upon meeting we found we shared a mutual interest in and passion for the concept of "Women's Voices". For years we had contemplated merging our two specialties, writing and voice work, into a workshop designed to explore these two areas simultaneously. Thus was "Lost and Found" born two weeks ago on Vancouver Island. While I warmed us all up vocally and physically, the wonderful JS Nahani guided us through a series of thought provoking writing exercises. I was impressed by the amount of clarity that was gained, the quickness by which we were able to open up and reveal unvoiced truths and the confidence I left with, having made contact with these truths. The combination of opening the physical voice and the written voice was indeed as profound as we had expected and at every turn in the facilitation I could visualize further methods of integrating the work. It makes me question how I can integrate more written work into my sessions and how the use of the physical body and voice can enhance and deepen written material for many.

The workshop was help in a wonderful gallery of which I have included the link.

Mariner's Lookout
http://www.flipkey.com/comox-vacation-rentals/p164733/

Thank you Henry of Mariner's Lookout for the perfect space and beautiful art and to all of the amazing participants I look forward to hooking up in the future. If you have further ideas on the connection between writing and voice send them my way. I will keep you update as "Lost and Found" continues to grow... Next workshop will be held in Vancouver this fall.

Camp Fire Songs

2011-07-12T14:34:00.000-07:00

One of my favourite parts of teaching is when a participant starts to really enjoy creating sound and they say something like, "Oh, I remember when I was a kid I made up these great songs." or "I love singing in the shower." Memories of a freedom they may not have felt for a very long time bubble to the surface. Usually, the next class they will arrive with stories about how they sang in the car for the first time in a very long time. For me summer brings these memories to the surface.

In the living room of our house that was build in 1907 are three built- in bookshelves, two of which hug the entry way to the front foyer. In one of those, on the second shelf up, was where my mother kept her dog-eared Girl Scout Guide Song Book. Whenever we went on a camping trip my mother would not only pack the most exquisite gourmet meals to be prepared over an open fire she would also bring her little guitar and if there was time after the tent preparation, exploration, cooking and cleaning, she would sing songs from her Guide days: Barges, Kookabura, This Land is my Land and many more filled our heads and hearts connecting us to each other and our mother's previous life as we munched on S'mores.

CBC currently has an article posted inviting you to send in your favourite camp song:

http://www.cbc.ca/radio2/general2/2011/07/12/campfire-music-the-best-songs-to-sing-around-the-wonderful-glow/

What I have decided that I will do for my children (maybe more myself, if truth be told) is to print out the lyrics of my favourite songs and put together a little book that we can take with us on our next outing. Better yet, I can teach them to the kids in the car on our way to our holiday.

I found a very extensive repository that included so many songs I hadn't thought about in years. Here it is for those of you who might want to keep that voice in shape in a slightly different way this summer:

http://webspace.webring.com/people/rn/nice_dragon/songbook_index.htm

May your songs be lively, your S'mores be messy and your summer nights breathtaking!

P.S. In case you have been deprived S'mores here is the basic recipe.
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/smores/detail.aspx

Summer Reading

2011-07-04T09:34:00.000-07:00

Ah, summer. Finally we have some gorgeous weather and as I have a little bit of time to build on and refine our Presentation Skills sessions for the Fall I have found a great resource. Scott Burkun's Confessions of a Public Speaker is refreshingly honest and simple. The disclaimer at the beginning sets just the right tone, "This book is highly opinionated, personal, and full of behind-the-scenes stories. You may not like this. Some people like seeing how sausage is made, but many do not."

Regardless of whether or not you enjoy seeing sausage being made, if you have ever had to appear in front of an audience and had any feelings of confusion or unease this is a very humorous but helpful way to look at some of the issues and practicalities in presenting. His website has lots of examples of his work, so enjoy the summer and get readin'!

Actor training and Presenting

2011-06-14T11:30:00.001-07:00

What makes me qualified to teach Presentation Skills?

When my son was born, I had taken a break from acting for about a year and was working almost entirely with very novice actors, business people and educators on voice and presentation skills. For the first time in my life I was not immersed in the world of the actor and had very little contact with that community. At that time my brother-in-law was performing in a show so I went to see the show to support him (and because it was a great excuse to do one of the things I enjoy most). The show was an exceptional piece (which isn’t always the case) but mostly I was struck by the elegance, the power, the stature and ease of the actors. Having spent time away from this world, I had forgotten how the years and years of training added up to create master communicators as well as actors. These particular actors all had master’s degrees from very fine internationally recognized institutions as well as long lists of professional experience with some of the finest theatre companies in the country. It is no surprise that so many actors go on to be Public Speakers, Leaders of Organizations and Politicians. One of my students once told me that Ronald Reagan had been quoted as saying he didn’t know how any politician could succeed without training as an actor.

Now Actor training is always a bit of a mystery to the general public. What happens between those closed doors and why would it help me? I spent my childhood in three different places outside the home, one was in acting classes (my love) and the other was at political rally’s (my father’s choice) and the final was at church (my mother’s choice) and I think that it was in these three arenas that I was able to develop and assess different modes of communicating with people. In the arena of politics and church there was very definitely some politicians who were great communicators and some who were very poor. On the other hand, almost every actor was an extremely strong communicator and that made perfect sense to me. In the case of politicians so much of their training and interest could lie in other areas and although the ministers might have loved the liturgy and had a great spiritual connection their technical skills might not have been developed.

So I ask the question again, “What does actor training look like?” Contrary to what other people might believe, actor training looks at some very simple concepts in a very complex, deep, and layered way. It asks how can a person:

1) comfortably be in their body as other people watch them, without any of the physical ticks or patterning that may have developed throughout one’s life?

2) move in a way that expresses their thoughts fully, making use of their entire body?

3) speak fully from a point of deep connection to their soul and move another human being with their sound?

4) listen fully and respond instinctively and honestly?

5) Weave and create an intricate and vibrant story from their imagination?

The means by which these goals are attained are varied and creative but underneath them all is the development of the person to overcome those negative thoughts that might shut him/her down; stop them from expressing fully. Actor training is never ending, it begins at the moment one is born, learning from watching others, and continues every time an actor steps both onstage and offstage. I believe it is the same for every good presenter. Life is the teacher and we learn when we have the confidence to step bravely forward and present ourselves and our stories to an empty room or an audience of 500.

Live Longer

2011-04-19T09:23:00.000-07:00

It is with great sadness that I read today of Arthur Lessac's death. Now who is Arthur Lessac you might wisely ask?

Arthur Lessac has been one of the most influential North American voice teachers of the last century and it was reading his seminal work, "The Use and Training of the Human Voice" that first piqued my interest in teaching voice work. He believed that the sounds in our language are like instruments in an orchestra and that one can develop both the body and the voice until it operates like a Stradivarius. Not only has he coached some of the most prominent actors of our time, he was a singer who performed with the likes of Paul Robeson and Burl Ives.

Now how does this relate to living longer? Lessac firmly believed that developing and using the human voice would, in fact, allow you to live longer. He died on April 7th at 101 years of age and roughly a month before that he was teaching at university in Croatia where he danced with his students in the streets!

I deeply regret that I never had a chance to witness this master teacher at his craft and am thankful that he has left behind a wealth of ideas that we can still access.

If you would like further information, check out the Lessac Training and Research Institute:

http://www.lessacinstitute.com/index2.html

Questions

2010-12-13T15:10:00.001-08:00

What do we fear when we get up in front of large or even small groups of people? Is it that they will throw rotten fruits and vegetables at us, tie us to a stake and roast us over a hot fire or simply think less of us? Since the first two are fairly rare, I am assuming for most of us the answer is the latter. I have spent too many hours in my lifetime worrying about what people think of me, but if I remind myself what I am doing when I present it simplifies things.
"What are you doing?" you may ask yourself.
"I'm exchanging information." I respond.
"But you are the only one talking?" you query.
Ah, I may be the only one talking out loud, but every single person listening is having a thought as I speak and hopefully I am responding to those thoughts.

I recently worked with a presenter who wanted to become more comfortable with his material. We found that whenever he turned his material into a question and answer all of the technical elements fell into place. When he verbalized, "What are our objectives for today's session?" he began to breathe and add vocal variety and relax his body and connect visually with his listeners.

"So you actually want me to try this?" you ask incredulously.
"Why not? What do you have to lose? At least use it as a practice technique to see whether or not it changes your relationship to your material or the listener. I've found it even helps answer questions people have around structuring their content." I respond confidently.

Go on-- give it a try!

Santa

2010-12-13T13:11:00.000-08:00

Last week, with my one-year old daughter strapped on my back and my four–year old son in tow, we spontaneously made our way into Santa’s workshop on Granville Island. After a rousing rendition of Jingle Bells, accompanied by maracas and bells jangled in a most rhythmically challenged way, my son had the opportunity of a life-time: to sit on Santa’s lap for a full ten minutes. Despite the fact that he has been writing his Christmas wish-list since April 28th, the day after his birthday, he was stunned into silence by the gigantic realness of this mythical being. When Santa came to that perfect of all questions, “What would you like for Christmas?” my son said nothing!!! Santa suggested board games to which Griffin blithely nodded his head in a euphoric stupor, despite the fact that he already has Candy Land and Snakes and Ladders, the two board games Santa proposed bringing.

Now, I don’t know about you, but in the event that I, too, lose my brain the next time I see Santa; I thought I should get down in writing what I would really like. Last year, he brought me the perfect present, a DVD collection of Playing Shakespeare (John Barton’s master class with Royal Shakespeare Company actors bringing life to the Bard’s sonnets, scenes and monologues).
This year I am dying for Patsy Rodenburg’s latest book, The Second Circle. I haven’t read it yet, but take a look at this video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ub27yeXKUTY

For those of you confused by the concept of “presentation/performance energy” this is the book for you. I’ll fill you in further in the New Year, if Santa is good to me. I know that what my son really wants is the Playmobil Red Dragon. Think I might have to track Santa down myself and fill him in.

The Pacific Voice Clinic

2010-08-24T09:56:00.000-07:00

Dr. Linda Rammage, a speech-language pathologist, wrote a wonderful little book on vocal health called "Vocalizing with Ease." Here is a link to more information about the book, as well as some important “Do’s and Don’ts” for getting the most from your voice.

If you ever fear that you may have a vocal health issue in need of consultation, use this site as a reference.

http://pvcrp.com/about_pvcrp.php

The Voice and Speech Trainers' Association (VASTA)

2010-03-23T16:16:00.000-07:00

The Voice and Speech Trainers' Association (VASTA) is a worldwide organization designed to link voice and speech trainers and to provide a space where lay people can access a trainer. Part of their mandate is to spread the message of vocal health, and this site provides a thorough list of online resources that cover basic anatomy, vocal disorders, and much more.

http://www.vasta.org/

VoiceGuy

2010-03-10T13:52:00.000-08:00

Eric Armstrong, a professor with the Department of Theatre at York University, has created an outstanding web-based resource. His website is easy to read with podcasts that take you from relaxing the body, breathing and simple sound, into more intermediate voice practices.

Download all of them onto your iPod and you can have a voice workout wherever you go.

http://voiceguy.ca/

Fillers and Mosquitos

2009-07-21T11:34:00.000-07:00

With the heat each summer arrives a bevy of insidious mosquitoes that buzz in our ears and leave big welts on our skin. So each night, my husband has a whole routine that he follows to the letter: all windows and doors are shut at dusk, citronella essential oil is positioned near all drains and then the fly swatter comes out and any remaining mosquitoes are "taken care of". It works beautifully, but only if he performs his nightly routine.

I have had a few requests to discuss the idea of fillers; those "likes", "ers", "ummms" that creep unknowingly and sometimes all too frequently into our lectures, casual conversations and other important interchanges. Linguists disagree as to whether this is a negative or positive aspect of speech but most listeners would agree that by the tenth "ummm" in a two minute time period, we are paying more attention to the "ummm" than the content.

So what can we do to reduce these fillers if we find that they are running amok in our speech?

1. Assess what fillers you use. We each have our own and a good friend, partner or respected student will usually be able to help you out with this (in a respectful manner). Another choice is to record yourself speaking spontaneously on a set topic.

2. Don't be afraid to pause when you sense a filler approach. Sometimes verbalizing the "ummm" is our way to buy time as we develop the perfect wording for our communication.

3. Practice in manageable chunks. Concentrating on fillers all the time may become overwhelming. Choose a brief interchange, a five minute section in your lecture or short presentation where your focus for that moment can be on reducing fillers.

4. Expand your vocabulary. Learn a new word each day and soon the joy of finding just the right word will allow you to resist the general "umm" as you toss "penultimate" at your now intrigued listener.

5. Take time to practice a little bit each day and ask for feedback from others regarding your use of fillers.

Now, we still get a few mosquitoes from time to time, despite my husband's efforts and you will probably find that the fillers will appear occasionally even after all this work. What matters most is that you feel more confident and less held back and restricted in your communication.

Go ahead-- get out that fly swatter and reduce those fillers!

Excerpt from "The Memoirs of Speedy Gonzales"

2009-06-01T14:03:00.000-07:00

I love working with scholars who value language and the process of learning as much as the subject matter itself. Dorritta Fong, from the English Department, is a prime example of the thoughtfulness I see so often. I first met Dorritta when she attended a Clear Speech workshop I gave in April and since then I have the opportunity to lead her through several thirty minute private sessions. One of the reasons she had enrolled in the class was because several students and colleagues had commented that her speech was too quick for them to follow. In our first few sessions, I encouraged her to experiment with diaphragmatic breathing to support her speech instead of the upper thoracic or chest breathing she was accustomed to. She reported the next week that her discoveries were both "startling and humbling". The more she concentrated on breathing the easier it became-- until she went back in the classroom and found that she fell right back into her habitual way of communicating. Here's how she described the process:

"Since these modes of speaking are habitual, though, and comfortable, I am learning that I simply need to learn new practices. The work to undertake new habits is, at times, frustrating, and frequently difficult. I am needing to concentrate on my breathing, and trying to listen to my body. Doing such normal and natural things is astoundingly difficult. Breathing is both involuntary, in that we must do so, impelled by the body, but also voluntary, in that we can choose and control how to breathe. However, learning to over-ride what I normally do, with what I need to do, is a struggle. And I am stopping to tell myself to “Breathe!” many times a day. As well, my own sense of myself is that I think in complex, long, complete thoughts, as if I had a ticker tape unspooling iin my head. Thus, I find that trying to be conscious about what I am saying, considering what to emphasise, where to pause, when to breathe, how to place stress, whose reaction to note, and why I am speaking, is very odd. I feel, sometimes, as if my head contains a set of gerbils who have been running along, in tandem, on little wheels, complacently for years, without direction. Now, suddenly, as the über gerbil, or the rodent queen, I am trying to step in, with my little sceptre, and assert, in my squeaky (but eventually majestic) voice—“Okay, you. Breathing gerbil—fill the diaphragm. And you, pitch gerbil—vary things. You, speed gerbil, give it a rest. Emphasis gerbil—make yourself heard.” Trying to co-ordinate all these rodents and keep all the wheels churning along smoothly is exhausting, and I am finding that, to my friends, and to myself, I sometimes sound strange, and stilted. But this is temporary and will pass.

I am proceeding slowly, and am noticing small, but real changes. I am realising that Ms. Turner is helping me to allow myself time and capacity to speak in a considered and effective way. I am finding that I feel less anxious about speaking. I feel less pressure to rush on to the next idea. I am choosing my words more deliberately. I am reacting more thoughtfully to my audience, and registering their comprehension, or lack of it. Most importantly, since I want to speak to be understood, focusing on how I speak will eventually allow me to communicate in a mode other than English as an Accelerated and Incomprehensible Language."

Go Dorritta!

The Gift of Poetry

2009-05-12T14:59:00.000-07:00

As I diligently prepare for a full summer of private coachings one of my main tasks is to choose material which the participants can use. Although I search,with minor success, for brief pieces of inspirational prose, I invariably come back to the wealth and abundance of material available in poetry. I return again to the Poetry Out Loud site where I notice they now have included an audio guide. There, numerous famous actors and writers have recorded their favourite poems and discuss their reasons for learning poetry by heart.

Kay Ryan describes a transformational moment from her childhood where her grandmother looked her in the eyes, her teeth crumpling, a quaver in her voice and recited several lines from a Longfellow poem. I was instantly reminded of my University years when my mother and grandmother came to visit. It was a beautiful spring day, the first truly warm day of the year. All of the flowers were blossoming and I was clutching on to my grandmother's soft, arthritic gnarled hands feeling the glow of her contentment. Suddenly, she spoke excitedly, "Sarah, remember how much you used to love that Wordsworth poem,

'I WANDER'D lonely as a cloud
That floats on high o'er vales and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host, of golden daffodils;'

Oisie, don't you remember that poem?" she asked my mother while she continued reciting. My mother and I exchanged a knowing smile. For my Grandmother loves that poem; it may well be the only poem she knows by heart. Perhaps it was something she learned as a child.

After Kay Ryan recited the line her grandmother was so fond of, she states that "Poetry is for desperate occasions." I would also add that it is for delicious occasions, when your own personal ability to express the profundity of a moment falls short. In those moments a poet's carefully thought out and inspired description alone seems appropriate, adding weight and verifying the connectedness of human kind over time and space.

It is my Grandfather's 90th birthday in two weeks and we have been ordered, by my Grandmother, not to buy him any presents. So... I think that what I will do is commit that poem to heart and recite it for him. Maybe even record a few other poems to go with it so that he has something to listen to in those quiet moments that come so frequently for him now. Outside of my presence, I can think of no greater gift. So why not try it, choose an upcoming celebration and learn a poem by heart. The environment will thank you, poets will thank you, but most importantly, you will have an opportunity to observe how words can truly be a gift.

If you need some help finding the right poem, start with the list of poems on the Poetry Out Loud website:

http://poetryoutloud.org

The house that cries

2009-04-28T12:29:00.000-07:00

"The gift of words is magic," says world renowned storyteller Jane Yolen. After spending a very rich and busy week facilitating a workshop on teaching and learning I am even more puzzled and excited by the conundrum and complexity of words.

As a voice instructor I have spent years encouraging people to trust their instincts and let whatever word instinctively fall out, having faith that the impulses will enliven the body and allow that particular word to be voiced in the most natural and connected way.

Now as a facilitator, and as a teacher, I am also relearning words; words that inspire and invite rather than judge or shut down the listener. What are the words that spark something inside the listener heads and makes them want to delve into a thought, break it apart and search for their own conclusion?

My three year old, after spending a week crying each morning as I left the house, told me on Saturday, "Mom, we can't leave the house, it might cry!" Eight words that powerfully communicated to me his experience of being over the past week.

The challenge is the balance between trusting impulse and creating a knowledge base around words. Ian Raffel, a wonderful voice teacher in the lower mainland, has a real love of language and etymology. Although this may be less thorough than many books on the subject, I found my way to an Etymology On-line Dictionary. Looking up "Breath" alone could keep me busy for days.

http://www.etymonline.com/

After going into great detail on the magic of words in "Touch Magic", Jane Yolen sites research done on children raised by animals. Apparently, in the few cases that are known and studied, it was the acquisition of language that remained the hardest for these children when they were re-socialized in a human community. Is language our greatest gift? Helen Keller would probably answer a resounding, "Yes". So let us continue to explore its powers...

Persona

2009-03-31T10:54:00.000-07:00

Glancing through the Sunday paper over brunch this past weekend I was struck by an article about "Canada's Youngest Ventriloquist", Carolyn Walters. Walters recently passed away and this lovely spread honoured her life and contributions. The idea of persona when we are presenting had come up several times over the past few weeks in my teaching. I was enchanted to find yet another story, the life story of Carolyn Walters, reaffirming my belief that altering our view of persona can free us to present and interact with others in a state of confidence and ease that we may not usually possess in our daily lives.

You see as a child Ms. Walters was, according to a friend, a "desperately shy child with a pronounced stutter"-- until she brought her puppet to show and tell one day. To the amazement of her class, the puppet, Sandy, spoke without a stutter and told animated jokes with a sense of humour and confidence her classmates hadn't previously seen. The shy young girl and her puppet would later become TV personalities and spend a good amount of time in the public spotlight.

Although surprising, this story is not as unique as it may appear. The actor Danny Glover speaks flawlessly in his roles on camera but watch him in an interview and you will hear the stutter that has been with him his entire life. Some of the world's most famous actors, most notably Al Pacino, are said to be quite shy. What is it about the process of changing personas or roles that allows us to also shed our insecurities?

After a presentation skills workshop last week, one of my co-workers, a vivacious and outgoing woman with excellent communication skills, noted that during her last presentation she felt listless and timid. She wanted to know how to adapt a different persona, one that would enable her to still feel genuine and connect with others at the same time. I didn't give her a quick answer because I wanted to encourage her to take some time and experiment, to discover the persona herself.

As I watch my three year old play on his own during the day he has begun to act out the story of Little Red Riding Hood. He expands his body and deepens his voice, stomping around the house as he becomes the wolf. I hope he continues this play, sampling these personas, discovering which sounds and movements make him feel safe or powerful or playful. I know from my experience working with actors, teachers, businesspeople and more that experiencing these states of being can be just the trick to enjoying your time in the spotlight.

Exercise and the Voice

2009-03-17T13:44:00.000-07:00

With the growing popularity of yoga and pilates, participants in voice classes have a greater awareness of diaphragmatic breathing. However, it is important to note that different forms of exercise encourage different types of breathing.

The 'Ujjayi' breathing suggested in certain forms of yoga, where you contract muscles in the throat is inefficient for speech work since you are actually adding tension to the throat. The contraction of the abdominal wall in pilates, while extremely helpful to strengthen and support the back, can prevent the diaphragm from contracting fully and thus limit the breath supply needed for sound.

Fortunately, to guide us through these considerations, Joanna Cazden in her recent book, How to Take Care of your Voice, has included a chapter on exercise. Here she lists common types of exercises, their benefits for voice and speech work, as well as some of the precautions you may want to take before, during or after a session to prevent any vocal strain.

Lucky for us, there are excerpts of her book available online which includes the chapter on exercise.

http://booklocker.com/pdf/3026s.pdf

So continue strengthening, relaxing and moving your body, just remember not to forget about your voice in the process.

Oratory

2009-01-13T10:33:00.000-08:00

In contemplating the offerings for the new term, I keep returning to the idea of oratory. Although no longer in vogue in our school system,from the mid-eighteenth century up until the end of the nineteenth century oratory skills were not only included in the curriculum but some proponents believed that oratory skills were a fundamental key to life.

In Oration on Eloquence given on commencement day at Harvard University in 1794 the speaker stated:

"Speech and reason are the characteristics, the glory and the happiness of man. These are the pillars which support the fair fabric of eloquence; the foundation, upon which is erected the most magnificent edifice, that genius could design or art construct. To cultivate eloquence, then, is to improve the noblest faculties of our nature, the richest talents with which we are entrusted."

Fredrick Douglass in My Bondage and My Freedom recalls reading Caleb Bingham's The Columbian Orator, "The reading of these speeches added much to my limited stock of language, and enabled me to give tongue to many interesting thoughts, which had frequently flashed through my soul, and died away for want of utterance."

My fascination with oration comes from my background as an actor. One of the true joys of performance is to rediscover word and thought for yourself night after night. The same words are spoken, but I can always tell a really great playwright by the insight I gain from their words in the repeated utterance. Can we not all benefit from ingesting great words and thoughts?

I was relieved to find a website for "Poetry Out Loud", a national recitation contest for high school students. There are wonderful poetry selections that are short enough to learn in a week and an interesting set of standards that the adjudicators use to evaluate participants. It is definitely worth checking out, but more importantly find a quote, a poem or even a joke that you can learn. Once you have done that try it out on a friend or colleague, their reaction alone will be incentive to add to your collection.

What do we do?

2009-01-06T15:03:00.000-08:00

Where did the fall go? After several weeks of a snowy vacation, Vancouver saw more snow than it has seen in over forty years, I am desperate to get out of the house and sink my teeth into an exciting project. Of course, this long neglected blog is top priority!

As I created my New Year's hopes, wishes and dreams list (I write down 26 each year, one for each letter of the alphabet), I contemplated a theme for this year's blog and the answer miraculously appeared during a "cleaning out my cupboards" session. I would like to compile a clearer picture of what voice and presentation skills coaches do. What would a session look like? What types of exercises would a student go away practicing? What questions, concerns might a participant grapple with? So hopefully we will be including more video this year, podcasts and informal entries from participants. All in all providing you with even more resources, ideas and support.

To get us started I found this great example of a private "American Accent Coaching" session. Take a look... maybe it will even inspire you to dive in to your voice and speech exercises.

http://www.slatev.com/player.html?id=1184473562

Puntuation

2008-08-26T09:48:00.001-07:00

The summer has been so busy with private sessions I haven't had nearly the time I would have liked to attend to my blogging. Not to worry- I am back! If the fall affords you with any extra time, or the need for a good laugh, I strongly suggest picking up a copy of Lynne Truss's (note the use of the apostrophe here) book, "Eats, Shoots and Leaves". Now, why on earth would I advocate picking up a punctuation book when I am a voice teacher who deals with the spoken word? I'll let Ms. Truss tell you herself:

"Punctuation directs you how to read, in the way musical notation directs a musician how to play. As we shall see in the chapter on commas, it was first used by Greek dramatists two thousand years ago to guide actors between breathing points…"

Give it a try. Take out your next lecture, presentation or script and try breathing each time you get to a comma. Then, check out Lynne Truss's book for a good laugh and hopefully, a new appreciation for the written and spoken word alike.

I've had a few requests for blog entries and podcasts. We are working on getting more podcasts and possibly some with video up soon. Topics will include:

Devoicing

The Mighty Tongue

Presentation Notation

How do I sound?

2008-07-08T15:24:00.000-07:00

My cousin, a gorgeous young woman in her early twenties with blond hair and a petite frame, is well on her way to becoming a talented director in the film industry. We had a chance to get together over pizza the other night and catch up. I asked her how everything was going and after lots of great stories about the Paramount lot, we got to talking about the work that I'm doing. Somehow she brought up the fact that she consciously pitches her voice low so that people will take her seriously. She has the impression that it is harder for her to attain immediate respect from co-workers because of her youthful appearance.

It is tempting to pitch our voices higher or lower according to how we hope to be perceived, just make sure that you aren't impeding your body's natural ability to communicate easily. So often men come into my sessions vocally tired because they have either consciously or unconsciously pushed their sound back into their throats to sound "cooler" or "more masculine". Forcing your voice into a certain pitch can cause tension in the vocal folds and cut off your natural resonance.

Try this: Sit comfortably in a chair or lying down on the floor while you allow the breath to fall in and out. Place your hands on your face, covering you forehead, cheeks and mouth and begin to hum. Without forcing in any way, hum a few high pitches and then a few low pitches. When the humming feels easy, speak a simple phrase, such as, "Hello, how are you?" Notice whether these words are spoken in a higher or a lower pitch from where you normally speak. How does it feel?

Go on, give it a try!

Motivation

2008-07-03T09:51:00.001-07:00

It is a muggy, warm July evening at the park where the green grasses obscure a small pond with ducks frolicking among the water lilies. James wheels himself over to where I stand and introduces himself by inviting me to bump fists with him. The fist bump is his solution to a handshake since he is unable to open his fingers in the necessary way for a traditional handshake.

James was about to become a professional hockey player before a work accident left him paralyzed in both legs. He talks candidly about the depression he experienced after his accident, but he is now passionate about the work he does providing accessible outdoor leisure activities, such as gliding, sailing and hiking, to people with disabilities. Part of this work includes speaking in public, like this past week when he spoke at a grade 7 graduation.

When he first began speaking to groups, initially made up of fellow quadriplegics, he admits to being hesitant and that the possibility was intimidating.

"How did you get over that fear?" I asked.

"I just reminded myself that it wasn't about me. I had to get over myself and tell those guys that there is so much out there to live for. Then it was easy."

There was an earnestness and strength in his voice that only his unique life experience could add to his words. I envied his audience and was thankful for an opportunity to learn once again that heartfelt motivation can move mountains and ease many fears, including that of not speaking in public.

Task: This week, make a list of the important life lessons you have learned. Keep the list in your speaking file. The next time you have to speak, you already have a few personal stories ready to go.

Audience

2008-06-24T09:22:00.000-07:00

Who would have guessed that the most educational part of my week would take place at my cousin's wedding? It was a gorgeous and decadent affair with orchid's flowing over the rims of silver bowls, pink feather bouquets, Cava everywhere and a dessert feast that would tempt even the stricktest of dieters.

For me, however, the heart of any celebration is revealed in the speeches. The groom's father, known in our family as "Uncle Bruce" is the most accomplished of speakers. A career as a Chartered Accountant, and a longstanding President of numerous boards, his experience shows with the ease in which he presents. His speeches are by the book and yet they transend rules. The result is personal, touching, and revealing. My professional ear was keenly attuned to the nuances, while my heart was open and moved by the weight of such an important speech.

What can we steal from Uncle Bruce? The key to this particular speech was his use of audience. He began speaking to the wider group that consisted of strangers and family alike, bringing us all into a common understanding of his relationship with his son and daughter-in-law. Then he gradually transitioned into speaking to the groomsmen, many of whom he had known for thirty years. This transition allowed him to reveal a different side of his son's character, he even referred to a pivotal event in their lives that he could not describe in detail. Naming this "secret" honoured the many parts of our lives we do not discuss in public that have an important impact on the development of our character. The groomsmen were visibly affected by this reference and we, as an audience, were invited in to a more intimate relationship.

His final transition was perhaps the closest to his heart, as he addressed the parents of his new daugther-in-law. He recalled his own experience watching his daughter get married over ten years ago. He spoke with great empathy and specificity recalling his own feelings of joy, trepidation, and hope. It was with great care and sensitivity that he welcomed this couple into his family and vowed to care for their daughter, as he would his own.

Uncle Bruce's daughter, Leanne, unused to speaking in public, also got up to deliver a wonderful speech. As I complimented her at the end of the night, she resisted accepting such words. I wanted to say, "To me anything heartfelt, meaningful, brave and personal is better than all the well-polished words of a well-crafted speech."

So go ahead, be brave and speak from your heart. If you need help knowing where to start, begin with your audience and trust that knowing who you are talking to will also reveal what it is you want to say.

The Benefits of Being Silly

2008-06-17T11:14:00.000-07:00

Linking my week's activities and observations is at times a daunting task. However, as disparate as my experiences were this past week, a definite theme emerged as I quickly scribbled some of the highlights from this past week on a piece of scratch paper.

Scene one: I'm sitting with one of my private students in a board room at the university. For the past several weeks we have been observing his tendency to de-voice at the end of his phrases. As we intone and speak/sing funny phrases together he finds a full vibration all the way to the end of his sound and the tone is clear. Unfortunately, as soon as we move back into spoken words the de-voicing kicks back in. "Why are you doing this?" I ask cheekily. We both giggle and then are quiet. A moment of silence as he ponders what to say next. "I think it has to do with giving myself permission to be silly."

Scene two: A sunny (finally) summer Saturday morning in my living room. A student and I are rolling on the floor shaking our feet and making silly sounds. This student has done this type of exercise several times before, but today she feels uncomfortable, the sound is muted and when we sit up to reflect on the experience, she doesn't want to make eye contact. "I felt intimidated by the fact that you could express things so freely. I don't like the way I sound."

Scene three: Tuesday night at the Vancouver Public Library. A room in the basement is brimming with three hundred eager listeners as Dr. Gabor Mate makes his way to the podium to speak about his recent best-seller on addiction. He speaks about the hidden causes of addiction: the need to overcome pain, to experience pleasure, to fill a void or emptiness inside of us and finally the desire to feel exquisitely alive, to stimulate our endorphins.

Final scene: Two two year old boys are rolling on the grass, as the butterflies hover above their heads. They giggle and laugh and then jump up and down screaming at the top of their lungs. "You're so silly!" I tell them, laughing and envious of their freedom and joy.

As Dr. Mate introduced his work on addiction he described the process of inquiry as being akin to looking into a kaleidoscope. In his opinion, assessing the causes for addiction must take into consideration the physical, mental, emotional, and social history of an individual. Once these elements have been observed, the observer must shake the kaleidoscope over and over again to look at all these components in a variety of different ways. The ability to be silly is like our kaleidoscope as we investigate our sound. We let go of the physical, mental, emotional and social constraints we have placed on our expression.

Try it, make some silly sounds and observe how it feels, what thoughts are evoked and how it sounds.

Fearless Speaking

2008-06-10T09:44:00.000-07:00

As the summer months hit, hopefully you have a little more time to pick up a book or, if all else fails, pop an audio recording into the car CD player as you journey off to some exotic sunny location. There are two books that I would highly recommend. The first is "Seven Steps to Fearless Speaking" by Lilyan Wilder. I was excited to find an honest and helpful resource for people who become either mildly worked up or absoluted debilitated when speaking in front of a group. The plan she creates for facing these challenges is clear, detailed and realistic. While she wisely refrains from offering a quick fix, the countless stories she provides remind the reader that with careful and conscious work we can all achieve more comfort and pleasure presenting our ideas in public.

My second suggestion is a book called "Crucial Conversations: Tools for talking when stakes are high" by Kerry Patterson, Joseph Grenny, Ron McMillan, Al Switzler and Stephen R. Covey. Reading this book was an extremely humbling experience for me. I recongnized the myriad of ways I impede clear communication. If I can ever begin to implement the communication skills they advocate, life in my household alone will definitely become easier and more enjoyable.

Pick them both up if you get a chance and enjoy the exotic summer vacation!

Speaking from the Body

2008-05-13T09:57:00.000-07:00

I love syncronicity! I have been experimenting with the idea of inquiry based sessions when I teach. So as I headed into the classroom yesterday morning, I organized the text and physical tasks we would explore around a set of questions. We began with the question: "What does it mean to speak from the body?" I followed that question up with three others which I hoped would focus on the participant's individual experiences. The discussion was a lively one and as I had predicted created more questions than it answered. So, fortunately, the discussion reminded me that the concept of speaking from the body could take a lifetime to explore. Lorna Marshall's "The Body Speaks" provides wonderful insight and I would highly recommend it to anyone who communicates on a regular basis. The exercises she outlines are simple enough to be done on your own.

So where does syncronicity come in? Before drifting off to sleep, I picked up Michael Gelb's "How to think like Leonarda Da Vinci". According to Gelb, the major key to Da Vinci's extraodinary ability to design, create, philosophize, analyze, scrutinize and produce lies in his ability to constantly question. Gelb's advice on raising children to think like Da Vinci is to ask them every night when they come home from school, "What did you ask today?"

Feldenkrais and Learning

2008-05-06T09:57:00.000-07:00

As I continue to ponder Finkel's "Teaching With Your Mouth Shut", I keep returning to his initial question, "When have you learned something of value that you can apply to your life?" Contrary to his prediction, each learning experience I reflected on did actually happen in a classroom. The fact that the classroom was filled with sweaty students in leotards, sweats and bare feet might not have been his definition of a classroom, but I was nonetheless at a university pursuing my master's degree.

In Ken Bain's "What the Best College Teachers Do", he defines deep learning as "building new mental models of reality." As I was remembering a learning experience that changed the way I viewed the world, I remember being in George Pinney's movement class at Indiana University. George was leading us through a very simple Feldenkrias exercise where we 1) gauged our potential for movement, 2)repeated several small movements that allowed us to move beyond our initial physical boundaries, and 3) IMAGINED repeating the small movements on the opposite side which also allowed us to move beyond our initial physical boundaries. One of Feldenkrais' major philosophies is that our physical limitations are mental. Having seen such a tremdous shift in my physical body after having simply imagined it, opened up new posibilities for me physically and mentally.

I found a very similar exercise on-line that is very effective. Try for yourself and let me know what you think:

http://www.somatic.com/lesson.html#top

Failure II

2008-04-29T15:46:00.000-07:00

I had several ideas for my posting today, but it has taken me until the end of my workday to make a firm decision on the topic. When all the pieces fell into place I was amused to see the title of last week's post: Failure. Little did I know when I wrote that piece that I would be confronting my own type of failure within days.

Since having my son I haven't been out auditioning as much as I had previous to his birth. Recently, I decided it was time to dive back in. So last week I balanced workshops at the university on presentation skills with auditions at several local theatre companies. Both the preparation and audition process were exhilarating, taxing, stimulating and exhausting all at once. No matter how much I reminded myself that the experience of auditioning should be the reward in itself, I found myself envisioning being offered the role I had auditioned for and having the opportunity to work with so many talented and creative people on such engrossing material. So it was no surprise that I felt a sense of failure later in the week when I was not offered the role.

I had hoped that the long break might have lessened the feelings of sadness over not being cast, but a very recognizable sense of loss was definitely apparent in my gut. I contemplated stopping there, not pursuing any more auditions. However, as the dullness dissipated my senses returned and I happened upon this quotation by Teddy Roosevelt:

"It is not the critic that counts. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena; whose face is marked by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again; who knows the great enthusiasm and great devotions, and spends himself in a worthy cause, who at the best, knows in the end the triumph of high achievement; and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly; so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat."

So, come on, let's get out there and FAIL VALIANTLY!!!!

The Art of Failure

2008-04-22T11:45:00.000-07:00

What do we fear when we get up in front of an audience? Making a fool of ourselves, embarrassing ourselves, being heckled, having rotten tomatoes thrown at our feet, losing our clothes, the list goes on and on. Sometimes the list is completely irrational, but audiences are not always as generous as we would like them to be.

This past weekend, my sister-in-law turned forty and for the event my husband, her brother, helped to organize a wonderful surprise party. Now despite the fact that he runs a busy photography business, helps care for our two year old son, plays hockey and did two years worth of taxes he also thought he could manage creating a slide show telling the story of his sister's life, organize the caterers and fly a friend in from Utah for the event. All of this he miraculously accomplished in a little over a week's time. Several hours before the event; however, he had a brainstorm, he would also give an entertaining and informative speech! As he hung decorations, let the caterers in, and secured a babysitter he was searching the internet for quirky facts about the year his sister was born and managed to compose a few words in his head. Jump ahead a few hours, the party is in full swing, the candles are lit, the gorgeous creme fraiche and smoked salmon pancakes are being gobbled up and my husband begins the entertainment.

He has a vibrant, energetic and engaging personality and loves being in front of a crowd; unfortunately, he runs into a speaker's most dreaded foe, a tough audience. A few wise-cracking friends attempt to cut his speech short and when I see his face turning a burnt red against his lovely white linen shirt my heart breaks and I want nothing more than to alleviate the embarrassment he is experiencing at the moment.

Fortunately, he handles "failure" better than I. The next day we go for a long walk and he tells me about all the discoveries he made. "It always looks so easy when people get up to give great speeches. I guess I should have actually practiced and kept it brief, focussing more on my sister or possibly even allowing for some participation from the audience."

I had told him the story of Bill Clinton getting booed off of the stage at the 1988 Democratic Convention. My husband decided that he will do his best to emulate Bill Clinton's ability to learn from past mistakes. My fortieth is coming up and I have no doubts that he will have perfected it by then!!!

The Spoken Word

2008-04-15T09:47:00.000-07:00

I don't think a night of my childhood went by without one of my parents reading to me. We started with "Goodnight Moon", "Peter Rabbit", "Blueberries for Sal" and then moved on to "Anne of Green Gables", "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer" and "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" until I was able to read myself to sleep. Unfortunately, reading myself to sleep never had the same impact. The warmth of my father or mother's tones caressing, shocking or cajoling me into another world was, and still is, one of the greatest gifts they have given me.

What is it that makes the spoken word so powerful? Why do we need to hear our political, spiritual and social leaders speak to us? Why do we read poetry and speeches at weddings, funerals and special events, but rarely on a day to day basis?

There are many ways of answering these questions, but if Socrates is right and knowledge is gained by experience, why not experiment by reading something outloud today?

In case you need some inspiration, here is the link to a poetry blog. The poems are short and rich in their use of language. I suggest reading the poem several times until you begin to feel the weight and texture of the words. If you are feeling very brave, read it to someone else. Speaking text outloud not only warms up your voice, but gives you an opportunity to make choices about how you want to say something.

http://poem-of-the-week.blogspot.com/2008/01/hope-is-thing-with-feathers-by-emily.html

Preparation

2008-04-08T09:49:00.000-07:00

It's Monday night, the onslaught of rain all day has kept me indoors with my two year old. We've gone through all the regular games and both of us are in need of new entertainment. All of a sudden, I have a brilliant idea: we will record our voices in his mini-tape player. This activity is an instant hit, but when I hear my voice played back I notice that it is tight and high-pitched. I can literally hear the tension of the past few weeks restrict my sound. Thankfully, I know just what to do and pull out my Feldenkrais tapes. Later that evening, when the little guy is asleep, I am able to give myself twenty minutes to follow along to the voice of the instructor, moving my arms and legs in easy and enjoyable ways, my voice relaxes and my body feels both lighter and more fluid.

I'm not sure why Feldenkrais work hasn't gained in mainstream popularity. Perhaps because the philosophy sounds too good to be true: work less and allow your muscles to re-find a way of moving that is less impeded by habitual tensions. The residence centre where my grandparents live is offering Feldenkrais classes weekly which leads me to beleive that although the community centre Feldenkrais classes aren't quite as full as the Pilates or Boot Camp Workouts, there is definitely a growing interest. I've included a link to an article on incorporating Feldendrais exercises in your preparation for leading a presentation. Take a look around the site, there is a plethora of valuable information and aritcles worth exploring:

http://www.feldenkrais.com/method/article/awareness_through_movement_for_public_speakers/

Linking

2008-04-01T10:11:00.000-07:00

Last Thursday was World Theatre Day and several local theatre companies organized a set of staged readings. I was busy enacting scenes and bringing full scripts to life in front of an audience with a limited amount of preparation. Since I had had a brief break from performing I was able to appreciate the experience in a new way and gain tremendous insight. My first insight was how naturally my body reacted to being onstage again. I must admit, I felt a little rusty, but the years of training and practice did pay off. So often when I am leading sessions on Presentation Skills, I am asked how one can read information off of a page and stay connected to an audience. Yes, there are tricks, like marking your place with your finger as you go and giving yourself permission to pause, but what will help you the most is PRACTICE. Practice speaking written text out loud, and communicating your message, even if it's just to a close friend or partner.

My second realization was how strongly linked the craft of acting and presenting are. This wasn't a new realization but a confirmation of a thought I have had for a long while. I'm still formulating how I can articulate and communicate this more coherently. In the mean time, check out this wonderful workshop on Lecturing by Patrick Winston of MIT. If you are interested in presenting, don't be deterred by the focus on lecturing, so many of the principles apply to both.

http://isites.harvard.edu/fs/html/icb.topic58703/winston1.html

"Smile, Your On-Camera"

2008-03-04T09:54:00.000-08:00

Last week, I had an explosive class. Literally. We fled from our on-camera session, escaping the billows of burnt hotdog smelling smoke. Myself and the participants waited outside in the cold contemplating the challenge of seeing ourselves on camera. I overhear a comment from one participant to the other, "It's like hearing your voice played back on a tape recorder. It doesn't even sound like me!" Although slightly intimidating for some, the idea of being able to communicate with students live is an inticing one.

As I browse my favourie home decorating site (yes, that's right, I admit to having a favourite home decorating site) her blogs have now become little videos. Finally, I get a chance to see who this woman is, hear the timbre of her voice, see the items she is discussing. A part of me misses the mystery of only having her words, but the other part of me feels more included and connected. The quality of the "voice" changes somewhat.

Waiting outside on this damp February day, we discovered that the cause of the smoke had been a lit firecracker under a seat in the auditorium next to ours. The professor was giving an exam and it appeared that an unprepared student was getting very creative.

As the smoke cleared I returned to my computer and took another look at the site including the video:

http://www.tracyporter.com/blog.php

It's worth it, I thought, getting more comfortable with the camera.

Slow down for Obama!

2008-02-26T10:24:00.001-08:00

In every session I have led over the past six months, one name comes up over and over: Obama! How exciting that there is finally a public leader who can inspire and move us with his words. My next door neighbor and a participant in a recent workshop passed on this link:

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20080222.wxlspeech22/BNStory/lifeMain/home

The article points out that Obama's word per minute speech rate is quite a bit slower than most politicians. Slowing down, as the writer and analysts point out, may help to get the message across, but don't forget to watch the excerpt they have included. Obama's ease, confidence, passion and conviction are felt in each phrase, word, sound and syllable. His warm and open smile bursts out at perfectly timed intervals, drawing us in to his humanity.

Slowing down will definitely help when you give your next presentation, but only if you breathe in and experience each word, each phrase, each listener. So give yourself time to try it out.

Canada's National Voice Intensive

2008-02-19T12:06:00.000-08:00

Where to begin? I was fortunate to have spent the past week with some of the faculty from Canada's National Voice Intensive. The work was challenging, exciting, revealing and downright fun! Judith Koltai reminded us that some aspects of the body are well designed and some are not so well designed. In light of that fact, we "oiled" a small segment of our spine with a pelvic tilt and felt the rest of our bones fall into place. Ian Raffel shared his ideas on rhetoric and we were all able to tell a great story about sixty pretty women. Dale Genge, from Studio 58, got everyone up and moving while exploring Henry V's "Now entertain conjecture of a time..."-- I'm still sad that I missed that one. And David Smukler? Well, he reminded us that our form is a house, and within that house is a need, and as that need is triggered it becomes a thought, and as that thought is processed it travels through a channel until it begins to resonate, and as we resonate we then articulate, but most importantly our voice is your response.

If that doesn't make any sense, send in your application for Canada's National Voice Intensive.

http://www.theatre.ubc.ca/vi/

Bravery

2008-01-31T15:09:00.000-08:00

Seventy-five high school drama students in a small theatre. Sandwiched between their early morning technical rehearsal and their afternoon run-through, I had the privelege to deliver a two-hour workshop on Voice. Some of them definitely did not want to be there. Some maintained a steely concentration that allowed them to focus on the material for their own benefit, others went through the motions because that's what they "should" do, and still others were much too pre-occupied by the woman or man standing in front of them. The challenge of being heard was multi-layered. Physically the task of enabling them to hear my voice, was a challenge to say the least, then the idea of communicating a message was an even greater challenge. To allow them to move through their own fears of being embarrassed, doing something different, trying a new way of relating that may not be be deemed "cool" was a mighty endeavor. I encouraged them to participate, bravely, and speak from their hearts.

This morning a faculty member was experimenting with gesture. "I'm not good at that." she stated. The rest of the class refuted her claim. "Yes, you are, you just did it!" And she had.

At night, in the few moments between doing dishes and preparing for the next day, I pick up "Reading Lolita in Tehran" by Azar Nafisi. Nafisi asks her students how novels can relate and inform their lives. I ask myself how this book can relate to my life. It is teaching me bravery and passion around my profession. To allow myself to believe in the transfomative power of voice work, even in it's smallest gesture.

At the end of the workshop for the high school students, a young man with pale blond hair and a red toque came up to me and gave me a hug. "Where did you learn all that?" he asked. He had been brave and spoken from his heart in front of the group. Somehow, despite the noise, I had been heard.

Vocal Yoga?

2008-01-11T12:32:00.000-08:00

So I finally had a chance to get back to my yoga routine. Twenty minutes was all that I found, wandering between the dishes, email and a fast approaching bedtime. I wanted to kiss those twenty minutes when they were over. My body felt more relaxed than it had in ages and it was as if I had polished all the rough edges off of my voice. While working with a student last week, we were opening up the rib case (cage) with some gentle lengthening. "This is just like yoga!!!" She exclaimed. "It is yoga." I replied.

I did a little search and found that, sure enough, someone is actually leading coarses in Vocal Yoga. She even has a nice and simple description of Fight or Flight's association with breath. Check it out if you get a chance:

http://www.vocalyoga.com/vocalyoga/breathing.html

I'm not one for selling products but if you need a quick twenty-minute guided yoga workout, get ahold of either Suzanne Deason's Stress Relief Yoga for Beginners or Patricia Walden's PM portion of the AM/PM Yoga for Beginners and ease your way into a blissful sleep.

What I didn't get for Christmas

2008-01-03T10:35:00.000-08:00

To prepare for my graduate defence, I was required to read what felt like four hundred books, consisting of both theorectic texts and plays. Like any sensible student, I put off reading the majority of them until the final six months. Bleary eyed, I became more excited about the little red check marks used to tick off the title of each text than the process of reading. There was one exception-- the voice books.

Huddled uncomfortably in a wooden framed library chair overlooking the snowcovered limestone walls, I started to feel my breath in the same full and easy way I had experienced in my voice classes. The more I read about the breath, the more I experienced it in my body. Since then, I have relied on books on breath and voice to keep me sane whenever I have been unable to attend a voice class.

In the chaos of this holiday season, traveling back and forth between relatives and attending celebration after celebration, I realized that what I should have asked for was a breath book. The one I am most curious about is called, "Free Your Breath, Free Your Life" by Dennis Lewis. I haven't had a chance to pick it up yet, so let me know if you get to it before I do.

In the meantime, here's a great little exercise to keep you busy, or rather to slow you down:

http://www.authentic-breathing.com/straw-breathing.htm

Happy New Year!!

'Tis the Season

2007-12-04T13:29:00.000-08:00

Usually around this time of year, I am teaching non-stop or rehearsing for a holiday show. In either case, the physical sensation is the same: fatigue. All I end up wanting is a cosy night at home to rest. Fortunately, I have decided, in the interest of my little boy, to keep a fairly light schedule this season. Little did I know that the gift I had intended for my child was really for myself. As December hits, my stress level is fairly low and most importantly, my voice doesn't feel warn out.

However; at the moment, I have a student and a co-worker who have speech pathology appointments to examine their vocal folds. Both of them are either teaching or rehearsing for long hours and complain of tired voices and sore throats.

"What did the speech pathologist say?" I ask my friend after his appointment.

"She told me to get some rest. Say no to a job, if I need." he replied.

"But we're the 24/7 workers." I tell him. "This is what we know."

We both laugh, and then there is a silence. Somewhere there is the knowledge that we can't keep this pace up. Our voices are our work, and without them, we lose our ability to express our passion and keep food on the table for our families.

We pour a cup of tea and sit down on the couch, listening to the rain.

"You know,I read a story in the news about a Japanese woman whose husband had died while working for Toyota. She sued the company for contributing to her husband's death." he tells me.

"Did he win?" I ask, thinking of the poor man.

"No, he lost. But his wife won the lawsuit." my friend replied before he headed off to the other room to rest his throat and contemplate working a little less.

Onomatopoeia

2007-11-13T11:06:00.000-08:00

What is that word and what does it mean?

Well you may not have visited this one since Grade 11 English, but it can definitely add a life and energy to anything you say. Onomatopoeia is a term that refers to words that sound like the word they represent. So "splash" is what happens to water when a big truck runs through a puddle. If you say, "splash" the sounds you make are the exact sounds you hear before the water from that puddle soaks you. (As it does me every time I walk home in the rain). "Whisper" is mostly made up of voiceless consonants, so you have no choice but to slightly, "whisper" whisper when you speak it.

Our language is made up of so many onomatopoetic words, but in our on-going attempt to be "cool" we tend to cover them up: to deny their life. In skipping over the sounds of such rich words, we rob the listener of a sensual experience of language. No wonder people's attention spans are short-- we are constantly denying each other the excitement of fully savouring each sound.

So buzz, slip, slide, bark, splash, whiz and gurgle into your next conversation and see how much fun you and your listener can have!

Tongue Flapping and Vocal Health

2007-10-23T13:20:00.000-07:00

With a busy fall term, there hasn't been as much time as I had hoped to make my blog entries. I find myself chasing my one-year old around the park,reflecting on the challenge some of my students have doing tongue work. "Griffin, watch out!" I holler as he almost topples head first over another little boy. My fatigue and lack of vocal rest are evident in the slightly tender sensation in the throat after hollering. I thought I better include some links on tongue work and vocal health.

There must be something in the air (besides the overabundance of clouds and rain) because when I checked out my favourite Voice Blog, Eric Armstrong's Voice Guy, I noticed that he was focussing on the exact same issue as I have been for the past few weeks. The separation of the tongue from the jaw. Pull out your mirrors and check out his site for some great exercises.

http://voiceguy.ca/blog/voiceguy/tongue-flapping-in-and-out

Several weeks ago, I had a very unique experience where a group of local voice instructors got together with a laryngologist and a speech pathologist to discuss voice issues as they pertained to the arts. It's not often that I find myself in a room full of people who love to talk about voice issues and are passionate about encouraging vocal health. All too often, people injure their voices purely because of overuse or abuse. Check out these quick reminders on keeping your voice healthy and safe during this busy time of year.

http://www.artindex.com/voxcura/exercises.html

Speaking Shakespeare

2007-08-16T09:45:00.000-07:00

"Fear no more the heat o' the sun,
Nor the furious winter's rages;
Thou thy worldly task hast done,
Home art gone, and ta'en thy wages:
Golden lads and girls all must,
As chimney-sweepers, come to dust."

My Uncle Tim and I had a debate several years ago (he's an award winning high school English teacher), it centered around this key question, "Is Shakespeare over-rated?"

My answer continues to be: "NOOOOOOOOO!!!!!", but my students, along with my uncle, would disagree. Most of them feel that understanding Shakespeare is not worth the effort. Although I may spend weeks guiding them through the text, allowing them to put the images into their bodies and their own words, in the end their presentations can lack specificity and understanding.

Every time I explore Shakespeare, my respect for language, communication and words grows. I continue to use sonnets, soliloquies and snippets of dialogue to open the voice and connect it to thought. As a thirteen year old, I refused to sunbathe because, "I want to be a Shakespearean actress!" That feeling hasn't changed and although I have spent the past fifteen years trying, without success, to convert my husband, my uncle and my students, I haven't been as successful as I would have liked.

I shall continue with my mission and as the summer wraps up, I suggest trying out a few lines. The lines above work splendidly spoken to the stars at night or used as a warm-up to try out the accoustics in a new lecture hall.

While you are at it check out Patsy Rodenberg's "Speaking Shakespeare" for great exercises in opening up your range of expression.

Eyes and Breath

2007-08-09T14:07:00.000-07:00

Every week, or sometimes every other week if life is too crazy, I talk to my dad on the phone. We usually talk for about an hour and our conversations meander through the events of our lives, movies we've seen, gorgonzola, Miss Petrona (his racing horse), family activities, Rosie and Harpo (cats) and eventually, eyes. Why eyes you ask? Eyes end up being my favourite topic. You see my dad is an optometrist and I spent much of my childhood in his office. First, playing on the big green leather chair that adjusted up and down, getting my first pair of glasses, then my first pair of contact lenses, and finally, working as his assistant one summer. Being extremely near-sighted, I have spent many moments of wonder in his office as I receive a new pair of glasses or contacts and suddenly see the world with new clarity. The leaves of trees are distinct and I run around reading every word on every street sign. The world feels exciting and new once again.

One exercise that we do in voice work is a very simple one. We close our eyes and focus on the breath. Once the breath becomes more even, relaxed and deeper, we are asked to open our eyes and look around. If I lead the exercise, I will ask people if it was harder to stay connected to the breath with their eyes open. The answer is invariably, "Yes!"

Dad says that one exercise he suggests for the eyes is to place a #2 pencil in front of you. Begin moving the pencil around and try not to "look at" the #2, but allow your eyes to follow the number. Most people are confused by the idea, but as I was observing my breath this week I noticed the same thing, for the first fifteen minutes I was "trying to breathe". Then all of a sudden I didn't have to think about it, the rhythm became natural and easy and when I opened my eyes, it took a moment to re-discover the connection, but when I did, everything looked a little clearer. Like getting a new pair of contact lenses.

Sometimes I work so hard to see things that I forget to breathe. How about you?

Slow and Steady

2007-08-02T09:49:00.000-07:00

I told my husband I would be done teaching by 5:10 pm sharp. "I'm never late!" I assure him.

5:35 pm and he has driven around the block six times, our one year old is pulling at his seat belt trying out his best Houdini moves-- and shrieking.

"You said that you are never late!" My husband accuses as I slip into the back seat, trying to avert the crazy rush-hour drivers.

"Sorry," I say, while attempting to soothe our one year old, "there were tears." On the ride home, I try to explain to my husband the students' frustration as the term comes to an end. Final performances are looming, they want the work to be perfect, but find they are still struggling to find some release in their throat or an emotional connection to words or freedom in their range.

Voice work is challenging because it requires exploration and sometimes just plain dedication. After four or five months of taking classes, a student may begin to understand what is possible but feel very far from achieving that possibility.

* * *

In a beautiful suite above Coal Harbour, we sit on chairs along the perimeter of newly washed living room carpets. We massage our jaws and flex our tongues, experiment with the rhythms and music of commercial tag-lines. My accent reduction pupils feel the same sense of frustration as the acting students. It's just good old-fashioned hard work today.

What we lose sight of is that tomorrow there may be a revelation, a giant leap forward, a triumphant step into new and exciting territory. That land can only be reached through the work, day after day, after day, after day, after day the work begins to unfold and flourish.

Accent Reduction

2007-07-26T14:20:00.000-07:00

I'm spending Saturday mornings working with a wonderful couple from Columbia who are polishing their standard American. I think if someone were to walk in on one of our sessions they might think that we are from some strange planet. Mirrors poised, we watch our mouths shape new sounds. We sing "It's a small world after all" and feel the weight of the vowels.

As I am teaching IPA to acting students, one curious young woman asks, "Do you really love language?"
"Yes!" I shout in response. I'm reminded of this interchange as I help this couple contemplate the sound "r" for over thirty minutes.

In the process of sharing the accent reduction work, I found a very helpful website that narrates simple news articles in an appropriately slooooowwww fashion. Print it out and then listen along. Once you have done this a few times, tape yourself and begin to identify the differences.

http://www.voanews.com/specialenglish/index.cfm

Keep it up!

2007-07-19T12:40:00.000-07:00

I've just finished teaching at a summer intensive where I had the opportunity to introduce voice work to aspiring actors. I felt lucky to be sharing such empowering information, on the other hand, it was hard to leave people when they were just beginning to feel something new, taste some potential. The scope of voice work is a lifelong exploration.

I became aware of my own desire to delve deeper into the work, and due to time constraints (and a very active and demanding 15 month old) I realize that my private exploration will have to suffice. I'm trying to make time to re-commit to my own practise.

Here's a simple physical and vocal session that is easy to follow:

http://www.uiowa.edu/~shcvoice/vocalfreedom2.pdf

So to the SFUers who are missing "Vocal Practise" and the "Summer Intensive" gang who are heading back to jobs, family and other provinces, here's a little workout to keep you vibrating!

Yawning

2007-07-12T14:16:00.000-07:00

Memory. I'm fourteen and I have spent almost all afternoon lying on the front lawn in my pink and black striped bikini reading Moliere. We live on 5th Ave. (Puyallup, WA. not New York City) which is one of the busier streets in the little town whose only claim to fame is hosting the state's fair every September. By the evening I have absorbed enough sun tan lotion, car exhaust and UV rays to make my brain function at less than optimal levels. This puts me in the mood for one of America's great summer past-times: a cheesy, fluffy summer flick! As the streets take on that neon pink and orange hue, the popcorn and pop comes out as I plop myself down on the floor and indulge.

I've gotten quite sensible in my older age and, when given the choice, I will usually opt for "An Inconvenient Truth" over "Spider Man III". As soon as the temperature hits thirty, though, I am gone. All of a sudden, my craving for things light, fluffy and downright fun emerges. What does all of this have to do with voice, you ask? Well this week's "Question of the Week" seems to suite my humour. It's not particularly heavy and the answer is a whimsical one, at least according to the sites I will direct you to.

In the midst of this heat wave, ten bodies filled a hot studio and began to breathe, with relish. Now what happened was predictable, everyone began to yawn. Big juicy yawns. When asked why this was the case, I gave my usual response, the physiological theory, "we yawn because we want to draw in more oxygen." Usually this does the trick, but this particular group was keen and the questions continued. So I thought I would track down a little more information. Here's several cute and helpful sites that informed me that my theory is purely that-- just a theory. In reality, no one has discovered the definitive answer for why we yawn.

http://www.howstuffworks.com/question572.htm
http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/yawning.html
http://www.kidshealth.org/kid/talk/qa/yawn.html

Just remember, though, whether we know why we yawn or not, it's ability to open up the soft palate and create more space in the lungs is helpful for voice work. So yawn away!

Inspiration

2007-07-03T14:52:00.000-07:00

The long Canada Day weekend is over, the maple leaf tattoo I temporarily affixed to my shoulder has rubbed off and I am back in the office! We’re in the midst of planning blogs, podcasts and fall workshops and as I update my suggested reading list, I realize that one of the seminal voice texts, “Freeing the Natural Voice” by Kristin Linklater, has been updated. It has taken me awhile to track it down, but as I peruse her new website and check out her brief video outlining the key elements of voice work, my passion for this type of training is rekindled. So for a little inspiration, check out the audio/video component and the intro, and for those of you who continue to ponder, “Do I breathe through my nose or my mouth?” check out her voice notes section:

http://www.kristinlinklater.com/audio.htm

The Speaker Within Audio Companion VI: Putting it into practice

2007-06-21T13:37:00.000-07:00

This is the final episode in The Speaker Within Audio Companion. We hope you have enjoyed the series and found it to be useful.

Putting it into practice

Stay tuned for more podcasts and videos at www.sfu.ca/voice

The Speaker Within Audio Companion V: Discovering Resonance

2007-06-21T13:27:00.000-07:00

Our bodies contain many resonating chambers. Learn to differentiate between the nasal, skull, and chest resonating chambers and maximize the sounds that each can produce, all the while supporting the sound with the breath.

Discovering Resonance

The Speaker Within Audio Companion IV: Supported Sound

2007-06-21T13:18:00.000-07:00

Begin to add sound to your diaphragmatic breathing - start with exercises on voiceless fricatives ("FFFFFFs") and voiced fricatives ("VVVVVVs").

Supported Sound

The Speaker Within Audio Companion III: Diaphragmatic Breathing

2007-06-21T13:13:00.000-07:00

In this third installment of the Speaker Within Audio Companion, learn to breathe from the diaphragm in order to support your sound. It's trickier than it seems!

Diaphragmatic Breathing

The Speaker Within Audio Companion II: Alignment

2007-06-21T12:46:00.000-07:00

Here is the second in our series of six podcasts that make up The Speaker Within Audio Companion.

This episode is on alignment - it's especially good if you are experiencing stiffness in your neck and shoulders.

Alignment

Speaker Within Audio Companion I: Introduction

2007-06-21T11:29:00.000-07:00

The Speaker Within Podcasts are here!

Do you want to communicate more effectively? Do you find yourself tongue tied or strained at times? If so, you have come to the right place. Welcome to The Speaker Within Audio Companion. This series of podcasts ties in with the Speaker Within workshops presented by Simon Fraser University’s Learning & Instructional Development Centre.

We hope you find this audio companion useful; each segment builds on the previous ones, so we encourage you first to listen to them in order. Later on, you can practice specific exercises by picking out the appropriate episode and working within it.

Introduction

Articulation

2007-06-13T07:53:00.000-07:00

The pomp and circumstance of convocation is over. My regular coffee shop has returned to it's home after being displaced by the rows of silky black robes. As I walk through the now sparsley populated halls, I smile to myself at the memory of the triumphant sound of bagpipes merely a week ago.

I am scheduled to lead a monthly drop in class and judging by the low traffic in the area, I assume that the attendance will be minimal. Five minutes before the class is scheduled to begin, only one student has wandered in. I do not blame our theme for the day, "articulation", for failing to attract. In fact, five minutes later as the room is filling up I realize that there is actually a great desire to find more clarity of speech. I pull out more chairs, apologize for not making enough copies and begin listening to the student's requests, "I trail off at the end of my thoughts." "Sometimes it doesn't feel like my thoughts link up with my speech."

We begin to work, as we always do, with the breath. We warm up by elongating vowels, then we move on to the articulators. Lips part, teeth are revealed, plosives explode and the words begin to find their life. We practice the sounds two ways, one without articulation and the other with robust articulation. "What is the difference?" I ask.

"You can hear the words."

"We're taking more time."

Another participant has heard an item on the news that morning, apparently, we in North America, I assume, are walking 10% faster than we were just a short time ago. She concludes that we must be speaking that much faster, as well. The group nods and mumbles their agreement. I launch into my impassioned plea to reclaim words and am stopped in the middle by a slightly flushed and earnest face. I recognize the look of frustration, "Sarah, that is all well and good if English is your first language, but I come to words that I don't know how to pronounce, so I just mumble them so no one knows what I am saying." Her frustration is understood by 90% of the class. How do we own words when they aren't in our language?

Accent Reduction classes have become extremely popular in Vancouver. So here are a few suggestions:

http://www.overseasemployment.ca/ESL_lose_your_accent.htm
This site refers you to a book written by Andy Krieger, a local accent reduction coach. I have never worked with the text, but know several of his past clients and most of them have been quite pleased with the results.

http://www.williamdaviscentre.com/parttime.php
Here is a class on accent reduction work, that is offered through the William Davis Centre for Actor's Study. Not to worry, you don't need to be an actor to take the class and the price is much more reasonable than you might find elsewhere.

http://learningcommons.sfu.ca/esl/eng_conv_grps.php
Here's the source that we needed all along. Free English conversation classes given by the University!

Finally, I mentioned "Speak with Distinction" by Edith Skinner (available at the Vancouver Public Library). Another great one to check out is "Voice and Diction" by Jon Eisenson. Both of these have lots of exercises focussing on challenging words and consonant combinations.

Keep me posted with any resources you may discover.

Oh, and one last thought, I just read a wonderful book titled, "Lost in Translation" (No relation to the Bill Murray film), by Eva Hoffman. It is a wonderful account of a woman's search to own a new language and culture. Eva Hoffman immigrated from Poland to Vancouver, B.C. when she was a teenager. It's filled with insights on the relationship between language and self.

Performance Anxiety

2007-06-05T15:10:00.000-07:00

Minutes before our class, I re-read a brief article on conquering the fear of public speaking written by Morton C. Orman, M.D.

http://www.stresscure.com/jobstress/speak.html

I like his commonsense approach and his affirmation of the individuality of each speaker. I'm constantly awed by the confidence it takes to stand up in front of a group of people who are there to "critique the performance".

Today we shared, analyzed, made suggestions and re-worked individual presentations. I noticed that the sequence followed the usual pattern. The first presentation had it's usual special energy and excitement to it. The second re-working got a little sloppy (words were forgotten, etc.). The presenter was thinking about the changes, processing them, and making the adjustments his/her own. The final presentation then had a new energy, one of confidence and ease. Vocal inflections ceased to rise at the end of sentences and the material was no longer rushed. Even though the knowledge base hadn't changed in such a short time, the perception from the audience was that the presenter's knowledge of the material had grown.

Today one of the participants commented, "During the final presentation, there was a shift in the tone of my voice. It felt more genuine."

Maybe there is something to the old adage, "Practice makes perfect."

Don't write today, just practice.

Relaxation

2007-06-04T22:05:00.000-07:00

Thoughts on a rainy muggy Monday in Vancouver.

After doing some subbing this morning for an actor's training program, I was struck yet again by the power of just letting go and breathing. I find it incredibly exciting to guide a group of people, who begin wracked with tension -- making it impossible for them to settle into their breath, to a place of relaxation. Suddenly they are able to breathe and speak in a slow and easy manner. Their faces soften and I feel like they are taking the time to really see and hear one another.

Now, get out your journal and your favourite pen. My question of the day is this:

Where can I make room in my schedule for more opportunities to relax and breathe?

*Check out Donna Farhi's "The Breathing Book" and don't miss the section on breath holding patterns. When I discussed the idea of reverse breathing with one of the students today she said she could finally feel precisely where she was holding her breath.

Welcome

2007-06-04T19:39:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the first installment of the Voice Werx blog!

I'm very excited to begin this forum to discuss, what else but, our voices. I've always been intrigued by our connection, or lack of connection, to our voices when we present, lecture, conduct workshops or just generally communicate!

So, in this first official post, a little about me. I'm an actor, voice instructor and resident Teaching Enhancement Specialist here at Simon Fraser University's Learning and Instructional Development Centre. I lead workshops for faculty in becoming stronger and more confident presenters.

I have a few reasons for creating this blog. Since most of my workshops are fairly short, participants are always hungry for further information. Well here's where we can share some great references. There are some wonderful websites that I will direct you to, some books I will advise you to peruse and some incredible instructors (my own) who I hope will join me every once in awhile by sharing their thoughts. Don't worry, I'll also post any exciting thoughts or revelations that come out of my sessions.

So, come back each week, or whenever you get a chance, and see what's new. We'll also be posting some fabulous podcasts that will explore breath, sound, allignment and more!

Glad you took a peak.

Sarah Louise Turner

P.S. As I am an avid journal keeper, I may throw a question up each week for you to ponder.