Mission #44

On Board: Roger Love Mission: Set Your Voice Free

The Co-Pilot:

Roger Love is an incredibly compelling -- and skilled -- vocal coach to the stars. His long list of famous clients includes, among many others, Demi Lovato, Gwen Stefani, Reese Witherspoon, and even the renowned Tony Robbins.

As you may have gathered from this snippet of his client list, Roger is one of the world's leading authorities on voice. In fact, he's the most commercially successful vocal coach in the speaking and singing fields. He's been teaching voice since he was just 16 years old, and he brings all this talent and experience to this conversation.

Connect With Roger:

Roger LoveRogerLoveVocals on Facebook@RogerLove1 on TwitterRogerLove on Instagram

The Mission Log:

• [04:10] - We hear about Roger's background, including his early passion for singing and how this led him into teaching stars as a teenager. He also explains how this led him into becoming a speaking coach.
• [08:13] - Does Roger think everyone can sing, or are there some people who just can't? Some people are born with better voices than others, he says, but everyone has an original and unique voice. Even people born without great instruments have the potential to do well if they work hard at it.
• [10:42] - Roger gives the example of Pavarotti, who decided to be a singer at around 35.
• [11:44] - Roger discusses his love for taking people like Orion -- who loved singing as a child -- and helping them incorporate musicality into their speaking voices. He also explains that you only have about a second to make your first impression through speaking.
• [14:45] - What are the five components of voice and how can we best use them? They're pitch, pace, tone, melody, and volume. He gives some tips on volume, melody, pace.
• [21:03] - Most people believe there are only two voices: chest voice and head voice. This can lead to speakers or singers getting trapped in one voice or the other because of the difficulty of transitioning between the two. Middle voice gives people the ability to sing between these two ranges without the voice breaking. Roger also explains why the middle and head voice are important even to speakers.
• [26:05] - Sound waves from your voice vibrate the bodies of listeners. Roger explains why this is important. He also says that the people who sing or speak in the way he teaches for an hour a day increases life expectancy up to eight years (among several other benefits that he lists).
• [29:25] - Roger tells us how he helped Tony Robbins keep from losing his voice and work through the tremendous amount of wear and tear on his voice.
• [31:10] - John Gray's voice wouldn't work for Tony Robbins, and vice versa, and Roger demonstrates why. He then goes on to talk about how important it is to have different sounds and voices for each character you need to play.
• [35:52] - "People all need to think about voice first," Roger tells us. He emphasizes the importance of voice in interactions, and mentions his forthcoming book Set Your Voice Free. It's a new, expanded edition of his first book, containing everything he's learned in the 16 years since the original edition came out.
• [37:02] - Roger talks about what he calls "overlapping frequencies," which he believes is why children of different genders feel connected before puberty. Once puberty happens and men and women sound different, a divide is created. Overlapping frequencies are the ranges in which men's and women's voices tend to overlap.
• [40:00] - We hear more about Roger's new book. He also mentions that there's a partnering website that comes with the book.
• [42:30] - What makes the best female speakers great? Roger emphasizes the combination of the five voice components he mentioned before, and mentions having a physiology that matches those sounds. He also talks about the problems with parallel gestures -- doing the same thing with both hands at the same time.
• [46:15] - Roger shares an exercise that can help speakers. Close your mouth, breathe in through your nose, and pretend there's a balloon in your abdomen. When you breathe in, fill your abdomen; when you exhale, let your abdomen come back in. This is diaphragmatic breathing.
• [52:21] - Voice is one of the most important ways of establishing self-confidence, Roger tells us.
• [53:54] - What products of his do Roger recommend? First, he recommends his new book Set Your Voice Free again. He then recommends The Perfect Voice, for which Stellar Life listeners will receive a $50 discount!
• [55:38] - What are Roger's three tips to living a stellar life? 1. Record yourself speaking and listen attentively, paying attention to your volume. 2. Record yourself again, this time focusing on having more melody and "walking up the stairs." 3. Record yourself once more, this time speaking only while your stomach is coming in.

Your Pre-Flight Checklist:

Unless you already tend to speak loudly, work on raising your volume. Don't be afraid to speak loudly enough to be heard (by others, not just yourself).

Practice incorporating more melody into your speech. Many of us tend to speak monotonously, but incorporating melody will make your voice more compelling.

Practice shifting from downward melodies to upward stair-step melodies, as if the sound is walking up the stairs as you speak.

Links and Resources:

Roger LoveRogerLoveVocals on Facebook@RogerLove1 on TwitterRogerLove on InstagramSet Your Voice FreeThe Perfect VoiceDemi LovatoGwen StefaniReese WitherspoonJohn GrayDiaphragmatic breathingChest voice, middle voice, and head voice