Humans expect congruence in the voice user. In those very first seconds of contact, they decide whether this sound and this person are in alignment. They grant or deny authority. Sadly, sometimes they grant or deny humanity. This is a…
I am in a training session this week for Knight Thompson Speechwork. One of the activities was so much fun, I am prompted to offer a version of it here. You will want a clean spoon and a mirror or…
Have you ever had to speak professionally with someone you actively dislike or fear? How did that go? Chances are, not as well as you think. Unless you are a sociopath, your voice is never going to lie for you.…
Have you ever been about to say something, or ask a question, and decided against it? Not because you suddenly changed your mind about it but because you just decided not to bother? How often? Do you think that has…
When was the last time you played? With abandon. Like a child. If you are like many adults, you might have to reach pretty far for that memory. It seems to be a state of adulthood to construct a manner…
We are all, at some point or another, denying or ignoring sensation. Some of this is completely necessary. Ignoring a sound to focus on another. Or, ignoring a minor discomfort in order to complete a movement come to mind. There…
Once upon a time in voice pedagogy, singers were instructed to place their sound "in the mask." The term referred to the zygomatic and frontal bones ie. the cheekbones and forehead. Many singers, myself included, worked to place sound in…
This moment in history is interesting for many reasons. One of them is the way people interact with the concept of risk. In a way, risk is abstract. It can be quantified but, as a whole, people are not that…
Let's talk about the little green light. The one on your computer when the video is live. It tells you the camera is hot and that means you are "on." Some of us are incredibly aware of this light, some…
This morning, I feel like hell. Not ideal under any circumstances -- Surreal when there is a pandemic on the ground. And, I have a full day ahead. Many of us would drop a shoulder and plow through until we…