How about trying out some vocal exercises at
home? Thanks to Communicate Now! you can.
Want to improve your voice?
Ever thought you'd like to sound
clearer when you speak?
Like to get more variety into
your voice?
Ever thought of how you might
have sounded if you took elocution lessons as a child?
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Firstly we are going to try and relax and take
a few deep breaths. OK? And when you breathe in deeply try not
to move your shoulders too much but breathe in from your belly
(or stomach).
Ready? OK ...Breathe in ..... deeply ... remember
to use your stomach ... and now wait a few seconds .... then
breathe out slowly .... and count out aloud as you do it ...
... 1 ... 2 ... 3
... 4 ... 5 ... 6... 7 ... 8 ... 9 ... 10 ...
... 11 ... 12 ...
13 ... 14 ... 15 ... 16 ... 17 ... 18 ... 19 ... 20.
Try and count all the way to 20 as you breathe
out.
OK normal breath in again ... and out.
Now lets try the deep breathing exercise again
and count slowly all the way to 20.
So ... Breathe in .....
deeply ... and ... wait a few seconds .... then breathe out
slowly .... and count out aloud as you do it
... 1 ... 2 ... 3
... 4 ... 5 ... 6... 7 ... 8 ... 9 ... 10 ...
... 11 ... 12 ...
13 ... 14 ... 15 ... 16 ... 17 ... 18 ... 19 ... 20.
.... try and count all the way to 20 as you
breathe out.
How about reading out some text aloud? OK?
Print out this page. Then Find yourself a room
where you wont be disturbed - or overheard!.
Now read the following paragraph:-
It was a beautiful
day in more ways than one when Gerry finally decided to ask
Sally to marry him. The Summer weather had now settled down
and although there were still a few clouds in the sky, it
was a very bright, blue sky that greeted them as they left
the motel. Gerry took Sally by the arm and embrased her. And
in that moment, he knew they were meant for each other.
Now read it again but this time think about
how much your mouth is opening. Try and open your mouth as wide
as possible when you speak each word. In fact try and speak
each word individually and not as part of a sentence. Try and
make each word sound clear as possible. Try and "spit"
out each of the words.
OK that probably sounds somewhat strange! What
we are trying to do there is to make each word have a beginning
and an end. Oftentimes when we speak we "slurrrrrr"
our speech and do not take enough effort to pronounce each word
clearly enough.
So lets repeat the paragraph one more time.
This time reading it as a whole piece of text (not individual
words without meaning) and making it sound as exciting (and
emotional) a moment for Jerry as you possibly can.
And how did that sound to you?
Now try and read out aloud the following "tongue
twister"
"Three grey geese
in a green field grazing"
And again ... read it out aloud and faster.
Dont worry if you get mixed up with some of the words just try
it again a few times till you can say it out loud ten times
in 30 seconds. And remember to open your mouth as much as possible.
Now lets try another phrase. And of course you
know the routine now ... so try this one:-
"a
proper copper coffee pot"
Read it out aloud 10 times yet?
Are you starting to feel as if your jaw, mouth
and tongue are getting some exercise?
If not then you need to try the two tongue twisters
again!
Now lets go back to the start.
1. Try our breathing control exercise again.
Ready? OK ...Breathe in ..... deeply ... remember
to use your stomach ... and now wait a few seconds .... then
breathe out slowly .... and count out aloud as you do it ...
... 1 ... 2 ... 3
... 4 ... 5 ... 6... 7 ... 8 ... 9 ... 10 ...
... 11 ... 12 ...
13 ... 14 ... 15 ... 16 ... 17 ... 18 ... 19 ... 20.
Try and count all the way to 20 as you breathe
out.
2. Now read out the text aloud and put in as
much expression as you can, ensuring that every word is clearly
heard. If you have a tape recorder - then record yourself.
It was a beautiful
day in more ways than one when Gerry finally decided to ask
Sally to marry him. The Summer weather had now settled down
and although there were still a few clouds in the sky, it
was a very bright, blue sky that greeted them as they left
the motel. Gerry took Sally by the arm and embrased her. And
in that moment, he knew they were meant for each other.
Listen to yourself when you are reading it
out aloud. Does it sound any clearer and more articulate to
you than it did the first time you tried to read it out?
What you have been doing (in a simplistic way)
by the above exercise is a warm up. Many presenters, actors
and public speakers spend lots of time in vocal exercises like
that before going on stage or reading the news or giving a presentation
so that when they start speaking to the audience they have already
warmed up their voice and are abkle to "hit the road running".
A lot of what you do in elocution lessons is
similar to this. You'll also work on specific vowel sounds (a,
e, i, o, u) and constonants (b, c, d, f, g, h, ... etc). These
exercises will help you change the way some of your words sounds
to the ear (vowel sounds) and also help you pronounce words
more clearly (constonant sounds). You can use these exercises
to soften or even (over time) lose an accent.
Remember developing a great voice takes time
and dedication. But there's nothing to stop you starting to
improve your own voice right now. In fact ... you have done
just that if you actually took part in these exercises above.
... and if you didnt actually try out
the exercises ...
... but just skimmed through them silently
... Why not try them?
... what have you got to lose?
We rarely read aloud these days. Why not start
doing this. Pick up a paper or magazine and read some of the
text out aloud. Not in front of people - otherwise they might
think you a bit strange! But in the comfort of your own home.
Spend about 5 - 10 minutes
a day reading out aloud ... and by the end of
your first week will not only have got used to doinig this you
will start to enjoy hearing the sound of your voice. You will
also be on the road to achieving more from your voice.
And when you are reading the text in the papers
or magazines ... try and experiment reading them out with different
emotions. Be angry ... be mysterious ... be humouous ... and
note how the tone of your voice changes when you change your
emotions. And if you have the chance try recording yourself
again.
If you'd like to take things further you might
well want to have face to face elocution training with an
experienced voice coach.
Skillstudio are one of the best known high
quality UK based trainers (www.skillstudio.co.uk) and
they certainly get our recommendation.
But remember ... above all ... have
fun ... and enjoy the experience.
skillstudio
- elocution and accent reduction training
Communication skills
Presentation skills
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