Variance: Difference

“Difference is not Disorder.” I’m not sure where exactly I first heard this concept but it quickly became fundamental in my teaching.

The point is this: If a sound fails to match your expectation for that sound, that doesn’t mean there is anything wrong with it. This requires that we release the impulse to homogenize the ways in which people speak or sing.

This week, I have worked with a person still navigating the shame of childhood accent interventions, a woman trying to function at work while suppressing the urge to scream, and several people just trying to remain relevant at work. What they all have in common is that they all came to my studio because they were convinced their difference was disorder, perhaps even dysfunction.

As we seek to improve our articulation and clarity in the world, it is important to strive for clarity without chasing some magical, “right” place. Certainly, work to improve your connection, your intelligibility, your influence but not to cast your voice in a specific “perfect” image.

This Friday at 12:30 pm EDT, Gina will be live on FB. These will be short voice alignment sessions aimed at voice skills building. Watch it on the GROW Voice FB page. I hope to see you there.

Gina Razón is the Founder and CEO at GROW Voice LLC, a full-service verbal communication studio in Boston’s Back Bay.  She has over two decades of experience as a teacher of voice and speech, is a communication and change facilitator, and is a voraciously curious voice user.  Gina has worked professionally as a classical singer for over a decade and more recently as a professional public speaker.  For more information on the studio or to book Gina visit www.growvoice.com.