Want to Be Heard in the Club Scene?

Yes, your lack of volume is the issue. I can't tell you how many people get in touch with me because of this problem. And, it doesn't just affect those who are soft-spoken.

The amount of volume needed in a loud bar or club (or even a wedding) is at least 50% more that what I refer to as Volume 1 – your everyday level of speaking. If you are soft-spoken, however, that percentage is higher.

You may find that after trying to increase you volume for a certain amount of time, your throat begins to hurt and, in some cases, hoarseness follows. The reason is because you are pushing your sound from your vocal folds (cords) and throat: you are shouting.

In order to increase your volume without the undue stress to those delicate organs, you need to learn how to project. This technique immediately lessens the wear and tear on the vocal folds and throat. It sounds better; it carries better; and, it won't hurt your listeners' ears.

Projection is only possible, however, if you use your chest cavity to power and amplify your sound. What this means is that you need to break some old habits and instill some new ones. Most people are not using their chest cavity in this fashion. They use their other 4 resonators for all of their voiced sound – throat, voice box, mouth and nasal cavities. This is why you will probably find the habitual pitch of you voice somewhat above your optimum pitch. It may be offer by a mere ½ step but it could be as high as 4 or 5 steps above your optimum.

Vin Diesel, Sean Connery, Kathleen Turner, Cher, Ashley Judd, and George Cooney are all speaking within their optimum range. This is why they all sound as good as they do. You have a better voice inside. By changing your voice placement and allowing your chest cavity to do more of the work, you will discover a voice that is richer, warmer and deeper.

If your voice bothers you now at the club scene, it will not improve on its own if you continue in the same manner. And, if vocal abuse is a problem, it will only get worse as long as you continue shouting instead of projecting.

There is most definitely an answer if you want to be heard in the clubs, aside from leaving the building. Discover your ‘real' or true voice and you will be amazed not only with the ease you will have to project your voice but also by the incredible difference in how you sound.

About the Author

If you would like to see some dramatic 'before' & 'after' video clips, start with Craig by visiting Voice Dynamic and go to the center of the page. Then check out The Voice Lady's other video clips in the menu bar.

Can You Improve the Sound of Your Speaking Voice With a Book?

That is a marvelous question because libraries, book stores and Amazon are replete with books on voice and presentation skills. The answer, however, is probably not.

When I made the change with my own voice many years ago, I had majored in singing in college so I had an understanding of those techniques, the terminology, and the type of breathing necessary to improve the singing voice. I took all that I had learned and then improved my speaking voice when my singing professor in graduate school showed me where the optimum range of my speaking voice was.

Had I not learned to sing correctly prior, however, I would not have been successful in finding my ‘real' voice and making it a habit. When I was later approached to teach voice to the graduate students of journalism at the University of Western Ontario, I was given a book to read on voice improvement. I understood what the writer was saying because of my background in music and the fact that I had already made the change with my own voice.

Do you think you can become a great pianist or a great basketball player by reading a book? Unless you have someone coaching you and showing you physically how to do it, I rather doubt that you will be the next Rubenstein or the next Michael Jordon.

Good voice training is a physical process similar to a music lesson. In order to find your ‘real' voice, you will have to hear what should be happening and what should not. A book cannot do that. Even CDs are questionable because there are times when you will need to see what the process looks like and how it is happening.

If you are serious about wanting to improve your voice, find a coach or look for information on video. Do not waste your time or money with products that only describe in words what should be happening.

Good voice training involves two principles:

1.  learning to breathe with the support of your diaphragm so that your chest becomes your primary amplifier or sounding board; and,

2.  speaking within your optimum range which means that the pitch (highness or lowness of sound – not the volume) will probably drop to some degree. Yes, your speaking voice will be somewhat deeper.

Forget the books if you want to discover your ‘real' voice and study with someone who understands the above two techniques. Anything else is a waste of time, energy and money.

About the Author

The Voice Lady Nancy Daniels provides private, group and corporate training throughout the United States and Canada as well as Voicing It!, the only video training program on voice improvement and presentation skills. Discover your real voice at Voice Dynamic.