The Human Voice as an Instrument

Jul 17, 2024

The Human Voice as an Instrument

Introduction

  • The human voice is a powerful instrument:
    • Can start wars or express love.
    • Many feel unheard when speaking.
  • Aim: Speak powerfully to make changes in the world.

Seven Deadly Sins of Speaking

  1. Gossip:
    • Speaking ill of someone who is not present.
    • Untrustworthy as gossipers will likely gossip about us too.
  2. Judging:
    • Hard to listen if feeling judged.
  3. Negativity:
    • Drains the conversation; hard to listen.
    • Includes complaining, referred to as “viral misery.”
  4. Excuses:
    • Blaming others, not taking responsibility.
  5. Exaggeration/Embroidery:
    • Demeans language and leads to lying.
  6. Dogmatism:
    • Confusing facts with opinions, pushing beliefs as truths.

How to Speak Powerfully

The Foundation: HAIL

  • HAIL stands for:
    1. Honesty: Be truthful and clear.
    2. Authenticity: Be yourself, stand in your truth.
    3. Integrity: Be reliable and trustworthy.
    4. Love: Wish others well; tempers honesty with kindness.

The Toolbox for Speaking

  • Register: The pitch range.
    • Depth associated with power and authority.
  • Timbre: Quality or feel of the voice.
    • Prefer smooth, warm voices.
    • Can improve with training and exercises.
  • Prosody: Melody of speech, intonation pattern.
    • Use varied tones; avoid monotony.
    • Avoid repetitive prosody (upward inflection making statements sound like questions).
  • Pace: Speed of speaking.
    • Use varying speeds to emphasize points.
    • Include silence for emphasis.
  • Pitch: High vs. low tones to indicate different emotions or emphasis.
  • Volume: Loudness.
    • Vary to keep the audience engaged.
    • Avoid “sodcasting” – imposing sound carelessly on others.

Vocal Warm-up Exercises

  1. Deep breath and sigh: Arms up, breath in, sigh out.
  2. Lips: “Ba, Ba, Ba, Ba.”
  3. Lip bubbles: “Brrrrrr.”
  4. Tongue: “La, la, la, la.”
  5. Rolling ‘R’: “Rrrrrr.”
  6. Siren: High “we” to low “aw” – “weeeawwww.”

Conclusion

  • Speaking well in an environment with poor acoustics and inattentive listeners is challenging.
  • Vision: A world where:
    • People speak powerfully and listen consciously.
    • Environments are designed for sound.
  • Goal: Create a world that sounds beautiful and fosters understanding.

Thank you!