Do you love the sound of your own voice?

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Are you somebody who has to get up on stage in front of other people and use your voice to entertain, inform, persuade, motivate or inspire? If the answer to that is yes then I have a simple question for you. Do you love the sound of your own voice?

Now usually the phrase, "loving the sound of your voice" is derogatory - it implies that you are self-obsessed in a negative way that is boring and uninteresting; that you are a "know-it-all" and are deluded about the fact that people want to hear what you have to say. Well I would like to turn that concept on its head in this context and propose that if you are somebody who has to use your voice professionally, it is crucial that you love the sound of your own voice.

Confidence

Healthy confidence is something I think is really important when it comes to using your voice publicly. I mean if you don't like the sound of your voice then why would you expect the listener to?

A complex instrument

The human voice is a wonderful instrument. It has range, texture, colour, dynamism and pitch. It can sooth, persuade, offend, scold, lure and repel. All of that and so much more in one voice box.

One of the main things I love to explore as a vocal coach is the voice's various personalities, its temperament and its ability to manipulate. In certain bodies it's an inspirational guide; a pathway to a healthier, deeper understanding of ourselves and our listeners. In others it's a dictatorship of the worst kind; a controlling force that leaves listeners believing they have become sheep and must follow its utterances. Whatever your point of view, the voice is an incredibly powerful tool and how you decide to use it is really important in getting your chosen message across.

Learn to love the sound of your own voice

By learning about vocal techniques and performance skills you can explore the voice's powers of persuasion, its expression, its dynamism, its light and shade, its peaks and troughs; even the silences you leave in between its declarations. All of these aspects of the voice are really important if you are going to present your work in front of other people and engage them in your performance.

On that basis, I'll ask you one more time? Do you love the sound of your own voice?

Take the next step

If you want to learn how to love the sound of your own voice, you can start by watching this video about Freeing The Voice: