Are you looking for non-intrusive ways to relieve stress, confusion, and stiffness in your presentations? Is this pattern negatively affecting the way your listeners connect with you and your message? If so, here a some sure-fired techniques to reset you voice, body, and mind to speak with enthusiasm, clarity, and calmness.
I have personally seen the transformation while coaching my clients to overcome this detachment to their audience by releasing the very tools that you alreaady carry within you to appeal to your listeners.
#1. Key Tool is to apply the best breathing method for speakers, trainers, professionals, and leaders. This is diaphragmatic breathing which allows you to take in more air and manage your speech before, during, and long-after your presentation. It will immediately calm your anxiety to sail you through any proposal, sales pitch, job interview, staff meeting, fundraising appeals, or leadership inspiration. Yes, your breath is always with you so why not utilize its support and manipulative qualities to relax, pause, and energize yourself.

• One exercise to take on diaphragmatic breathing is to breathe in without lifting your shoulders; instead, expand your lower body in the abdomen and lower rib area. Do this throughout your day as you speak to friends, colleagues, and over the phone, podcast, or video call. Take three diaphragmatic breaths initially to calm yourself. Continue to take in enough air to get you through your first thought, pause; then, in again for your next thought, pause; and so on. Take another breath any time during your speech if you feel anxious. You have simply reset the “Breathe” button to continue powerfully. 

#2. Key Tool is your combined unit of speech muscles within your mouth; namely, the tongue, palate, teeth, lips, and your jaw. These articulation tools make your words come out more clearly to be easily understood. You may not realize it but often these muscles get lazy if they are under utilized. What happens is that your speech and words become mumbled, slurred, and dropped to create confusion, mispronunciation, and ambiguity or vagueness of your meaning and commitment.

• Exercises, such as, tongue twisters can reinvigorate these muscles to brilliant clarity of your message. However, the best exercise is a jaw exercise to loosen your jaw and open your mouth wider. Move your jaw from side-to-side, open-and-close, and circle it. Just before or during your speech mentally check yourself to not let your jaw revert to a clamped mouth of garbled speech, or too rapid speech with no mouth movement at all. Yes, you can do this!

#3. Key Tool is your vocal, mind, and body drive to be flexible in showing your content with your emotions. Within you there lies your mind focus to energize positive thoughts to enable you to speak with emotional passion. Partnered with this is the flexible skill of vocal tone, resonance, and pitch levels. When these characteristics match your content then your listeners get the picture and visualize what you are asking them to do. They hear your voice, see your gestures, and feel your emotional enthusiasm. They are drawn into your message, your passion, your story, and your call-to-action.
Practise your content in different ways to by emphasizing specific words, pausing appropriately, and gesturing in alignment to give your most passionate meaning. Your thoughts will lead your direction to feel emotional as if you are in the moment, like an actor does to convey believability. Your vocal pitch and tone will rise and fall to fit your emotional input.

• An exercise for flexible tune-up before you present is to say the word “come” in various tones as if you are calling your dog in a friendly, aggressively, sarcastically, joyfully, or urgently manner, and so on. Your vocal pitch (high, mid, low) will rise and fall to fit the mood and meaning.

​The steps to breathtaking speeches are the ones that you manage and build from your core breathing method to empower your vocal skill to align with your body and mind partners.
Read more of my client’s different stories on how they were able to reset their speech alignment to better presentations by simply fixing vocal power needs, in my latest book “Breathe…Just Steps to Breathtaking Speeches.”  The book provides specific guidance for fixing annoying tones, achieving clear articulation, having fuller resonance, and more energy to produce presentations with a dramatic engaging edge.
Contact me: http://www.brendacsmith.com/contact.html
 
Please leave a comment or question below.

​Are you grabbing the attention of your listener with the use of pause in your speech? 
Many presenters speak as if they are reading carelessly without any attention to making their message or content stand out to the listener.  Conveying content orally requires mastery of speaking phrases or key words with a pause and rhythm to match with your thinking and feeling. This allows the audience to pay attention; plus, it creates presence in your performance.
#1.  Pause with Deliberation
If you pause randomly without focus to the purpose or meaning of your ideas, you are out of sync with your natural breathing and speaking rhythm. Instead, align your phrases and thoughts with your own rhythm to pause so the audience not only gets your meaning; but also, touches them deeply with your vocal pitch that follows your pause. Both are partners in expression to keep your audience with you.
For example, say aloud: “Truth alone makes life rich and great.” [Emerson]
Where do you personally pause when you say this?  What tone do you have for the rest of the sentence after your pause? Next, experiment and repeat the sentence by inserting a pause in a different spot – after Truth, or after alone, or after makes, or after life, or after rich. What changed in your thoughts, meaning, and tone for the rest of the words? If you want the meaning to truly connect with your audience insert a pause to deliberately signal what your thoughts are about it. Isn’t this how we all naturally express our passionate ideas?

#2.  Pause with Variety of Frequency
How often should you pause? Too excessive or too few will not focus your audience to see the image or to feel the emotion. Your listeners will believe that you are manipulating them, just like a fake actor or a brassy salesman who sounds totally unreal to you. Frequency is in proportion to the urgency of your images or ideas pausing less often to match a faster pace of the content; and more often to create a moment of reflection or reaction.
It’s like leading up to the climax of the story – is there a moment of contemplation or suspense before the climax, and then again after? For example, in story of “Humpty Dumpty” how often could you insert a pause to be effective? Try it and see what happens. Apply this technique in your own speech content. Rehearse your speech out loud to discover where your key words and passion stand out more; then insert your dramatic pause.

#3.  Pause Long or Short for Dramatic Effect
Pause longer on the most important point in your content, or if there is a key image you want to really touch your audience with. While you pause longer, it allows for a definite idea or image to sink in to the listener and gives contrast with the rest of the words. Strong feelings like tears, amazement, laughter, fear, or deep contemplation are often the reactions from your listeners, merely by the length of your pause before.

When you’ve mastered the use of pause, pitch, and truthful expression, you will know it’s the right match when your audience becomes speechless and the applause is resounding.

Leave a comment below and share this blog on social media with your friends and associates.
 
P.S. - There are more exercises in “Breathe…Just Steps to Breathtaking Speeches”
P.P.S.  - Are you ready to have personal coaching for your own self advancement?  
Or, listen up- exciting news: Are you a seasoned professional speaker, coach, or trainer and wish to become a quality speech coach for your own clients.  Contact Brenda C. Smith today to become an Associate Breathe System™ Coach. She is accepting applicants for her upcoming “Vocal and Presentation Mastery Coaching” program.

This past week, I’ve heard this statement from three different career women:  a fitness coach, a lawyer, and a project manager:  “My throat is sore; I think I’m losing my voice.” None of them had a cold or allergies. Has this ever happen to you? If so, there are three crucial strategies to avoid wearing out your voice and to put less strain on your vocal folds (cords).

The first strategy is to loosen your body muscles particularly in the area of your neck, shoulders, jaw; and generally stretch all your limbs to free your body tension. This seems to be a very easy solution. It would allow your voice to freely exit your mouth without your sound fighting through a series of road blocks to survive. However, you continue to blast away at those vocal tissues by drinking more caffeine, yelling from your throat, smoking, coughing, and even cruelly whispering until your last sound dies.  You have non-stop energy to keep the assaults going.

Did you know that your vocal folds intuitively are on your side ready to fight off any attack they encounter so they can save your voice? The more you continue to speak, the weaker your sound becomes until it loses the fight. The more you shout over others or any equipment noise the worse you feel dragged out and sore in your throat. Your vocal folds become infected.  If you stopped speaking and gave your voice a rest, the vocal folds would rebound soon enough so you could speak eloquently or definitively once more. So, that’s your second strategy, don’t whisper – stop talking – rest is the antidote.

Finally, your best approach is to initiate your personal daily work routine as a speaker by adopting an intercostal diaphragmatic breathing procedure to alleviate strain, stress, and soreness. Pause more often, drink some water, and calmly project your sound using the propulsion of your breath as the core to everlasting voice power.  As soon as you feel your throat feeling dry or harsh, that’s your cue to let others speak and you listen.

Which part of your collaborative team of muscles, mind, and motive needs to be re-balanced, so you can avoid losing your voice again at the end of your working day?
Please leave a comment below.
Cheers! - Here’s to keeping voice fit.
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P.S. If your voice is under a great deal of daily strain and you want someone to help you alleviate this; plus, show you how to apply diaphragmatic breathing to boost and manage your voice; then contact me today, Brenda C. Smith, your personal voice power coach. Find more strategies throughout my new book, “Breathe…Just Steps to Breathtaking Speeches” which you can purchase online http://bit.ly/1lqNWXl  for yourself or as gifts to your team and staff.

​I was out walking with my pug, Hugo, this rather cool May morning when I noticed I was having a hard time catching a breath.  I could feel the cool air on the back of my throat and I reacted by trying to take in more air too quickly.  Suddenly, I realized that I had automatically gone into using only my upper shoulder and neck area which had become tense and it was making it more difficult to breathe.

​Of course, I realized right away that I needed to get myself calm and breathe using the diaphragm so my belly and rib sides would move.  I found immediate relief then, and slowly felt my full breath expand in my torso and large chest cavity.  Hugo and I finished our walk easily and I felt more energized for the rest of the day.
​Has this ever happened to you, where you suddenly feel breathless?  
It’s a fact that pro speakers and actors are trained to use their intercostal diaphragmatic breathing method to manage their breath control. This is vital to keeping you relaxed and providing you with the energy to modulate your tone and to project your voice out so everyone from the front row to the back row of the audience will hear you; even if your audience is in a board room at a meeting or a seminar.

​Whenever I need to speak or do voice overs I am very conscious of using my breathing to help paint the picture of my words so I don’t sound rushed or boring. It was an easy fix for me this morning when the cool air and the brisk walk threw me off my game, and I recovered by using my diaphragm to get control and ease my panic moment.  Don’t underestimate the value of your breath power.

Until next time, enjoy your walk and your talk with your calming diaphragmatic breathing tool.
​If you are interested in learning more about how your breath power can really enhance your voice power, please take the opportunity to read my other stories and "fixes" in my latest book: “Breathe…Just Steps to Breathtaking Speeches”  here (available as hard copy, soft copy, or in a E-book from Amazon for instant reading). 
​P.S. Here’s an audio about my book when I was interviewed by the media: ​http://bit.ly/1TgIMaN

     Are you a busy Mom and a Corporate manager?
      Need a quick tip to relax your voice?
If you are stressed because of a hard day at the office, or the crazy traffic, or the frustration at getting everyone out of the house each morning; this stress will show up when you speak. If you are too tired because you stayed up late the night before, for whatever reason, this tension will reveal itself when you open your mouth to speak.

When your body and mind are worried or tense, your muscles tighten. This creates a direct link to your vocal muscles and your airwaves. The result is that your pitch level rises and your voice sounds raspy and nervous, or even tired. The bottom line is: when your muscles tighten your voice sounds tense. You certainly do not need this, especially before meeting a client or doing a group presentation!

You need to sound in control, self-assured, and especially avoid that irritating nervous tension in your voice that would make your listener think you are not the expert they were looking for. Here are 3 simple exercises that will take about a minute to help you relax your voice.

1. Get rid of muscle tension:While standing or sitting, mentally guide yourself through a tension-release exercise of your entire body parts from toes to neck, face, and head. Simply tighten those muscles for 3 seconds, and then let the tension go as you work your way up through your body.
2. Breathe deeply:Next, take 3 deep breaths as you feel your body and mind slowly relaxing.
3. Sigh: End with a big audible sigh (aahhh!) while mentally thinking, “Yes, I’m ready to go!”

Use these quick tips just before you need to speak to a group or present yourself at a job interview. Instantly, you will create a relaxed body and mind to give you the skill of controlling your voice and being an effective communicator.

From sounding like a high-strung nervous incompetent, instead you will produce a relaxed voice, and have time to organize your thoughts. You will have voice power!

Are you ready to have access to a bucketful of handy voice exercises for you last minute rush in un-frazzling yourself before your next presentation. This is just one example of vocal impact tips and tools from Brenda C Smith’s book: “Breathe… Just Steps to Breathtaking Speeches” available at most online book publishers click here. Be sure to like the book on the Facebook link and leave a comment.

Hey, I wanted to let you know where there are lots more resources on how to improve your vocal impact and presentations.
​There are excellent tips related to your voice so you can be speak with clarity, charisma, and drama here on my Voice Power Training Services link. 

As a speech and drama coach I'm sharing a variety of techniques with you whether you are a novice or an expert speaker.  Hope you find something that will spark your vocal energy.
 
​Take a look and tell us what blog post helped you the most: Voice Power Blog

As professional speakers and presenters, you may be aware of keeping your speech moving along with vocal variety to avoid a monotonous tone.  Your speech is like a tossed salad with specific delicious ingredients available for you to extract, so each mouthful is a fresh delicious moment.  In terms of your speech ingredients these include: your pace, timing, inflection, volume, pitch, and use of pause; which you draw upon at vital moments in your delivery for the audience to savour. The key for the presenter is to know when and what elements work more effectively together so you don’t deliver a mixed salad with too many fixings and too much dressing. This results only in a buffet salad of mush. So how do you create the right balance?
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Initially, you must keep your core voice itself, like the lettuce, fresh and in tune. It only takes a moment to follow a daily routine of keeping your vocal folds moist with water, and your articulators (tongue, teeth, lips, jaw) lubricated with a quick tongue twister or two. Tense-releasing muscle stretches to relax your body and neck will produce resiliency, like any plump tomato, or fresh vegetable to fill your appetite. But there is still more to do.

Next, focus on how to combine the inflection and pause correctly from your many rehearsal times so the best of your voice evolves, as the master chef would try his hand at various creations until his signature combination was a winner. Ask yourself: “Does my pause linger too long or not enough? Is my inflection appropriate or too similar a pattern, too sing-song in rhythm, or too like reciting a grocery list? Is my meaning coming through with the emphasis on the right word? So, the rehearsal process is key to deciding what works, or not, to make the many factors of your speech resonate well with you and your audience. This gives you the confidence and knowledge to appear as a Master Chef!

Finally, your choice of the correct salad dressing which drizzles throughout your creation, and gives it’s delicious tinge, is all about your supporting breath which pulses through your speech. It is the trace of vocal power that keeps your energy going from the quiet moments to the robust passionate flavours of emotion that burst through to your applause.
If you can do all of this; then the answer to “Are you a Vocal Master Chef?” is definitely, “Yes!”

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Do you have samples of your delicious Vocal Master Chef presentations? How valuable has rehearsal or practice time been to you? Leave a comment below and please share this post with your friends on your social media links.

Breath capacity can allow you to create speech flexibility so you can put your intended spin or interpretation on your delivery.  This will help you, especially, if you find yourself running out of breath before you’ve completed your thought or sentence. It’s also beneficial if you normally speak softly and want to project your voice louder to your listeners. Finally, the best tip about managing your breath is having a reset button to reduce your tension and foster relaxation.

The science about breathing reveals that your breathing process can be manipulated mentally and physically by you. Diaphragmatic breathing will give you maximum flexibility. One of the easiest exercises to develop your diaphragmatic breathing process (the diaphragm is located just under your rib cage) is to lie down on the floor in a relaxed manner, place a light-weight book on your stomach area; then breathe in so as to move the book up; then exhale your air so your book returns down. Mentally direct this process until you can do subconsciously. Then you can stand and try it again without having to use a book.  Next, add speech on the exhalation for your breath to send those words right out to each listener’s ears.

Vocal projection occurs when you take in more air and pressure release or direct it out to the farthest point in the room. An exercise to expand your capacity is stand and count aloud on the exhalation. Increase how far you can go comfortably before needing a new breath. Your breath is now doing all the heavy work of energizing your words out, instead of your throat area which would only be shouting, not projecting, and would create a sore throat. Rehearse the introduction of your next speech as if you are projecting it to the back of a large auditorium. Be sure to exhale your breath in smaller doses to give yourself enough air before running out. Plan ahead where you need to pause for effect or to take in a new breath.
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Take in a new breath slowly right at the start of your presentation and exhale it in order to rid yourself of any tension. Repeat a few times to totally relax your brain, body tension, and vocal muscles; so, you will be confident and in the driver’s seat.  Push the breathing reset button at any time during your speech to regain your relaxed and confident persona.
Remember that your diaphragmatic breathing process aided by your intercostal muscles is your best available friend to make your voice sound great and your presentation be heard.  Give it a try and let me know how it’s working for you. Here’s to your next voice power speech!

​Are you a woman today in a leadership position who requires speaking as a business and forward-thinking visionary? There are three important elements that you need to project which you may not have considered, namely:  voice quality, voice projection, and voice presence.
 
Key #1: How do your listeners respond to the sound of your voice? If you have a tone that is out of sync in pitch level, it will jar the audience to take note and distract them from your content. Your tone may sound too nasal, too hoarse, too dull, too tired, too childish, or any other extreme level.  The quality of the sound of your voice can easily be checked by listening objectively to a recording of your voice, getting feedback from others, or an assessment from a voice coach. Draw the attention of your listeners with an authoritative warm voice that invites them wanting to hear your ideas, processes, or solutions. Your voice quality is the immediate first hook to your commanding the stage.
 
Key #2: Are you heard clearly by everyone in the room the moment you begin to speak? Are you a soft speaker, sound tense, or speak too quickly? The result of doing this undermines your expertise and makes you appear to be a weak leader. By adjusting your voice projection so you are not shouting, which could damage your vocal folds (chords), will allow your points to be heard easily by everyone. With a few vocal projection exercises that apply diaphragmatic breathing techniques like actors use can help to project your sound to the farthest point or person in the room. Understanding how to project your voice will especially help any trainers, coaches, fitness instructors, and teachers to stop straining your voice or getting laryngitis by the end of the day. You will command the stage and stay voice fit.
 
Key #3:  Do you inspire your audience with your vocal presence or leave them feeling that it was a waste of time to listen to you?  Creating vocal presence allows your audience of managers, employees, or team members to leave the room at the end with an action plan that genuinely inspires them to move forward with you. If you simply repeat facts or challenges and offer your leadership comments on it all with a voice that sounds flat, routine, or matter-of-fact, there is no room for emotional passion.  Therefore, use your story or example to make your recommendations or reports come alive and be relevant to the benefits of the people you serve. Make your mind be in the moment of excitement or hope so your voice flexes with emotional rise and falls to give variety and believability to your presentation. A monotone is not inspiring but will put your audience to sleep. Infuse a variety of inflection so your audience relives your hope for the future and wants to be part of the solution. Again your breathing management will allow you to have flexible vocal engagement. You become the cheerleader of your own speech – you are the leader on the stage taking ownership with your vocal presence.
 
Body language and content are supreme elements to your performance speaking; but indeed, it must be balanced with your vocal impact too. You’ve worked hard to gain the leadership you deserve. Now it’s the time to go beyond the climb-up-the-ladder pinnacle and possess the stage that gives your audience a leader to look up to. Inspire with your vocal presence!