The first thing you need to know about your speaking voice is that you don’t just have one, you have three major choices. Most people speak in the lower part of their natural range – we call that Chest Voice. There are, however, two other main voices you could choose to use. They are Head Voice – the highest part of the range, way above where you normally think to speak, and Middle Voice – the magic area in between Chest and Head, the bridge that ties Chest and Head together in a seamless, connected sound. Both men and woman usually spend all their time in Chest Voice. Some people think that woman speak in Head, but that just isn’t normally the case, even tough their voices do indeed sound higher. A woman’s voice IS higher than a mans, that’s just mother nature. Still, when a woman is in the low part of her voice, she is still in Chest. So onward about the other two. Head Voice has so many beautiful tones that can become a welcome addition to anyone’s speaking voice. If you don’t go up high sometimes, you are truly missing some of the most engaging and lovely sounds your voice can make. Having a Middle Voice is really a game changer. Think about it this way. If you only have Chest Voice and you start to speak, as the melody and notes get higher, you will start to feel pressure and constriction like you are 6 feet tall and the ceiling is only 5 feet. You might want to go higher, but your Chest Voice shackles you down in the basement and won’t set you free. That’s why you really need to explore the possibilities of finding your Middle Voice. Not only will it free you from the strain at the top of your Chest Voice, it will also allow you to get smoothly out of Chest Voice and make your way into Head Voice, which lives on the other side of Middle. Do you understand? I say that unless you have all three voices, you can’t even begin to be in amazing vocal health. Without the three, you playing a team sport by yourself, without the benefits of having other players on your team. To sound great and focus on getting the ultimate amount of influence from your voice, you will need to have Chest, Middle and Head Voice. There is no way around it. The payoff will be worth the journey. Turn your One into THREE!

Most people are letting life happen “to” them. They feel powerless in so many situations they just can’t seem to control. They may have the greatest intentions and ideas, but their plans and strategies fold faster than a bad hand in poker. They look outward to find answers on how to win friends and influence people, but they just can’t seem to make it happen. I’m telling you that if that’s you, you’re missing out on the most important tool you have in your box – your voice box – more specifically – YOUR VOICE. The sounds that you are making are NOT allowing you to control other people’s perceptions about you. You speak, they hear, they make value judgements and decisions about you. Those judgements and decisions are most of the time based on nothing real. So my goal is always to teach people how to choose the sounds that come out of their mouths carefully, so that they can influence anyone and everyone within earshot. Sounds complicated? Truth is, it isn’t at all. It’s really just learning about the components of TONALITY – the sounds your voice makes other than the words. Once you realize how to use Pitch, Pace, Tone, Melody and Volume to your advantage, you will be an amazing influencer, and see the results come to life. I’ll be sharing info and tips for you on this blog in the hope that you will want to change your voice and see the benefits it’ll bring. FIRST TIP is you need to SPEAK LOUDER. Pretend that the person or people you are speaking to are at least 10 feet away. Let your voice fill the entire room with your sound. Too many people whisper and seem weak and afraid. Volume is the perfect place to start. Get louder, get used to it, and I’ll have something else for you next week. Keep me posted on your progress. Best, Roger