Master Your Voice Today

Do you find that you are short of breath when you speak, or perhaps you run out of breath too quickly?  Controlling your breath when you speak is key to creating an engaging and credible voice!  This vocal exercise will help you to lengthen your phrases, vary those phrases and create more resonance and dynamics in your voice, thus engaging with your audience.  

A difference in speech pattern will change the intention behind your words.  

Conversational speech is different to giving a presentation, speaking on the phone or recording a pitch to video What things might you consider when speaking at a conference for instance?  

Intonation 

Your intonation (your pitch pattern) will keep your audience engaged. There’s nothing worse than listening to someone speak in a quiet, monotonal voice about health and safety!! Vary the pitch like in normal conversational speech, but still with the required intensity. 

Projection and volume 

You want to be heard, so projection and volume is key, especially if you're speaking to a room of 500 people.  Projection is created by finding the right resonance in certain areas of your body, such as the mask, and visualising a place to aim your voice at, where as volume is the loudness of your voice, which comes form the correct Diaphragmatic support plus resonance in the chest cavity. 

You'll need a certain amount of dynamics (changes in volume) and projection to communicate your message.  There is however, a lot to be said about the conversational style speaker. 

Someone who has a natural stage presence, a deep knowledge of their subject and an immediate rapport with the audience as long as you can hear them, can be extremely engaging!

Find Jimmy on social media: 

https://www.jimmycannon.com/ 

https://www.facebook.com/JimmyCannonsingerandvoicecoach/ 

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jimmycannonsinger/

“I never thought about my voice as an instrument before…”  One of my recent delegates said when I asked her for some feedback on a recent training session. 

When musicians perform, we Interpret the music on the score, which outlines the composer's intentions and vision for the piece. What is your, or your company's vision, and can you communicate this to your clients and colleagues?  

If you’re a solo performer you have slightly more freedom in that interpretation; your phrasing, sound and style can be more individual than if you were in an ensemble, where the synchronisation of these elements is required. A common ethos… one voice.  

Is your company presenting the same message?   What are your company's values? A band, ensemble, or orchestra will have it’s own values based on an appreciation of the style and genre of the music played. It’s period and place… it’s roots. Conversations will have been had regarding the details of a groove, a cadenza, or an arrangement, which will lead to an identity and sound for the group.  

Music in its highest form is an extremely powerful medium, and can affect hearts and minds literally and emotionally. How are you or your company making a difference and engaging with people on an emotional level and perhaps challenging their values?

“I never thought about my voice as an instrument before…”

One of my recent delegates said when I asked her for some feedback on a recent training session.

We all hate listening to the sound of our own voice (or perhaps some of us), but don’t forget that we have a very different perception of what we sound like in comparison to what others hear, so when listening back to our own voice, it can sound alien and non recognisable as our true voice.  It’s worth remembering this and not to be too self critical.

Try this simple exercise to open your oral cavity and relax your jaw, allowing more resonance in the 'mask' area giving you a more direct projection to your sound.

Do you feel nervous or self conscious when speaking in public? Does your breath feel shallow or tight? Then you’re probably not breathing correctly!!

Correct Diaphragmatic breathing will produce a deeper more resonant sound, giving you more projection to your voice and overall the authority and presence you need to become a better speaker.

I’m Jimmy Cannon, and in this podcast, I’m going to show you 5 really simple exercises that I use in my own personal vocal coaching that will help you to stay cool, composed and in control of your voice when speaking in public.

Deep breathing is a proven way to release endorphins!  It also provides a general sense of relaxation and can be done discreetly, even while waiting to speak.

Jimmy Cannon Voice Coach speaks to Paulus aka Paul L Martin from the hit talent show 'All Together Now' as the hard-to-impress judge on the panel of 'The 100' with Geri Horner and host Rob Beckett. 

In the first of a series of videos speaking to performers, journalists, speakers and entertainers, Jimmy finds out the tricks of the trade from coping with stage fright, connecting with your audience, hecklers, the 'fourth wall', utilising distractions as 'gifts' and more...

Find Jimmy on social media:

https://www.jimmycannon.com/

https://www.facebook.com/JimmyCannonsingerandvoicecoach/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jimmycannonsinger/

Release the tension in your jaw and tongue for public speaking with these simple voice exercises..

If you find that your voice hurts after you've been speaking for a while, try a couple of these tips.

I often see and hear both tension in the jaw and the tongue, and can be the result of an accident or sometimes trauma. Releasing the tension that has manifested itself in that area of the oral cavity can help the voice become more flexible, produce more clarity and overall a more noticeably effortless sounding voice.