***Could Your Speaking Voice Use Some Work?

When you hear yourself on your voicemail, chances are good that you don’t recognize what you hear. Chances are even better that you not only don’t recognize the sound but that you find it embarrassing, shocking, or revolting.

Because you are unable to hear yourself the way everyone does, the sound you hear on your answering machine is probably higher in pitch than that which you hear in your head. In addition, your voice may be whiny, nasal, breathy, throaty, weak, shrill, boring, monotonous, wimpy, loud, or too soft in volume. The list of adjectives describing the quality of the voice goes on and on. What you need to understand that no matter how good your voice may sound in your head, what you hear on your answering machine or voice is the truth.

The good news, however, is that you have a better voice inside which you are probably unaware of. It is a sound that comes from your chest and exhibits warmth, depth, and resonance. It is also a more mature sound – not too old, not too young.

The beauty of good voice training is that once you make your ‘real’ voice a habit, you will find it continually improving with age. Yes, when I’m an old woman, I may look it, but I will never sound like it because I have taken a lot of the work away from my throat and vocal folds (cords). What this means for you, if you are suffering any form of vocal abuse such as chronic hoarseness, soreness, or even loss of voice from time to time, is that those problems will be resolved.

Unless there is a physiological cause, vocal abuse is primarily caused by misuse or overuse of the voice. Constant yelling, tension in the throat, neck, or jaw, or even continual talking can result in damage to the vocal folds. By allowing your chest to become your primary sounding board, thereby lessening the strain on your voice box, you will discover a richer, warmer sound that vibrates in your chest as well as an end to vocal abuse.

Voices that are being powered by means of the chest sound like that of Ashley Judd, Morgan Freeman, George Clooney, Cher, Peter Coyote, Vin Diesel, James Earl Jones, Kathleen Turner, and, of course, the late Barry White. The difference between their resonant voices and yours is that they use their chest cavity as their primary sounding board.

Voice training is not just for those in Hollywood. Imagine how your life could change if you were to discover the magnificent voice inside just waiting to come out?