***If Your Presentation Skills Are Good, Can the Same Be Said about Your Voice?

I am going to assume that your delivery skills are above average. You have addressed an audience on numerous occasions and you enjoy the challenge of public speaking. As strong as your presentation skills are, however, how good is the sound of your speaking voice – the one you hear on your answering machine, not the one you hear in your head?

If you could improve that aspect of your delivery, would you be interested to know that there is hope for the voice that you may find embarrassing or even humiliating when you hear it on a recording?

You have a deeper voice inside of you – a voice that you are totally unaware of. When powered by means of your chest cavity, it is a sound that may be nothing like what you hear on your voicemail. I call it your real or true voice.

Because you are using your throat and voice box as your primary amplifiers – and maybe your nose as well – you are unable to recognize the voice that is just waiting to be heard. It is easier to produce; it can be projected without shouting; and it will sound mature. It will not sound too old nor too young but indeed ageless.

Sometimes I can tell when I hear someone on the phone, for instance, what their real voice is going to be like. Sometimes I cannot. When I worked with Craig, a young man whose ‘before and after’ video is on the homepage of my website, I had no idea that his change would be so astounding. In fact, his change is so dramatic that you might think it is two different people.

What is truly amazing about voice training is that there are many individuals whose habitual voice may indeed be most unpleasant but upon discovering their real voice, they find a sound that is truly remarkable. If your voice is characterized by being nasal, whiny, too soft, too loud, hoarse, throaty, wimpy, or even childlike, you can make the change.

And, once you make that change, you will find that your voice will improve as you age. Powering your sound by means of your chest cavity immediately eliminates the excess wear and tear on your vocal folds (cords) and throat and that helps retain the strength and flexibility of those delicate organs.

Your presentation skills may be excellent but all the speech practice in the world will not improve your voice until you use your chest cavity as your primary sounding board. Yes, you have a better voice inside. Isn’t it time you discovered it?