Vocal Practice
Quote from Transitioned on January 1, 2021, 10:15 pmThanks Matthew sounds good. How do u want to roll? Make notes here? make nother thread? Something else?
I m curious how you re approaching the speaking. I m doing mini scripts and then recording my delivery.
I record the delivery of my scripts and texts as well.
I am working on a few aspects of my voice
- Avoid upward inflection at the end of sentences
- Ensure each syllabus is supported with the diaphragm and sufficient air
- Resonance at different parts of my nose, face, throat.
- The best pitch for a resonant voice
- My accent has a syllabus-timed rhythm.
I need to work on a stress-timed rhythm.
It sounds better for English.
Smoothening out my voice through grouping phrases together when I speak.
I used to sound like a machine gun. "Blah! Blah! Blah!" rather than "Blah, blah, blah! Blah, blah!"
Other things to work on
- Greater range of expression through
- Timbre - making your voice sound warm; there may be not much to play with here, maybe diet and hydration may play a part.
- Rhythm - stressed-time vs syllabus-timed, strategic rhythms to emphasis more on certain parts of a speech
- Pitch - sounding more upbeat through varying frequencies at certain parts; more serious through less variation
- Intonation - follow the more standard British intonation of words
- Pauses - pausing intentionally to draw attention to points
- Volume - varying my volume from loud to soft
- Speed - going faster or slower depending on the points of importance
Every single morning I do around 5 minutes of vocal practice.
It serves both as practice, and as a buffer time before getting in front of any screen (laptop / phone).
Matthew: I record the delivery of my scripts and texts as well.
Great move.
Sometimes, I also record some calls, just to check later on the voice (you save time since you were going to make the call anyway).
Something else that not everyone, but that some people can benefit from, is:
- Enunciation
Such as, making sure that you clearly spell the words, something I was doing particularly badly, and can still improve (a lot) on.
Some English-speaking areas also have a natural tendency to "cut" or "fuse" the words together, so this also varies not just on an individual basis, but also on background/geography.
---
(Book a call) for personalized & private feedback
Lucio: Sometimes, I also record some calls, just to check later on the voice (you save time since you were going to make the call anyway).
This is cool.
Let me look around for a few ways to do this.
How to Record Calls on Your Android Phone?
Every single morning I do around 5 minutes of vocal practice.
I thought your idea of doing posture exercises with vocal exercises is awesome.
It sets a mental association of setting up a good posture while speaking.
Since good posture also helps in projecting your voice properly.
Enunciation
Such as, making sure that you clearly spell the words, something I was doing particularly badly, and can still improve (a lot) on.
Some English-speaking areas also have a natural tendency to "cut" or "fuse" the words together, so this also varies not just on an individual basis, but also on background/geography.
I stumble upon words with 4 or more syllabuses.
For example, I can't seem to pronounce the word "Mediterranean" fluently.
Got to practise.
Also my diphthongs, 'th' & r could do better as well.
The calls are an awesome idea.
It allows me to see what weaknesses in my voice occur, especially when I feel doubtful or under social pressure.
I also make more enunciation mistakes as I talk normally.
Sometimes the conscious practice of my vocals does not translate to better speaking habits when conversing in social situations.
I fall back into bad habits when speaking to people because I focus on social dynamics rather than my vocals.
My main area of weakness is diphthongs at the moment.
I also end up pronouncing the diphthong as a monophthong.
I find these example words challenging to pronounce correctly due to many years of pronouncing the word wrong
- Day - diphthong a
- Stay - diphthong a
- Say - diphthong a
- I - diphthong i
- Diet - Triphthongs; diphthong i followed by monophthong e (this is so challenging to do it naturally)
Brainstorming Ways to Form My Habit of Pronouncing Diphthongs Correctly
- Shift more attention to vocals as I converse in social situations
- Ask friends to point out my mispronunciations as I speak.
- Join Toastmasters and ask someone to ring a bell whenever I mispronounce diphthongs
Useful Resource
To Lucio: I notice you use quite a low rythm and low voice. I use this when I'm in a position of authority of teaching. To make sure that everybody understand. However, as you could hear on the phone, my mind and words race fast. So I get more pleasure (brain-reward) from thinking and speaking fast. So I can and speak with "power" (quotes to show that I'm unsure of the right name) but I find it an effort.
So my questions are:
- How did you acquire this tone and rythm of voice. Now that I know you a little bit, I'm guessing you developed it, right? If so, how? I think our voice is a powerful tool.
Off topic
2. Don't you find it an effort to speak all the time slow and clear? Because to me it is. I'm curious about you? I like this state of mind: the powerful state of mind. It's the adult talking. However, I like also the child-like, fun-loving state of mind. And I think one cannot be in both at the same time. What do yo uthink?
/Off topic
Short Note
Changing my voice is a huge effort for me.
Even minor tweaks.
From my experience in voice training, it is habit training.
The tongue and vocals will adopt muscle memory over time.
Voice actors are amazing at this.
I'm not sure how they have such control over their voice.
Changing accents and tone on the fly.
Hey John,
I agree with you on different voices for different occasions.
I see voice as very important element of interpersonal success/strategy, and for me, it follows the general concept of power: "as little dominance as needed". Such as, you usually -exceptions apply- don't want to be "as powerful as possible", since that usually comes at a cost of bonding and connecting.
So albeit I could also make my voice more authoritative/powerful (further slow down, add pauses, enunciate better, louder, etc.), I usually go for warmth and connection.
Also, I adapt to the environment, goal, and individual.
If I'd speak to a boss, I'd avoid too much authority so he doesn't feel like you're trying to overpower him and/or as a threat.
And if I'm speaking to a guy who seems to go out of his way to convey authority, then I adapt in order not to lose power and authority myself (often: slow down, reduce the words, add more silences).
Usually, I consider guys who go out of their way to speak too authoritatively, to be a bit too deep in the game of power. So for me it's more of a "defense, business only mode", because I know these guys aren't out for connection/authenticity.
---
(Book a call) for personalized & private feedback
Quote from Matthew Whitewood on January 11, 2021, 1:59 amChanging my voice is a huge effort for me.
Even minor tweaks.
Definitely, same for me.
And there is also the "social pressure" element. If you start trying to change the way you speak, people might feel like "phonies", and like others are judging them for "not being themselves".
---
(Book a call) for personalized & private feedback
There are 2 areas of voice where I feel will help in most situations:
- Speaking with the diaphragm
- Vocal resonance (find the right pitch and play with where to "resonate" the sound, i.e. throat, mouse, nose)
The above are amplifiers for the vibe you set from your tone, rhythm, etc.
It amplifies your authority and dominance.
It amplifies your vibrance and warmth.
They help me in situations where
- high-power and authority are needed
- I can be vibrant and expressive
Obama's voice here is powerful and warm
Sometimes whispering can be helpful.
Or situations where you want to be very submissive.
Those are cases where maybe diaphragmatic support and resonance can be excluded.
Quote from Lucio Buffalmano on January 11, 2021, 12:30 pmHey John,
I agree with you on different voices for different occasions.
I see voice as very important element of interpersonal success/strategy, and for me, it follows the general concept of power: "as little dominance as needed". Such as, you usually -exceptions apply- don't want to be "as powerful as possible", since that usually comes at a cost of bonding and connecting.
So albeit I could also make my voice more authoritative/powerful (further slow down, add pauses, enunciate better, louder, etc.), I usually go for warmth and connection.
Also, I adapt to the environment, goal, and individual.
If I'd speak to a boss, I'd avoid too much authority so he doesn't feel like you're trying to overpower him and/or as a threat.
And if I'm speaking to a guy who seems to go out of his way to convey authority, then I adapt in order not to lose power and authority myself (often: slow down, reduce the words, add more silences).Usually, I consider guys who go out of their way to speak too authoritatively, to be a bit too deep in the game of power. So for me it's more of a "defense, business only mode", because I know these guys aren't out for connection/authenticity.
I see your answer now, thanks! Very interesting, good stuff!
I will refine my question: what practices, tools, habits and mindsets have you used to develop the voice you have now?
Thank you very much.