Charm Them With Your Voice

It can engage anyone listening, so why not train it to work for you? By SNG-FUN POH YOKE

Everyone can be a good communicator. If you are not, it may be you don't understand how your voice is created. Or you're not aware of the impact it has on others/

You may have prepared a powerful powerpoint presentation but the m ore important thing is: Are you conveying conviction and honesty to the listener?

Research shows that when it comes to impactful communication, 7% comes from content, 38% from sound and 55% from body language. Says voice coach Rebecca Low: "Communication is more than just a business transaction. It becomes a work of art, and your masterpiece, when it engages and expresses the language of your heart."

To bring your voice to full bloom, you need to renewed perspective of what your voice is and what it can do.

voice is sensual You have to feel every sound you make, every breath, every syllable, every expression.

voice is sexual You need to feel attractive yourself before you can attract your listener. Lengthen your vowels (a, e, i, o, u) for a more fluid sound - it's charming and feminine.

it has spirit Confidence backed by conviction is the spirit theat moves mountains. Sharpen your consonants (eg the letters, d, s and t) and you will sound more authoritative.

move your vowels Singaporeans tend to be very staccato in their speech. This can be grating on the ears. Lengthening your vowels adds body to your words. They sound nice to the ear and make people feel happy.

feel your words Use vocal variety in your voice to increase the impact of the words. Say this aloud:
Who has seen the wind?
Neither you nor I.
But when the trees
bow down their heads,
The wind is passing by.

act the part Communicating effectively is a form of acting. Every actors learns the importance of facial expression and body movements. They learn how to use their voice and dress the part.

Articulate Clearly
To speak properly, you have to learn to breathe properly.

• Breathe from the belly, ie the diaphragm. To re-discover what proper breathing is, watch a baby breathe while he is asleep. That's the right way to breathe, the one which we have forgotten as we succumb to work and stress.
• Feel your breath deep down in your body.
• Open up your chest and relax your back.
• Use vocal variety to add rich expression.
• Breathe before you speak and speak at the top of your breath.

Breathing Exercise

(Repeat this sentence in one breath)

Hello, I am here and breathing correctly and so glad to be alive. Isn't it great that I could do it in one breath and not run out of air?

"Touch" the Heart
To win your listener over, you need to appeal to the emotions.

Use imagery Think in pictures and use descriptive words your listener will remember.
Give clarity Use clear, simple language your listener will understand.
Personalise your words Use clear, simple language your listener can identify with.

Rebecca Low, founder of Vocal Charisma, was a broadcast journalist before becoming a corporate trainer in voice, motivation and learning for Media Academy, the training arm of MediaCorp. She studied voice with a Hollywood coach and also at The Esalen Institute sw well as Summer Institutes at the Harvard Graduate School of Education.

Extracted from Simply Her / March 2005 issue.