Perform: Reps
Nothing will prepare you for excellence in a task more than just doing it. Focused practice with some stakes, such as practicing a speech or song in front of friends is great for this. But at some point, you just…
Articulate: Clear as Mud
What if you chose the clearest path to what you need to say? Without reaching for a metaphor or imagery of any type. What if you didn't try to make it funny, or deflect it? Communication is funny in this…
Acquire: Foundations in Vocal Anatomy
First a definition, the vocal tract is the cavity where sounds are both initiated and potentially crafted. It consists of the laryngeal cavity, the pharynx, the oral cavity and the nasal cavity. For our purposes today we will focus…
Disrupt: Change Your Mind
We love stories. We especially love the ones we tell ourselves. But, what if the story we are telling is a tall tale? What if, the story is actually harming us? Often these are stories involving other people but at…
Observe: Principles
There are beliefs that are fundamental in all of us, things we hold true. These are our foundational principles and they create the scaffolding for our reality. When was the last time you looked at yours, not as an exercise…
Perform: Contact High
No matter how relaxed you are in terms of pandemic safety, it is hard to avoid noticing the differences in social contact. Wearing masks, physical distancing, and touch avoidance is the norm and many of us are feeling it. I…
Acquire: Game Plan
Even if you live in the Northeast where COVID-19 infections have been low, you are probably starting to hear some rustling. The numbers increasing as tourist season is in full swing. Hospitals quietly preparing for the second surge as they…
Acquire: Resilience
Working on your voice is hard. It is often a series of small shifts forward punctuated by our setbacks. We can find ourselves soaring about our successes only to crash if others fail to notice, or worse, criticize the change.…
Observe: Drag
I love The West Wing. Recently, I rewatched the entire series and was struck by a scene between Bruno Gianelli and President Bartlett in episode 8 (season 3): The Indians in the Lobby. In this scene, Bruno talks about drag…