***In Public Speaking, How Much Value Do You Place on Your Voice?

You have prepared your material and practiced it out loud. You are comfortable making eye contact with your audience and you speak with emotion, life and animation. Everything is a go or is it? Have you ever considered the vehicle that is transporting your message? Do you place any value on your speaking voice? How far would you get in the world of public speaking without a voice? For all the articles and books that have been written on presentation skills and public speaking, how many of them actually talk to you about your voice, aside from the advice not to drink ice water and to avoid milk before speaking? Your voice is an instrument and as such has the ability to be an asset or a liability. If you do not like hearing your voice on your answering machine, for example, how comfortable are you with the fact that what you hear on your voicemail is the sound by which you are transporting your words? And, that sound is the sound by which everyone else recognizes you. If you plan a career in public speaking, in which you will be using your voice heavily during lengthy time periods, what are the chances that you might develop vocal abuse? Tony Robbins did; and, he is paying heavily for it every day of his life. If what I have heard is correct, then in order for him to speak for any great length of time, he needs steroids. Hopefully, that will never happen to you; and, it doesn’t have to be if you make voice training a priority in your development as a public speaker. By learning to place your voice in your chest, you can immediately relieve the wear and tear on your throat and voice box. That was Mr. Robbins’ first mistake. He never learned this technique and his voice has gradually worsened throughout his long career. In fact, it is difficult to listen to him for long periods of time. Do not underestimate the power of your voice if you plan a career on the podium. Learn to place your voice properly, and you will discover not only a voice with more ‘staying power’, but you will discover a voice that you never knew existed inside of you. You will sound more mature and you will be able to increase your volume without shouting. Isn’t it time you placed some value on the instrument that actually delivers your message?