The Human Voice: Its Power and Habits of Speaking

Introduction

• The human voice is a powerful instrument.
• Capable of starting wars or expressing love.
• Many experience that people don’t listen when they speak.

The Seven Deadly Sins of Speaking

1. Gossip
   • Speaking ill of someone not present.
   • Creates a cycle of mistrust.
2. Judging
   • Judging others makes it hard for them to listen.
3. Negativity
   • Hard to listen to negative people.
   • Example of a negative interaction with the speaker's mother.
4. Complaining
   • Common but spreads misery, not positivity.
5. Excuses
   • Blame-shifting makes it difficult to listen.
6. Embroidery/Exaggeration
   • Demeans language and can lead to lying.
7. Dogmatism
   • Confusing facts with opinions leads to ineffective communication.

Four Cornerstones of Powerful Speech

• The acronym "HAIL" stands for:
  • H: Honesty
    • Being true and clear in what you say.
  • A: Authenticity
    • Being yourself and standing in your own truth.
  • I: Integrity
    • Being trustworthy and following through on your words.
  • L: Love
    • Wishing others well; helps mitigate harsh honesty.

The Toolbox for Effective Speaking

• Register
  • Different voice registers impact perception.
• Timbre
  • The quality of the voice; can be improved with training.
• Prosody
  • Variation in tone and rhythm for emphasis and meaning.
• Pace
  • Adjusting speed for emphasis; silence can be powerful.
• Pitch
  • Variations in pitch can alter meaning and engagement.
• Volume
  • Using volume strategically; avoid "sodcasting" (imposing sound on others).

Vocal Warm-up Exercises

• Recommended exercises before important speaking engagements:
  1. Stretch arms and take a deep breath, release with a sigh.
  2. Warm-up lips with "Ba" sounds.
  3. Lip trill (brrrr) to energize.
  4. Tongue warm-up with "la" sounds.
  5. Roll the R’s for tongue flexibility.
  6. Siren exercise: "weeeaawww" to stretch vocal range.

Conclusion

• Currently, we often speak poorly in noisy environments where listeners are distracted.
• Envision a world with powerful communication in suitable environments fostering understanding.
• This concept is worthy of pursuit.

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