Acquire: Who Do You Sound Like?
What does the sound of your voice say about you? Does it sound like a parents, or a siblings? Is it perceived as gendered, perhaps even misgendered? Does it seem to belong to you? These may be thoughts you've had…
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…
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.…
Acquire: (Act)ion
The voice is a tattle-tale so how do we navigate life without broadcasting our personal business. For that, we need to reach a little deeper and dip a toe into the craft of the Actor. Actors train to make set…
Acquire: He’s Dead, Jim
If you have given any number of presentations or speeches you have likely encountered an audience that was non-responsive. This could be anything from a little distracted to active hostility. So what do you do? Firstly, I'd like to offer…
Acquire: Magic Words
Sometimes it feels like we can't find the right words to communicate our wants and needs. As if finding those magic words would change everything. Perhaps they exist, but I haven't found them to be necessary. Far more impactful to…
Acquisition: Break Through
Today I want to discuss some mechanics for speaking well through a mask. The good news: Ongoing studies indicate that there is no real difference in the sound of one's voice through a mask or without one. This said the…
Variance: Overriding Events
I am very angry today. Anger is an interesting emotion. It is an overriding event in the brain. It causes the amygdala to flood the body with hormones. The hormones provoke the flight/fight/freeze response. You can feel anger as an…
Variance: Scheduled Maintenance
It can be hard to remember with stay-at-home orders in place that the body is a system that requires maintenance. I don't mean just regular exercise and/or eating well -- though those things certainly help. I mean the periodic check-ins…