Nancy Daniels Tips.

***Attention Mumblers: Speaking Clearly Is Much Easier Than You May Think

By Nancy Daniels, The Official Guide to Public Speaking The official guide to Public Speaking See all Articles by Nancy DanielsSee Nancy Daniels's Expert PageGet Updates on Public SpeakingGet Updates on Nancy Daniels 5 Your rating: None Average: 5 (1 vote) One of the biggest frustrations when trying to communicate with those who mumble is the fact that we, the listeners, cannot understand their diction. What generally results is that we will ask that oft-repeated question, "What did you say?" Recently, a young man called me and wanted to know where his voice should be vibrating in his body. As a voice coach, this is one of the things I teach when I show people how to find their real voice. While I can appreciate that he was most intent upon discovering his richer, deeper, more mature sound, I told him that his first step was to go back to session #1 of my training and work on the mumbling exercises because I was having great difficulty understanding him. While I have not met this 17-year-old young man personally, the chances are good that he is tall. In general, short men speak more distinctly. Mumbling is lack of movement primarily in the lip area when forming words which is why I often refer to mumbling as lazy lips. With lockjaw, on the other hand, the lips are moving but the jaw is rigid. I find this latter problem to be more common with women. Whether the problem is mumbling or lockjaw, one exercise that is extremely effective is to say something you know from memory with the knuckle of your middle finger in your mouth. Now, remove your knuckle and say those same exact words again. You should notice an immediate difference in the opening up of your mouth and also how you form your sounds. Practice this exercise over and over at various times throughout your day. You should notice quite a difference within a week if you are persistent.

You can also take that exercise and apply it to the way you answer your business phone for example. Whatever your words, say them 1st with your knuckle in your mouth and then without it. Learn to distinguish the difference in how you sound. In doing so, you are then retraining your inner ear which is the way you think you sound to recognize the difference. [My father recently suffered a stroke which greatly affected the speech center in his brain. He tries to talk but his words are unrecognizable. I am confident that he thinks he is speaking clearly because his inner ear and his brain are telling him so.] Constantly repeating yourself is a waste of time and effort. You can speak more clearly if you are diligent in your practice. Make it a priority for everyones sake.

***The 2 Best Ways to Control Your Speed When Speaking

By Nancy Daniels, The Official Guide to Public Speaking The official guide to Public Speaking See all Articles by Nancy DanielsSee Nancy Daniels's Expert PageGet Updates on Public SpeakingGet Updates on Nancy Daniels 5 Your rating: None Average: 5 (1 vote) Often I find that unclear or poor diction is due to talking at 100 mph. It is certainly not uncommon to hear it in people in which English is not their 1st language; however, it can also occur for speakers in any language whether it is their mother tongue or a 2nd language. Bear in mind that those who speak really fast are usually not aware of it. Their inner ear hears it as being clear and precise. Therefore, it is important for these people to listen to themselves on a recording, whether it is their voicemail, a camcorder, or some other form of recording equipment. One woman with whom I worked was stunned when she heard and saw herself on video: she thought was speaking clearly. She was not. Speaking at 100 mph can be difficult to follow even if ones diction is clear. My niece speaks much too quickly and after a few minutes, it is hard to keep your attention on her

words. In fact, she recently Skyped my son who said that he got a headache during their 7-minute chat. If it is frustrating to listen to someone who speaks distinctly at 100 mph, imagine the difficulty if that speed is produced with a heavy accent. When you can learn to control your speed, however, you will discover that your diction will be much improved because you will be more aware of how you say your words. Here are 2 ways to learn how to control your speed: 1. Audio Book Read out loud along with the professional reader from an audio book. In the beginning you will speak more quickly than the professional, believing that the reader is too slow. However, if you record yourself in the process, you will start to appreciate that you do indeed speak too fast and that the professionals speed is correct. 2. Voice Training When you discover your real voice, you will not only gain total control over your speed but you will discover a richer, warmer, more mature sound. In addition, you will be able to increase your volume without shouting which means the elimination of vocal abuse. (Damage to the vocal cords is something to be avoided at all costs.) Communication today is dependent on the ability to understand ones diction. If your speed is the reason for your lack of clear speech, then it is to your advantage, both professionally and personally, to learn how to take control of your speed.

***What Does Tone Have to Do With a Sexy Voice?

By Nancy Daniels, The Official Guide to Public Speaking The official guide to Public Speaking See all Articles by Nancy DanielsSee Nancy Daniels's Expert PageGet Updates on DatingGet Updates on Nancy Daniels 2

Your rating: None Average: 2 (1 vote) While the word tone has a variety of meanings, some of those meanings are only subtly different from each other. When used in the manner I am talking about, tone refers to the expression of a mood or emotion. And, your tone is going to vary according to your subject matter. Were you to give a eulogy, your tone would be quite different than were you delivering a humorous after-dinner speech. Your tone should be determined by the emotions you are feeling at the time. You can have a deep, rich, resonant sound, but if your tone is flat or dull, then you will not be speaking with the emotions you are feeling. And, the person you are trying to impress may not feel that enthusiastic about you. Were I to tell my dog that she was good with an angry tone, she would not think that I was praising her. Likewise, were I to use a loving tone and tell her she is bad, she would think it was praise. If you would like to improve your tone, try the following exercise and record yourself while doing it. It is important for you to listen to the playback so that you can hear your tone. Say the words, come here, in the following manners: 1. Friendly There should be a smile on your face. 2. Angry You might say this with more volume and perhaps your brow furrows or you squint. 3. Seductive Your voice should have an enticing quality. You might say it slowly, drawing out the word here. Perhaps you wink as you say it. If you keep your emotions bottled up, this exercise will be challenging. (It would be a good idea to try this exercise when you are alone.) Watch your face in the mirror as you try the 3 examples. Did you notice a difference in your facial expression as well as the tone of your voice? You can change your tone if you are willing to let go of your inhibitions. At first, you will not think you sound natural. In fact, you may think that expressing your emotions is a weakness. Nothing could be further from the truth. More people express emotion than not. Therefore, if you have a tendency to speak with little or no color and a flat tone, then you are not part of the norm. You can have a sexy sound when you speak. Just let go and let be!

***I Never Yelled at My Kids -- I Projected!

By Nancy Daniels, The Official Guide to Public Speaking The official guide to Public Speaking See all Articles by Nancy DanielsSee Nancy Daniels's Expert PageGet Updates on Public SpeakingGet Updates on Nancy Daniels 2 Your rating: None Average: 2 (1 vote) Do you know the difference between projecting your voice and yelling? The latter hurts your throat and can be painful to your listeners ears. The latter also does not make your children sit up and take notice of what you are saying. Instead, they either cower in fear or stop listening to you. Many years ago, I must confess that I yelled at my husband. His response was that he wished he had a tape recorder so I could hear what I sounded like. Luckily, that only happened one time but it is a memory I will never forget. I decided right then and there that I would never do that again. A year later I started teaching voice improvement to graduate students of journalism and, in the process, discovered how to increase the volume of the speaking voice without shouting. It was an amazing discovery because I realized what most people including me were doing wrong when increasing their volume. Most people lift the pitch of the speaking voice when increasing their volume and push harder from their throat and voice box to power the sound. Over time, this can result in serious damage to the vocal cords (folds) and is something popular singers often experience. The answer is to learn how to use your chest cavity as your primary sounding board, your primary amplifier, thereby immediately relieving the strain and stress on your throat and voice box which occurs when you yell a lot or talk for great lengths of time. Even rooting for your favorite football team on a continual basis can do a lot of damage. Projecting your voice, however, will not. Today, we are a people who are speaking more often and with more volume because of our environment, our lifestyle, and the requirements of our jobs. The amount of vocal abuse I am seeing tells me this is true. And, it is not just happening to older people. I am hearing from those in their twenties. When I was raising my two boys, I honestly never yelled or screamed at them. I took a breath and powered a larger voice more volume from my chest cavity. The result

was a sound they paid attention to. It did not hurt my throat nor did it hurt their ears. It also meant that I was in control of the situation. Truly a win-win situation all the way around. Learn how to project your voice and you will not only stop the vocal abuse but also discover a richer, deeper, more mature sound in the process.

***Why the Pause Is Invaluable in Public Speaking and When to Do It

By Nancy Daniels, The Official Guide to Public Speaking The official guide to Public Speaking See all Articles by Nancy DanielsSee Nancy Daniels's Expert PageGet Updates on Public SpeakingGet Updates on Nancy Daniels 0 Your rating: None I recently worked with a woman who spoke at 100 mph and seldom paused to take a breath even in normal conversation. Most people, yes, the majority of the population, pause while talking to friends, family, colleagues, acquaintances and even the clerk in the grocery store. Unfortunately, the one time the pause is often missing is when addressing an audience. The pause is invaluable for several reasons: 1. It allows you to take a breath, thereby supplementing your air supply, instead of waiting until you are totally spent of oxygen. Remember, without air, there is no voice. 2. It gives you more control over what is coming out of your mouth, allowing you to better organize your thoughts. (American Vice President Joe Biden would do well to heed this advice.) 3. It also allows your audience to categorize your words. 4. It helps relax your body. Lack of air stresses the body which in turn increases

your nervousness. Often this breathlessness makes you speak faster and faster as the pitch of your voice continues to rise uncontrollably. The interesting thing about the pause is that you can do it almost anywhere in a sentence. Next time you are in conversation, take note of when you pause. [Even better? Record yourself while talking to friends and/or family.] You will probably notice that you pause to take a breath in the midst of your sentences. Sadly, many who are addressing an audience wrongly believe that they are not allowed to breathe until they come to some form of punctuation. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Just as there is a writers license, so too is there a speakers license which means you can breathe almost anywhere in any sentence.

The two times I suggest you do not pause are when you say your first and last name and when you say the name of your business if it is more than one word. For example, lets say your name is Joe Smith. You would not say Joe pause Smith. It is unnatural and unnecessary. Additionally, you do not want to pause in rhythm; i.e. pausing after every 4th word. When this happens your voice becomes sing-song. Certainly one of the best means of putting your audience to sleep is to lull their ears with an anticipated rhythm. Often neglected, the pause is one of the most valuable things you should do when delivering a speech or presentation. If you treat your audience like you were having a conversation in your living room, you will find it that much easier to pause naturally. I guarantee that your body will thank you for that briefest moment of silence.

***The 3 Things You Need to Do to Breathe Correctly and Change Your Life Forever

By Nancy Daniels, The Official Guide to Public Speaking The official guide to Public Speaking

See all Articles by Nancy DanielsSee Nancy Daniels's Expert PageGet Updates on Breathing and BreathworkGet Updates on Nancy Daniels 3 Your rating: None Average: 3 (1 vote) You have heard about diaphragmatic breathing and probably questioned if it can make that big a difference in your life. Besides the possibility of increasing your life span by 4 years, breathing with this support can eliminate much of the stress in your life. We are a people overwhelmed by stress. Some stress is actually very beneficial but too much stress has a negative affect on your body and your mind. For some, overwhelming stress can result in panic. Because you probably are part of the 99% of the population who are not breathing with the support of their diaphragm, your stress is being compounded by lazy or shallow breathing. 1st, let's find your diaphragm, the muscular partition separating your chest from your abdominal cavities. Place your hands under you rib cage and cough. Did you feel that muscle 'kick out?' Good. 2nd, with your hands still under your rib cage, take a breath in through your mouth (don't worry, I don't want you to become a mouth breather but to get the process moving, it is easier to do this if you will breathe through your mouth for this exercise) and take your air all the way down, feeling your diaphragm expanding out as it pushes against your hands. Shallow breathers pull this muscle in and up when they inhale. You want it down and out. 3rd, exhale through your mouth and feel that muscle collapse. Liken your mid-torso region to a balloon. When you inhale, you are inflating the balloon. When you exhale, you are deflating your balloon. In both processes, the power is coming from your diaphragm. Breathing correctly is not difficult but making it a habit takes work. And, that is possibly why many people never think about it seriously. However, there are certain things you can do help the process along. From now on, every time you answer the phone, consciously take a breath. Become like Pavlov's Dog: phone rings; you breathe. This is what I teach my clients when I am working on their speaking voice. It is one of the best things you can do to make diaphragmatic breathing a habit. When you are relaxing in your favorite recliner watching the news or a TV program, fold your hands, place them over your diaphragm, and breathe. Feel your hands moving as you breathe. Make diaphragmatic breathing a habit and watch what happens to the rest of your life!

***Do You Know the 4 Most Important Things You Should Do in Public Speaking - Aside from Breathing?

By Nancy Daniels, The Official Guide to Public Speaking The official guide to Public Speaking See all Articles by Nancy DanielsSee Nancy Daniels's Expert PageGet Updates on Public SpeakingGet Updates on Nancy Daniels 4 Your rating: None Average: 4 (1 vote) In one of my earlier articles, I discussed the fact that the single most important thing you should do to control your nervousness in any form of public speaking is to breathe with the support of your diaphragm. I refer to this as the physical. Additionally, there are 4 other components of dynamic public speaking that you should do to help take control of your fear and let it work for you, not against you. Intellectual Know Your Material. In all the years Ive been teaching voice and presentation skills, I will never understand the number of people who admit that they are not or were not prepared. How can you not prepare in advance, knowing that you will be addressing a group of people? Knowing your material means practicing it out loud. There is no other way of doing it. Going over your script in your mind is not practicing. You must rehearse it over and over and over again until you know it inside and out. Social Make Eye Contact. If you cannot look your audience in the eye, they will know your discomfort. Making eye contact means acknowledging the various sections of the room, from one side to the other not just those in the middle seats. Staring at an object on the wall or looking somewhere above their heads in not contact. Trying treating your audience as if you were having a conversation in your living room. You will be amazed at how much better you will feel! Emotional Speak with Color. Color is the life, the emotion, the animation you display in your delivery. A great speech or presentation lacking in color is called boring. Be yourself in speaking and allow for your emotion to be heard as well as to be seen in your facial expression and in your body language. Spiritual Believe in Yourself. If you approach the lectern, the front of the room, or the head of the conference table believing that you are going to fail, how successful do you think you will be? The one thing I do not want you to expect is perfection because

that quality is not possible in a live performance. Perfection is subjective. What I may think is perfect may not be perfect in the eyes of someone else. If you truly know your material, speak to your audience and not at them, allow for a colorful delivery and most importantly, breathe, I guarantee you will do an excellent job. And that is what you should strive to achieve.

***How Hot Is Your Speaking Voice?

By Nancy Daniels, The Official Guide to Public Speaking The official guide to Public Speaking See all Articles by Nancy DanielsSee Nancy Daniels's Expert PageGet Updates on DatingGet Updates on Nancy Daniels 0 Your rating: None Before you make a decision about how hot or how sexy you think your voice is, go record yourself and listen to the playback. That is the sound you should analyze. It is important to understand that the sound you hear in your head is not how everyone else recognizes you. How you think you sound and how you really sound are two different voices. In that sense, it is like comparing apples to oranges. They may both be fruits and they may both be round but that is where the similarities end. In your analysis, did you find your voice rich and deep or high-pitched and whiny? Perhaps you speak too loudly, which can be offensive, or maybe you are soft-spoken and no one can hear what you are saying. If you mumble, then chances are good that you are a man and a tall one at that. Trust me, your lack of clear and concise articulation is not impressing her. For her to find you interesting, she must first understand your message. If you speak in a monotone, then the emotions you are feeling are not going to be perceived by the other person correctly. In fact, he or she may find you less than enthusiastic or passionate if your delivery is dull, dry and boring. If you feel that your voice could use some work, you should consider learning how to power your sound by means of your chest cavity. Presently, the chances are likely that you are not speaking in this manner which means that you are powering your vocal

sound by means of your voice box (larynx) and throat (pharynx). Rest assured, you are not alone. The majority of the population is speaking in this manner as well. In the analysis of your voice, you may have found other problems with your voice. There are a variety of adjectives that could apply: wimpy, nasal, throaty, reedy, tight, shaky, strident, weak, hoarse, too fast or too slow. The list goes on and on. Once your chest becomes your primary sounding board, however, your voice will become warmer, deeper, and given the right tone sensual. Hot, sexy, whatever you want to call it, voices like those of Sean Connery, George Clooney, Kathleen Turner, and Julia Ormond are very arousing. What distinguishes these great voices from so many others is the resonance they exhibit, only possible if the chest is powering the voice. Your speaking voice accounts for 37% of the image you project. What is yours saying about you? Hot or not so hot? Learn to speak from your chest and I guarantee you will like what it is saying!

***Excessive Nasality Smothers a Deep, Masculine Voice

By Nancy Daniels, The Official Guide to Public Speaking The official guide to Public Speaking See all Articles by Nancy DanielsSee Nancy Daniels's Expert PageGet Updates on ProsperityGet Updates on Nancy Daniels 0 Your rating: None So, youre looking for a deeper, sexier speaking voice but youve got a nasal twang. Does this mean that youre stuck with a high-pitched voice? No. Is it possible to have a better sound? You bet! Most people are not speaking at their optimum pitch or within their optimum range. The result is a voice that tends to be higher in pitch than it should be because the sound is being forced from the throat and voice box.

If the voice has a nasal quality, on the other hand, then the sound is being directed through the nasal passages. When this happens, the pitch of the voice sounds very high since the vibrations are being amplified in the nose and the cheeks of the face. There is absolutely no doubt that you will have a better sound once you take your voice away from your nose and the mask of the face. However, if you learn to use your chest as your primary sounding board, you may discover a much deeper voice reminiscent of that of James Earl Jones, Sean Connery, George Clooney Peter Coyote, Vin Diesel, or the late Michael Clarke Duncan. The difference between their voices and yours is the difference in placement. Maybe your pitch is not quite as deep as those six gentlemen. However, a voice that is powered by the chest cavity and is not being amplified in the nasal cavities, will definitely be deeper in pitch than your present, habitual sound. If you listen to the voice of Kevin Spacey, it is not a deep bass sound but it is one of the best voices in Hollywood because of his diction and the warmth in the quality of his tone. In truth, it is the warm voice that is so inviting, so alluring to women. While depth in pitch has a lot to do with a great sound, it is not the only aspect of a resonant, sensual voice. If you would like to discover your real voice, that richer, warmer, sexier sound, learn to: 1. enunciate your words along the floor or your mouth and not through the passages of your nose; and, 2. use your chest to power your sound so that you can talk within the optimum range of your speaking voice. You definitely have a deeper voice inside and voice training can help you find it. Dont let nasality smother your more masculine sound.

***3 Steps for Eliminating Nasality

By Nancy Daniels, The Official Guide to Public Speaking The official guide to Public Speaking

See all Articles by Nancy DanielsSee Nancy Daniels's Expert PageGet Updates on Public SpeakingGet Updates on Nancy Daniels 2 Your rating: None Average: 2 (1 vote) There is no doubt that excessive nasality can be most annoying for your listeners. Voices which possess excessive nasality sound like Fran Drescher, Don Johnson, and pro golfer, Jack Nicklaus. Of course, Fran Drescher has made a fortune on her sound which is akin to nails on a blackboard. If you are like most people, however, excessive nasality is indeed not an asset and could jeopardize your success, both professionally and personally. Luckily, ridding your nose of those unpleasant tones is not that difficult if you are motivated and willing to retrain your inner ear to recognize those sounds. Once you are aware of the sound, you will find that the best exercise is to practice saying a few words with exaggerated nasality. Then relax your jaw, say the same words again, but this time with no nasal sound as in the following exercise. 1. Say the sentence we will be here, sending it directly up through your nose. (It will sound silly so make sure you are alone when you try this.) 2. Now relax your jaw. To do this, you need your teeth unclenched and your mouth open with your tongue lying on the floor of your mouth. [Relaxation is the key here. There is no doubt that some nasality can occur because of tightness in the jaw and neck.] 3. Say we will be here again, this time enunciating the words along the floor of your mouth. With the exercise above, you should hear a difference between the exaggerated nasally sounds and those same words said with no nasality. Bear in mind, the consonant sounds in those 4 words are not nasals and have no business being in your nose. True nasals consist of only 3 sounds in the English language: n, m, and ng. Any word which consists of one or more of those sounds will vibrate in your nose to some degree. The question is how much? If you have a lot of nasality in your voice, then it is quite possible that words like Maine and finger are creating a preponderance of twang in your voice. The answer is to say those words as well along the floor of your mouth. They will still vibrate to some degree in your nose. What you want to do is to limit the amount of vibration that is happening. Nasality mars the speaking voice. It is certainly not a pleasant attribute for your listeners to hear and does not sound professional.

***10 Steps for Adding More Life to Your Delivery

By Nancy Daniels, The Official Guide to Public Speaking The official guide to Public Speaking See all Articles by Nancy DanielsSee Nancy Daniels's Expert PageGet Updates on Public SpeakingGet Updates on Nancy Daniels 0 Your rating: None Some people who are normally colorful in conversation find their delivery skills lacking in expression. And then there are those who lack color both in conversation and at the lectern. There is no doubt that one of the quickest ways to put your audience to sleep is to speak in a monotone and talk at a rate of 100 mph with no acknowledgement of your audience. Does this sound familiar? Yes, you may wish to get your speech or presentation over with as quickly as possible, but your audience doesnt. They came to hear your message; thus, it is your responsibility to make your message as interesting as possible not just with the words you use and the ideas you share but also in your method of delivering that message. 1. Make eye contact with your audience. Trying to avoid the eyes of your audience immediately tells them that you would rather be anywhere than on a stage addressing them. 2. Smile. Certainly not all the time but a face that shows joy is much more interesting than one that shows fear. 3. Temper your speed. There are times you may speak a little faster; there are times you may slow down a bit for effect. 4. Pause. Briefly pausing allows you to breathe and allows your audience to organize what you have been saying. 5. Speak with color by means of your vocal variety, facial expression and body language. Make sure your face and body are expressing the same message as your voice. 6. Move. If you have a stage, move on the stage but do not pace. If you are standing behind a lectern, switch your weight from one foot to the other. A body rigid in stance is inflexible which may be the message you are delivering. 7. Breathe. Something many people forget to do. Without breath, there is no voice hence the increase in speed and the dropping of the voice by the second half of the sentence. 8. Know your material. Practice your speech/presentation out loud, over and over and over again. If you really know your topic, it will be that much easier to let go and deliver.

9. Be passionate about your topic. Great speakers enjoy what they do and the message they deliver. If your audience sees your passion, they will be that much more enthusiastic about you and your subject. 10. Be yourself. They came to hear you, not someone else. What these steps are ultimately saying is to treat your audience like you were having a conversation in your living room. You will be surprised how much easier it is when you talk to your audience and not at them.

***The 3 Things You Must Do to Increase Your Volume Without Shouting

By Nancy Daniels, The Official Guide to Public Speaking The official guide to Public Speaking See all Articles by Nancy DanielsSee Nancy Daniels's Expert PageGet Updates on Public SpeakingGet Updates on Nancy Daniels 3.333335 Your rating: None Average: 3.3 (3 votes) Recently, I worked with an NFL player in voice and presentation skills. During his 3rd session, he discovered the techniques for increasing his volume without shouting which I refer to as projection. He was stunned. It did not hurt his throat; it sounded better; and, his voice carried with more depth and breadth. This is not the first professional athlete Ive taught who has discovered the benefits of projecting the voice. Athletes, politicians, teachers, trainers, coaches, ministers, professional speakers, and even those who work in loud environments notice a tremendous difference when they learn the correct techniques for increasing their volume. Unfortunately, if you are speaking loudly for long periods of time, you may also be suffering from vocal abuse which is characterized by chronic hoarseness, sore throats, or even loss of voice by the end of the day. And, if you frequent loud bars, projection is the only way to be heard without hurting your throat or your listeners ears!

In order to increase your volume properly, you will need to do 3 things first: 1. Breathe with the support of your diaphragm; 2. Use your chest cavity to power your sound; and 3. Find the optimum pitch of your speaking voice. This technique is how you make the change from your habitual voice to your real one. In the process, you will discover a sound that is deeper in pitch, warmer in quality and resonant. You will know when you have found it because you will not only hear the difference but you will feel your chest vibrating when you speak. Once you have made this change, you will be able to increase your volume by means of your pelvic muscles instead of just your throat and voice box. Those pelvic muscles, sometimes referred to as your girdle of strength, will enable you to amplify your voice comfortably and with ease. If you need to be able to speak with a larger volume of sound, stop shouting or yelling and learn how to project your voice instead. Your throat will thank you as well as your listeners!

***A Simple Exercise to Overcome a Monotone Voice

By Nancy Daniels, The Official Guide to Public Speaking The official guide to Public Speaking See all Articles by Nancy DanielsSee Nancy Daniels's Expert PageGet Updates on Public SpeakingGet Updates on Nancy Daniels 0 Your rating: None You can do it. You can end a vocal delivery that is flat, insipid, and lackluster. But first you will have to give yourself permission to do so.

This does seem like a strange suggestion, doesnt it? If you speak in a monotone, however, you probably keep your emotions bottled up inside of you which is why you must permit yourself to let your emotions be seen, be felt and be heard. While you may not like this suggestion, nothing will change until that permission is granted. Often those who speak in a monotone show no expression on their face or in their body language. It is important to understand (and when you practice the exercise below) that your face is as saying something as well as the posture and the movement of your body. Using your hands when talking is something most people do in normal conversation. And, you can do it too with practice. A simple but effective exercise to begin expressing emotion is to stand in front of a mirror and say the words I can do this as if you were:

really excited. (Not just excited by really, really excited). Smile when you say it and nod your head up and down. Lift your hands up in the air. Remember, you are really excited. asking a question. Say this as if you dont think you can do it so furrow your brow and lift the pitch of your voice on the words do this. Remember it is a question. Shake your head back and forth as you say it.

Now say those words again without any expression. Did you notice a difference? If you didnt, then you need to practice. Do this exercise over and over until it starts to become comfortable. Record your voice while youre doing it. Listening to the playback will tell you whether it is working or not. Notice when you look in the mirror, saying these words, that you look and sound normal. Your fear in the beginning may be that you look unnatural when speaking with emotion. But if you are honest with yourself, you will indeed realize that speaking with expression is much more natural and normal than speaking without any life, any color, or any emotion. Your listeners deserve to hear and see expression from you when you talk, whether it is in conversation, for the sales presentation, or when addressing an audience from the stage. Without an expressive delivery, a well-crafted speech or presentation is not nearly as effective as one that sparkles with color. In other words, without expression, a speech given in a monotone voice is boring.

***Why Women Are Attracted to a Deep Voice

By Nancy Daniels, The Official Guide to Public Speaking The official guide to Public Speaking See all Articles by Nancy DanielsSee Nancy Daniels's Expert PageGet Updates on DatingGet Updates on Nancy Daniels 2 Your rating: None Average: 2 (3 votes) Thats right. Women find a deep voice sexy because it has a warm quality and sounds confident. It stirs something inside of us, without a doubt. The last time you heard your voice on voicemail, an answering machine or some other form of recording equipment, were you impressed? Remember, how she hears your voice is exactly what you hear on the recording, not the sound you hear in your head. So judge your speaking voice accordingly. If you talk through your nose or you sound wimpy, whiny, gruff, boring, too young, too old, too loud or too soft, she is not going to find you quite as attractive as she will if you discover your real voice a voice that begins in your chest cavity and resonates as you speak. George Clooney has it and so does James Earl Jones. Vin Diesel has it as well as Peter Coyote. When those men speak, women take notice.

You do not need to look like Adonis for women to find you attractive if your voice has that wonderfully deep, sensual resonance which draws them to you.

You have a better voice inside of you. It is your real or true voice and it begins in your chest. Most people, unfortunately, are not using that particular resonator when they speak. Instead, they use their other 4 resonators, relying heavily on their throat and voice box to do most of the work when they talk. When you add your chest cavity to your other resonators, however, you will find that your real voice sounds deeper, richer and more mature. In addition, you will be able to increase your volume without shouting. This is called projection and it is only possible if you are powering your voice by means of your chest. Anything else is called shouting. If you care about the image you project, bear in mind that 37% of that image is attributed to your speaking voice. And, over the phone where there is no visual, your voice is the image you project the one you hearing on your voicemail, not the one you hear in your head. The benefits of voice training can change your life in ways you cannot imagine but one of the most important benefits is that you will project confidence when you approach that woman you are hoping to impress. A velvety smooth voice can do just that!

***Discover Your Deeper, Sexier Voice

By Nancy Daniels, The Official Guide to Public Speaking The official guide to Public Speaking See all Articles by Nancy DanielsSee Nancy Daniels's Expert PageGet Updates on DatingGet Updates on Nancy Daniels 2.5 Your rating: None Average: 2.5 (2 votes) There is no doubt about it. Youve got one: a richer, warmer speaking voice that, given the right tone, can be very, very hot. It is merely a matter of finding it. Most speaking voices need work because most voices are higher in pitch than they should be. (Pitch deals with the highness or lowness of sound not the volume which is the loudness or softness of that sound.) What is fascinating about training your voice is that when you learn how to use your chest as your primary sounding board, your pitch will most likely be lower. It may be a slight drop or it could be several whole steps. The beauty of using your chest to power your sound is that your voice will be warmer in quality. Voices powered primarily by the throat, on the other hand, do not display that characteristic which is why they may sound harsh, throaty, wimpy, nasal, whiny, whispery, too young, too old, and by no means confident. How can you tell if you are using your chest as your primary sounding board? Try the following exercise.

Stand in front of a mirror without your shirt and take a really deep breath. Watch yourself as you do this. Did your shoulders go up? Did you suck in the mid-torso area of your body? If so, then you are a shallow or lazy breather. Relax. Youre not alone.

99% of the population breathe in this manner. The problem is that shallow breathing is not natural. Deep supported breathing is. Your dog is doing it correctly as well as your cat. All mammals breathe with support; and, as a child you did too. Sometime during your early development, however, you resorted to upper chest breathing. Because that type of breathing is produced high in your chest area, it usually results in a voice that is higher in pitch as well. Only when you use your chest cavity to power your sound will the pitch of your voice drop. And that is only possible if you learn to breathe with the support of your diaphragm, a muscular partition separating your chest from your abdominal cavities. In doing so, you can then capitalize on your chest cavity, the largest of your five cavities responsible for voiced sound, as your primary sounding board.

Once you establish your deeper voice, which I refer to as your real voice, you will be amazed at how much more attractive you are to the opposite sex as well as how much more confident you sound.

***Do You Know the Difference Between Your Throat Voice and Your Chest Voice?

By Nancy Daniels, The Official Guide to Public Speaking The official guide to Public Speaking See all Articles by Nancy DanielsSee Nancy Daniels's Expert PageGet Updates on Public SpeakingGet Updates on Nancy Daniels 3.5 Your rating: None Average: 3.5 (2 votes) When most people speak, they power their voice by means of their voice box and throat. To a lesser extent, the mouth and nasal cavities are also acting as resonators, aiding in the production of voiced sound. And, of course, you probably think this is normal. It may be normal for you but, in truth, there is a resonator that is missing in this picture. That 5th resonator is your chest cavity. Those who use this, the largest of the resonators, as their primary sounding board include many radio and television broadcasters (although by no means are they all doing it!) and many actors, such as George Clooney, Kathleen Turner, Julia Ormond, and James Earl Jones, to name a few. The difference in sound between the actors I just mentioned and those who do not power their voice in this manner can be staggering. When I am working with clients, I always have them switch between their throat sound and their chest sound. It is one of the easiest ways for them to not only hear their real voice, but to see it and feel it as well. By means of sound, the difference between the two is resonance. The voice powered by means of the chest cavity is deeper, richer, warmer and more mature-sounding.

By means of feel, the difference is the noticeable vibrations they feel in their chest when they speak in their real voice. By means of the visual, some can actually see the difference and I can see it as well in many cases when my clients are pushing hard from their throat. What is so fascinating about your real voice is that when you find it, it feels better, it sounds better, and it is easier on your throat and vocal folds because you have immediately taken the pressure, the strain, the work off your voice box and throat. And, should you be suffering from vocal abuse, the abuse will end. Your real voice also takes less energy to produce and can be increased in volume without shouting. This is called projection and works much better at football games or when you are tempted to yell at your kids! I cant tell you the number of people doing damage to their voice box and throat because of needless wear and tear on those delicate organs. Another great benefit of projection is that it wont hurt your listeners ears. Your voice may be just a good as (or even better than) that of Sean Connery or Kate Beckinsale; but, you will never know just how great it is until you make your chest cavity your primary sounding board.

***The 3 Step Approach for a Deeper Speaking Voice

By Nancy Daniels The official guide to Public Speaking See all Articles by Nancy DanielsSee Nancy Daniels's Expert PageGet Updates on Public SpeakingGet Updates on Nancy Daniels 0 Your rating: None While there are various methods and suggestions as to how to make your voice deeper in pitch, the difference between those approaches and the one that is correct lies in the word make. As soon as you make your voice do something it shouldnt, you are forcing

it. When you force your voice into an unnatural, lower pitch, you begin the process of damage to your vocal folds (cords) and throat, also known as vocal abuse. The correct means of deepening your speaking voice requires the breaking of your old vocal habits and the instilling of three new ones. The reason is because you should be looking for your real or true voice which, in 99% of the cases, will be deeper in pitch than the voice you have been using out of habit, your habitual one. Your goal in finding your real sound is not to have a voice as deep as James Earl Jones, for example, but to have the depth in your speaking voice that is natural and right for you. Kevin Spacey has a tremendous, sensual sound but his is not a deep bass voice. Should he be speaking in an even deeper level? Absolutely not. Spacey is speaking at his optimum pitch which is what you should be striving to achieve as well. If you discover a bass inside of you, that is wonderful. If not, that is also wonderful because your optimum voice will resonate inside of your chest and that is where the attraction lies in a great voice. One of the difficulties for those who force their voice too low in pitch is that they discover they cannot increase their volume without the pitch rising. If you are speaking within your optimum range, however, you will be able to increase your volume easily. And, in doing so, you will not be placing undue strain on your throat and voice box. The 3 step approach to find your optimum voice is as follows: 1. learn to breathe with the support of your diaphragm; 2. find the optimum pitch of your speaking voice; 3. use your chest cavity to power your sound. It is that simple. Do not be fooled by those who promise a deep, bass voice by singing opera or yelling. Neither technique is going to show you how to find your real one. You have more depth which you will discover with voice training that includes the 3 steps listed above.

***4 Steps for Eliminating a Verbal Tic

By Nancy Daniels, The Official Guide to Public Speaking The official guide to Public Speaking See all Articles by Nancy DanielsSee Nancy Daniels's Expert PageGet Updates on Public SpeakingGet Updates on Nancy Daniels 0 Your rating: None Nothing is more annoying for an audience than to be subjected to a verbal tic over and over and over again. Instead of paying attention to your message, your audience begins to count the tics. Verbal tics include the sounds um, ah, uh, or the words like or you know. If your message is replete with any of these habitual utterances, you should stop the practice. The best way to do this is to: 1. Record yourself saying your presentation. You dont need to record the entire thing just a few paragraphs. [This does not work for reading material. It is rare for someone to um or ah while reading.] 2. Play it back and make note of when and where you add the tic. It could be at the end of every sentence. It may be after every 4 or 5 words. If the latter is the case, then you probably speak in rhythm as well. This is known as sing-song and is a sure-fire method for lulling your audience to sleep! 3. Record yourself again saying just 3 or 4 lines of your presentation. As you say your words, listen to yourself closely. Having studied your playback from the original recording, you know when it is happening. Now you need to listen for it as you speak. This takes a lot of concentration but it is so worth the effort. 4. Play it back and, again, listen for the tics. Were there less or hopefully no tics this time? If not, do it again until you can say one paragraph at a time without the tics. Your question may be what to do when you are not uming or ahing? Allow yourself to pause. Take a breath, thereby supplementing your air supply, when you feel the urge to um. You may be very uncomfortable with the pause but it is better to have a brief moment of silence than an ah. [If you find that you are adding verbal tics every 4 or 5 words, you need to stop your rhythmic speech. In this particular case, there is the possibility that you read in rhythm as well. Practice reading out loud with your recorder and getting through as much of the sentence as you can without a pause. Then apply this technique to your spoken sentences, recording yourself as in the steps above.] Verbal tics are annoying for your audience. You can stop the ums and ahs if you are motivated. Learn to concentrate on how you are saying what you are saying.

***How to Define Tone in Public Speaking

By Nancy Daniels, The Official Guide to Public Speaking The official guide to Public Speaking See all Articles by Nancy DanielsSee Nancy Daniels's Expert PageGet Updates on Public SpeakingGet Updates on Nancy Daniels 3 Your rating: None Average: 3 (1 vote) Tone is the expression of a mood or emotion. In relationship to your delivery, tone is determined by your topic or your subject. If you are giving the after-dinner speech at a conference, it is quite possible that your talk will be funny; thus, your tone is going to be quite different than if you are giving the eulogy at a funeral. To understand tone better, try reading the following 2 paragraphs with a hopeful tone in the 1st paragraph and a humorous tone in the 2nd. Recording yourself would be very beneficial because you will hear things from the recording that your inner ear is unable to detect. In addition, be aware of your facial expression. In reading about learning disabilities, your facial expression will be serious, maybe your eyebrows will furrow. On the other hand, in reading the humorous story, you should smile (you may even laugh). You may also notice a lightness in your voice with the 2nd example versus the 1st. Hopeful Learning disabilities effects one out of every ten children. With special education, these children, who tend to possess above-average intelligence, can learn given the proper setting and correct teaching approach. Thirty years ago, a child who had difficulty learning was often labeled as stupid. Today, we know better. Humorous While on vacation in Jamaica, we were at a pig roast one evening, and the emcee called for some volunteers from the audience to play a game. A man named Bob jumped up. Well-built, handsome, and macho, he reminded me of the type of guy who's the life of the party or big man on campus. Dressed entirely in island garb complete with straw hat, Bob was informed that he had to crawl through the legs of one of the female volunteers. In doing so, his hat, along with his toupee, became entangled with the netted shawl the woman was wearing. To see that bald head emerging from her legs was one of the funniest moments I can remember. The crowd roared with laughter while poor Bob turned purple with embarrassment.

Did you notice that your tone was different in the above readings? Practicing reading out loud for tone is a very good exercise in learning to distinguish the type of mood you should be conveying in your presentations or in your speeches. An important part of color, tone is one of the variables which makes your delivery truly interesting to listen to.

***The 3 Step Approach for a Deeper Speaking Voice

By Nancy Daniels, The Official Guide to Public Speaking The official guide to Public Speaking See all Articles by Nancy DanielsSee Nancy Daniels's Expert PageGet Updates on SexualityGet Updates on Nancy Daniels 0 Your rating: None While there are various methods and suggestions as to how to make your voice deeper in pitch, the difference between those approaches and the one that is correct lies in the word make. As soon as you make your voice do something it shouldnt, you are forcing it. When you force your voice into an unnatural, lower pitch, you begin the process of damage to your vocal folds (cords) and throat, also known as vocal abuse. The correct means of deepening your speaking voice requires the breaking of your old vocal habits and the instilling of three new ones. The reason is because you should be looking for your real or true voice which, in 99% of the cases, will be deeper in pitch than the voice you have been using out of habit, your habitual one. Your goal in finding your real sound is not to have a voice as deep as someone elses but to have the depth in your speaking voice that is natural and right for you. Kevin Spacey has a tremendous, sensual sound but his is not a deep bass voice. Should he be speaking in an even deeper level? Absolutely not. Spacey is speaking at his optimum pitch which is what you should be striving to achieve as well. If you discover a bass inside of you, that is wonderful. If not, that is also wonderful because your optimum voice will resonate inside of your chest and that is where the attraction lies in a great voice.

One of the difficulties for those who force their voice too low in pitch is that they discover they cannot increase their volume without the pitch rising. If you are speaking within your optimum range, however, you will be able to increase your volume easily. And, in doing so, you will not be placing undue strain on your throat and voice box. The 3 step approach to find your optimum voice is as follows: 1. learn to breathe with the support of your diaphragm; 2. find the optimum pitch of your speaking voice; 3. use your chest cavity to power your sound. It is that simple. Do not be fooled by those who promise a deep, bass voice by singing opera or yelling. Neither technique is going to show you how to find your real one. You have more depth which you will discover with voice training that includes the 3 steps listed above.

***5 Steps for Overcoming a Monotone Voice

By Nancy Daniels, The Official Guide to Public Speaking The official guide to Public Speaking See all Articles by Nancy DanielsSee Nancy Daniels's Expert PageGet Updates on Public SpeakingGet Updates on Nancy Daniels 0 Your rating: None A voice that lacks color is dull and uninteresting. It also says something about you, as the speaker, which may or may not be true. If you speak in a monotone, how do you think others perceive you? A few words that come to my mind are cold, indifferent, and unemotional. Do those words describe you? If so, there are 5 steps you can take to immediately change that perception.

For the following suggestions, stand in front of a mirror and watch yourself. I would also recommend that you do this in private. Understand that you will have to allow yourself to express your emotion. For whatever reason, you have spent your entire life keeping your feelings inside. You will now have to let go of your inhibitions and give yourself permission to be expressive. 1. Say I couldnt possibly do that, emphasizing the word possibly. Shake you head back and forth as you say it in a negative manner. 2. Do it again and this time furrow your brow as you shake your head. 3. Say I can do it and nod your head up and down as you say it as if you were saying it in agreement. 4. This time say I can do it with confidence and fortitude. Imagine that you did not think you could do it, but now you realize you can. Did you notice a difference in your expression between these different means of expression? Now do them again and record yourself so that you can listen to your voice. Was there a difference in how you sounded between the positive and negative statements? You may not be successful the first time you try these exercises because you are going to have to let go for this to work. Remember, you have spent a lifetime comfortable with your flat or monotone delivery. When you can finally let go, you will think that you dont sound natural. Here is where a camcorder (or even your flip video) will come in handy. The camcorder will prove that speaking with emotion is much more natural than speaking in a monotone voice. 5. Next time you answer the phone, smile. As simple as this may seem, it really does work. The person on the other end of the line will perceive your smile in the tone of your voice. You can make this change if you really want to, however, you will need to break some old habits and begin to establish new ones. You may have thought that allowing your emotions to be seen and heard was a weakness. On the contrary, it is a strength.