Keep changing your voice
There have been times when I have been told that I am lucky to have a
good speaking voice. And some people are impressed that I rarely use a
microphone in my seminars, even with hundreds of people in the
audience.
People will conclude that I have been "blessed" with a powerful set of
vocal cords. But it is not true. As I related in an earlier chapter, my voice used to be no better than a feeble monotone. That is, until I got motivated to change it. There were two
instances that inspired my system for developing my voice. The first
was a magazine interview I read many years ago about the actor
Richard Burton (who had perhaps the most mesmerizing speaking voice
of all time—listen to the Broadway recording of "Camelot" and hear
him as King Arthur speak and "sing" his songs.) In the interview, Burton
said that his voice was how he made his living, so he made certain that
each morning while showering he sang a number of songs to keep his
vocal cords strong and supple. Later, on a television talk show, actor
Tony Randall told the host how he developed his trademark sing-song
acting voice: "I took up opera," he said. "I found that singing opera did
more for my stage voice than anything else I ever tried."
Those two interviews have stayed in my mind ever since, and I always
carry a number of tapes and CDs in my car to sing along with. I crank
them up good and loud (this is best done while driving alone) and sing at
the top of my lungs. I make certain that I do this every day, even when I
don't feel like singing. In the words of William James, there's another
benefit: "We don't sing because we're happy, we're happy because we
sing."
Prior to a major public speech, I'll often get to my location more than an
hour ahead of time and then just drive around the neighborhood singing
like a madman. (Sometimes I worry that my host client might drive by
and spot me in my car singing along with Elvis and looking dangerously
psychotic. But the benefits are worth that risk.) I find that when I drive
and sing like that my breathing is better, my timing is better, and when I
speak, my voice effortlessly fills the hall.
You might think, "I don't speak for a living." So such a weird practice
might not be necessary for you. But we all speak. A pleasant, relaxed,
and strong speaking voice is a priceless asset to anyone whose job
involves communicating with other humans.
When referring to people whose speaking voices are pleasing to listen
to, many people use words like "melodious" and "well-modulated." This
is a good hint to tell if someone is complimenting a great speaking voice.
You are not stuck with the voice you have now. Start singing, and soon
you'll be creating the voice you'd like to have. The stronger your voice,
the stronger your confidence and the stronger your confidence, the
easier it is to motivate yourself.
There have been times when I have been told that I am lucky to have a
good speaking voice. And some people are impressed that I rarely use a
microphone in my seminars, even with hundreds of people in the
audience.
People will conclude that I have been "blessed" with a powerful set of
vocal cords. But it is not true. As I related in an earlier chapter, my voice used to be no better than a feeble monotone. That is, until I got motivated to change it. There were two
instances that inspired my system for developing my voice. The first
was a magazine interview I read many years ago about the actor
Richard Burton (who had perhaps the most mesmerizing speaking voice
of all time—listen to the Broadway recording of "Camelot" and hear
him as King Arthur speak and "sing" his songs.) In the interview, Burton
said that his voice was how he made his living, so he made certain that
each morning while showering he sang a number of songs to keep his
vocal cords strong and supple. Later, on a television talk show, actor
Tony Randall told the host how he developed his trademark sing-song
acting voice: "I took up opera," he said. "I found that singing opera did
more for my stage voice than anything else I ever tried."
Those two interviews have stayed in my mind ever since, and I always
carry a number of tapes and CDs in my car to sing along with. I crank
them up good and loud (this is best done while driving alone) and sing at
the top of my lungs. I make certain that I do this every day, even when I
don't feel like singing. In the words of William James, there's another
benefit: "We don't sing because we're happy, we're happy because we
sing."
Prior to a major public speech, I'll often get to my location more than an
hour ahead of time and then just drive around the neighborhood singing
like a madman. (Sometimes I worry that my host client might drive by
and spot me in my car singing along with Elvis and looking dangerously
psychotic. But the benefits are worth that risk.) I find that when I drive
and sing like that my breathing is better, my timing is better, and when I
speak, my voice effortlessly fills the hall.
You might think, "I don't speak for a living." So such a weird practice
might not be necessary for you. But we all speak. A pleasant, relaxed,
and strong speaking voice is a priceless asset to anyone whose job
involves communicating with other humans.
When referring to people whose speaking voices are pleasing to listen
to, many people use words like "melodious" and "well-modulated." This
is a good hint to tell if someone is complimenting a great speaking voice.
You are not stuck with the voice you have now. Start singing, and soon
you'll be creating the voice you'd like to have. The stronger your voice,
the stronger your confidence and the stronger your confidence, the
easier it is to motivate yourself.
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