***If Your Listeners Pull Back When You Are Talking, Then You Are Too Loud

During a recent 2-day workshop I was holding, one of the participants was a lovely woman by the name of Angie who had a big, nasal voice. When she got excited, not only did the pitch of her speaking voice rise, but her volume increased as well. Does that sound familiar? While speaking too loudly is not nearly as common as speaking too softly, it does happen. And, for your listeners, it can be painful to their ears. If you find others recoiling when you talk, you should consider voice training in order to learn how to lessen your volume to a comfortable level. One of the most interesting aspects of voice training is that the exact same techniques used to help the soft-spoken speak at a normal level are the same techniques that will lessen the volume of the loud voice. It is truly fascinating to see how this works. With the right voice training approach, you are taught how to find your ‘real’ voice by using your chest cavity to power your sound. Of course, you still use your throat, voice box, mouth and nasal cavities. The difference is that most people are unaware of and not using their chest cavity which is the largest of their 5 resonators responsible for voiced sound.

• When you make this change, you will find a richer, warmer, deeper voice that decreases your volume naturally.

Why this happens is because the loud voice is characterized by stridency, shrillness, and sometimes excessive nasality as well. The voice that is powered by the chest cavity, however, loses the stridency and the shrillness because of the change in placement of your sound. Your voice will no longer be harsh. Instead you will discover a sound that is more akin to the likes of Sean Connery, Kathleen Turner, Kate Beckinsale and James Earl Jones. The other good news about your ‘real’ voice is that it will no longer hurt your throat and vocal folds (cords) to speak. If you have a loud voice, then it is quite possible you suffer from vocal abuse as well in which you have chronic hoarseness or a persistent sore throat. Use your chest cavity as your primary sounding board and your vocal abuse will be gone. There are so many marvelous benefits of voice training, one of which is that you will actually enjoy hearing yourself on recording equipment. Isn’t it time to stop the loud talk and learn to speak at a comfortable level for your listeners? Trust me, they will thank you.