Is your voice tired at the end of the day? Do you feel that your throat is sore? Is your voice hoarse? If you’ve been feeling any of the above for a prolonged period – then it’s time to visit your doctor. These symtoms may be telling you that your vocal cords are not healthy. We’ve had several clients come …
We’re very excited about our new video book “The Elocution Handbook”. We have worked with so many people who didn’t have an articulation problem or an accent but needed to sharpen their speech. “The Elocution Handbook” is designed to fulfill this need. In it we work on: practice for each sound and tips for how to improve your pronunciation of …
Just discovered a great book – “The Mother Tongue” by Bill Bryson. It’s witty and informative – about where our words, spelling and pronunciation came from. With all our bodies have to do to produce speech it’s amazing that we speak fluently and are understood. Here’s a great quote from the book. “In normal conversation we speak at a rate …
LA Times had an interesting article about UC Berkeley having it’s incoming freshmen make recordings of their speech to study their different dialects. Read the full article http://www.latimes.com/health/la-me-cal-accents-20110717,0,2416575.story.
Did you ever have to give a presentation and feel that “my voice isn’t strong enough or I’m going to lose my audience’s attention, or my speech just isn’t clear enough”? Giving presentations requires that you have energy in your voice, vocal variety, and clear, precise articulation. This not only applies to presentations, but also job interviews, and getting that …
We’ve suddenly had a rash of students who are coming to see us because people have told them that they talk too fast and they can’t be understood. This could be a bi-product of our fast paced life where we are always using IM talk, lol. Maybe you talk too fast because you think your listeners will not stay with …
People keep asking us ….”What is elocution?” It’s an old term that dates back to middle English (1500s). The term is still used today in England much more than in the United States. Elocution is defined as: a clear, concise manner of speaking. The word derives from the word ‘eloquent’ being adept at skilled, easy, pleasing communication of a thought, …
We had a great time presenting our workshop on the actor’s voice at the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival last Friday. We managed to cover: diaphragmatic, posture, relaxation, optimum pitch, resonance, projection and vocal hygiene all in 2 1/2 hours. Wow! They were a great group of students and we loved their enthusiasm.
Well toned tongue, lip and cheek muscles are essential for having clear speech. You can talk fast and still be understood if your facial muscles are well toned. You can be sure auctioneers don’t have flabby muscles. We’ve put together some great exercises to give your speech the jump start it needs in our new video book – Oral …
Intonation & stress are often overlooked when working with accent reduction. However, using the intonation and stress patterns of your native language can interfere with being understood as much as using the wrong sounds. We’re very excited about having part 3 of the Accent Makeover Program, I’ve Got Rhythm: Intonation & Stress, available for purchase on our products page. You can …
