Elaine Clark VO – Coaching and Production: Recent Episodes
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Episode 52: Real Talking Tips – Score Your Speech Success S1 Ep 52 Real Talking Tips is YOUR time to assess what you learned in each of the 52 speech communication micro learning lessons. As you watch the video and follow along with the Real Talking Tips blog: Rate yourself on
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Episode 51: Real Talking Tips – What Are Your Problem Areas… in Speech, That Is! Successful speech communication is easily received by the listener and engages the audience. - YOU have the ability to make people feel and take action. - You have the choice to offer a suggestion rather than a
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Episode 50: Real Talking Tips – Don’t Flat Line Your Message. Create A Story Arc. A story arc is needed in each speech, presentation, audio recording, and series episode. For the story to go somewhere, change must occur from the beginning of the speech, to the end of the message, and beyond the
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49: Join Elaine A. Clark’s Real Talking Tips as she describes her Making It M.I.N.E.® 4-part speech communication and performance series. In Real Talking Tips episode 49, the final E for EMOTION is added to my Elaine A. Clark - Making It M.I.N.E.® 4-part speech communication and performance series. The M-I-N-E acronym stands
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48: Speakers Should Define The ‘NEED’ and PURPOSE of their Message Real Talking Tips 48, "The NEED is Your Through Line" is the third episode in my Elaine A. Clark - Making It M.I.N.E.® performance system. In contrast to Intentions that were discussed in Real Talking Tips Episode 47 that actively and continually
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47: Intentions Require Physical Action. Real Talking Tips 47 is the second part of my Elaine A. Clark - Making It M.I.N.E.® series on how to add depth and subtext to speech, presentations, podcasts, and voice-over recordings. INTENTIONS are the ACTIONS a speaker uses to ensure a “win”. Movements can be
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46: Add Depth and Subtext to Spoken Words. The letters in my Elaine A. Clark - Making It M.I.N.E.® performance system stand for Motivation, Intentions, Need, and Emotions. The goal of this series and other Real Talking Tips episodes is to reprogram speech communication and performance out of the head and allow
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Episode 45: Real Talking Tips – Power of Persuasion: Let’s Hear Your Real Talking Tips 45 completes the 4-part Power of Persuasion series. In episodes 42-44, we constructed the 3 pillars of persuasion: Ethos, Logos, and Pathos. Now we're going to dig a little deeper into Aristotle's Treatise on Rhetoric where
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Episode 44: Art of Persuasion Requires Pathos. PATHOS is the third episode in this Real Talking Tips - POWER OF PERSUASION - series. Pathos is the emotional addition to the authoritative ETHOS and logical LOGOS rhetorical elements discussed in Real Talking Tips episodes 42 and 43. At the core of Pathos is
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Episode 43: Real Talking Tips – Power of Persuasion: LOGOS Real Talking Tips 43 - POWER OF PERSUASION – LOGOS is the second rhetorical appeal in this 4-part Real Talking Tips series. We started with ETHOS, a speaker’s authority, background and ‘street cred’. LOGOS is the very heart and soul of the
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42: Using Rhetoric and the Power of Persuasion. Hi, I’m Elaine A. Clark – actor, author, app creator, podcaster, speech communication coach, and entrepreneur. Listing my background outlines my authority and ethos, which is the focus of this episode.
Ethos is one of three powerful rhetorical components and the foundation of writing and speaking.
Ethos establishes the speaker’s tone, style, status, ethical standards, credibility, and believability.
It’s the speaker’s job to sound authoritative and support the personal ‘WHY’ belief regardless if it’s their own message or someone else’s words.
When delivering a speech, presentation, or voice-over script written by someone else, many speakers lose their personal connection to the message. The result is a lack of ethos and audience disconnection with the speaker and information.
Join me, along with and some wise tips from Aristotle, on how to own your Ethos!
Practice along with this Real Talking Tips video, audio podcast, blog, my Elaine Clark app – Activate Your Voice, my best selling books, There’s Money Where Your Mouth Is and Voice-Overs for Podcasting, and continue adding variety to your speaking voice in my Elaine Clark app, Adding Melody To Your Voice!
Click the video to watch or select the audio podcast by clicking start or selecting your favorite audio player in the icon below.
42: Using Rhetoric and the Power of Persuasion.
Real Talking Tips 42 begins a new 4-part series on the POWER OF PERSUASION. There are three primary modes of persuasion: ETHOS, LOGOS, and PATHOS. These three elements of persuasion are powerful rhetorical components and the foundation of writing and speaking. Rhetoric, while sometimes used negatively or dismissively when referring to someone with opposing views, is essential to effective and inspiring communication.
If this sounds Greek to you, that’s probably because the philosopher and playwright Aristotle was Greek. Back in the day… and I mean waaay back, Aristotle came up with the concept of using rhetoric to defend his personal observations of Aristophanes and Plato and his perceptions of their injustices and distorted truths. He went on to state that if truth and justice are defeated the blame falls on the speaker. WOW! That’s a lot of personal responsibility.
Before we move onto the next section, I leave you with two Aristotle quotes:
“Knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom.”
And…
“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.”
#1 Power of Persuasion: ETHOS.
Ethos establishes the speaker’s tone, style, status, and ethical standards. A speaker’s ethos should project credibility and believability.
Academics divide ETHOSs into two components.
1. EXTRINSIC – The speaker’s background, experience, expertise, education, and overall character.
2. INTRINSIC – HOW the message is spoken and written.
Referring back to our old pal Aristotle, he categorized Ethos in THREE TYPES: Arête, Phronesis, and Eunoia. The words for these ethos types are Greek to me. So, let’s move those ancient words into present day terminology.
The THREE ETHOS VALUES simply mean that the speaker’s projected character should be:
1. Good and Virtuous 2. Intelligent, Experienced, and Wise 3. Show Goodwill, Trust, and CredibilityOnly then, can the audience be persuaded by the speaker.
Ethos is our History. It reflects how we were raised, educational background, what we studied, places we visited, experiences we had along the way, family life, friends, cultural influences, job experience, and years in business. All that life experience is foundational to our ethical behavior. It’s what gives us ‘street cred’.
Now here’s the rub. We’re often asked to read someone else’s words or talk about an issue, business or situation we haven’t personally experienced. The default for most speakers is to strip away their ethos and not share their personal knowledge and experience intrinsically or extrinsically. The result is a loss of trust, credibility, and personal opinion as the speaker retreats into a safe “NEUTRAL” zone that sounds detached, untruthful, and lacks the believable status and authority that is required of that ethos level.
I’m often called the ‘re-programmer’ by many of the business execs, podcasters, and voice actors that I coach. One of the first things I listen for is whether or not the speaker exudes the ethos required in that situation.
Everyone has ethos. Everyone has a personal history. It’s the individual speaker’s job to connect with that personal history and share it with the audience. It’s the very essence of WHY people want to listen to them and take their advice.
Let’s begin this awareness and reprogramming process by digging into your personal Ethos and trusting it to connect with your audience.
Speak with Authority and Credibility so Audiences Accept Your Advice and Information.
Where does the ETHOS go?
- When you chat with friends and family, it’s there.
- When you talk to co-workers or people who share common interests, it’s there.
- In groups, the status of each speaker is shared as people take turns adding their thoughts and opinions.
Instinctively, you have beliefs that, while not always agreed on by others, are supported by and based on your personal history, geographic location, and life experiences.
It’s the speaker’s job to support the personal ‘WHY’ belief in their statements regardless if it’s their own message or someone else’s words they’re required to say.
This is what I think. If you grew up with a strong ethical framework, saying someone else’s words feels wrong. The frontal lobe and cerebral cortex kick in and the speaker’s response choice is one of 4: fight, flight, freeze, or do. When the ‘DO’ is required of the speaker, that speaker has to reprogram their brain to allow that to happen. A new HABIT and SPONTANEOUS RESPONSE needs to replace the push back and neutrality with trust and belief from an authoritative status level.
Here’s your assignment.
Next time you read a script, teach a class, make a presentation, record a podcast, deliver the news, or talk to your children, don’t think about the individual words. Connect with the overall message.
Example 1: If the story is about HOPE, connect with that story of hope in your own personal life as you say the words that are required to be spoken.
Example 2: If the story is about CONVENIENCE, remember how you felt and benefited from that convenience.
These are the universal truths that we all possess. The words we say are not as important as the reason WHY we say them. Develop that habit.
WHY = YOUR PERSONAL HISTORY = YOUR ETHOS
Join me next time in Real Talking Tips Episode 43 as we dig into LOGOS in this Power of Persuasion 4-part series.
- Please take a moment to click the YouTube video to Subscribe and Ring the Bell for notifications.
- Listen and download the audio Real Talking Tips podcast in Apple Podcasts, TuneIn, Stitcher, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Outcast, and Deezer.
- Check out the elaineclarkvo.com/podcast page to view the blog, watch the video, listen, and share the episode with your friends and colleagues using the social media links located at the bottom of the page.
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41: How to Use All 3 Areas of Your Speaking Voice. If you have a monotone voice, get frustrated when people lose focus or tune out when you talk, or are annoyed when people ask you to repeat yourself, this Real Talking Tips ‘Shifting Voice Locations’ episode is for you. Varying pitch placement helps separate concepts, ideas, information, and list items so the audience can stay focused and more easily absorb the entire message and separate bits of information. Shifting voice placement locations helps grab a listener’s attention and take the listener on an informational journey via a musically spoken story arc.
Practice along with this Real Talking Tips video, audio podcast, blog, my Elaine Clark app – Activate Your Voice, my best selling books, There’s Money Where Your Mouth Is and Voice-Overs for Podcasting, and continue adding variety to your speaking voice in my Elaine Clark app, Adding Melody To Your Voice!
Click the video to watch or select the audio podcast by clicking start or selecting your favorite audio player in the icon below.
41: How to Use All 3 Areas of Your Speaking Voice.
Real Talking Tips 41 is the 4th Voice Placement episode. This 4-part VOICE PLACEMENT series began with episode 38 where we concentrated on speaking from the middle voice placement mouth and nose area called the MASK. Episode 39, we practiced several ways to use the higher pitched HEAD VOICE. Then, in Episode 40, we dropped the speaking voice lower and down into the CHEST VOICE. Now, we’re going to incorporate all three of these medium, high, and low voice placement locations.
The pitch placement of the voice is a primary component of a speaker’s melodic speech pattern. Remember back in Real Talking Tips Episode 17 where we worked on the musicality of the voice and how to BE A SING TALKER? Pitch placement variations can be used to separate concepts, ideas, information, and items in a list. Pitch placement can grab a listener’s attention and create a musical story arc. Speakers can use specific pitch placements to help audiences take in and absorb information more easily.
If you have a monotone voice, get frustrated when people tune out when you talk, or ask you to repeat yourself, this Real Talking Tips ‘Shifting Voice Locations’ episode is for you.
#4 Voice Placement: 5 Ways to Add Variety to Your Speaking Voice.
Variety is the spice of life. So why not put VARIETY in your speaking voice? Using your head, mask, and chest voice can spice up your performance and speech communication. There are times when you may not want to go all the way up into your head voice or drop your voice all the way down into your chest voice. The musical range of your speaking voice is often dictated by the information you’re providing, person or group of people you’re talking to, or your physical location. That’s where the POWER BOX locations that we worked on in Real Talking Tips Episodes 23-26 come in. Big and Broad, Medium and Casual, or Small and Confined SPEAKING DYNAMICS are dependent on each situation.
Here are 5 ways to add VOICE PLACEMENT VARIETY.
1. STORY ARC – The beginning of the message defines the problem while the end of the story offers some form of relief or solution. Therefore, the story can start higher at the beginning, drop to the middle speech placement area in the informational center section, and drop lower in pitch when the problem is resolved and a solution or advice is given at the end.
On the flip side, if the problem is boredom and the person you’re talking to needs excitement, you can start at the lower pitch, move to the middle pitch placement area, and end in a higher pitched voice.
2. UP-DOWN-SPLIT THE DIFFERENCE – When information is spoken on the same musical pitch, the listener tends to hear only one thing rather than each individual item. One way to define each item is to place individual thoughts or items on its own musical speaking note. The best way to achieve that is with a ZIGZAG. (Okay Elaine, what do you mean by that…?) It simply means that the first item is spoken at a higher pitched note, the second at the lowest speaking voice, and the third item splits the difference and is spoken in the middle voice pitch area. Or, the speaker starts in the LOWER VOICE rises to the HIGHER VOICE and ends in the MIDDLE VOICE speaking pitch. The opposing first two speech pitches that are 180 degrees apart establish a more dynamic and dramatic difference. Landing the final item in the middle ties the information together in that third speech location.
3. STAIRSTEP UP, STAIRSTEP DOWN – When a gradual addition of information is needed, the speaker can raise each item or thought up a note or more. Or, it can start higher and lower in pitch as you say each separate item.
4. HOOK – You can use the Word Emphasis ‘hook’ that we worked on in Real Talking Tips Episode 36 to grab a listener’s attention by starting the ‘S-Shaped’ musical speech variation from a higher voice, to the middle, and lower voice. Or, start the ‘S’ shaped talking movement from the lower voice, glide through the middle, and curve the ending up into the higher voice.
5. THERMOMETER – The voice can progressively rise and fall similar to the movement of a thermometer to BUILD or RELIEVE excitement.
How To Speak Using 3 Voice Placements – Head, Mask and Chest.
It’s your turn now to practice shifting how you speak using these three high, medium, and low Voice Placement locations.
1. STORY ARC – Make the hand movements as you say the instructions below to create an auditory story arc from high to low and then low to high.
Example 1:
“I raise my hand and form a tight fist, then relax my hand and open it up, then turn the hand over so it faces up and drop the hand a little lower.”
Example 2:
“My hand is low with the palm of the hand up, I raise my hand and turn the hand over so the palm faces down, then raise my hand higher and form a tight fist.”
2. ZIGZAG UP-DOWN-SPLIT THE DIFFERENCE – Using both hands, raise one hand higher and place the other hand lower. Practice UP-DOWN-SPLIT THE DIFFERENCE followed by DOWN-UP-SPLIT THE DIFFERENCE.
Example 1:
“One hand is high and I leave it in place as I place my other hand lower and leave it in place, then move the higher hand into the middle space in between.”
Example 2:
“One hand is low and I leave it in place as I place my other hand higher and leave it in place, then move the lower hand into the middle space in between.”
3. STAIRSTEP UP, STAIRSTEP DOWN – You can either alternate hands or use one hand to create the up and down musical speech rise and fall. Start with the stairstep up and then the stairstep down.
Example 1:
“My hand is placed low, then raises higher, and then raises higher.”
Example 2:
“My hand is placed high , then drops lower, and drops lower again.”
4. HOOK – Practice the movements as you say these two musical speech hooks. First, start higher and curve lower. Second, starting lower and curve higher.
Example 1 – S-curve higher to lower:
“Well… we meet again.”
Example 2 – S-curve lower to higher:
“Hello everyone, good to see you again!”
5. THERMOMETER – Gradually raise your speaking voice from low to high. Then smoothly lower the speaking pitch from high to low.
Example 1 – Build excitement from Low to High:
“We’re going to get you charged up and ready for success!”
Example 2 – Add relief or a story-arc conclusion:
“What a great event. I’m so glad all of you could join me here.”
So there you have it! Five ways to use the mask, head, and chest voice in everyday conversation, public speaking, presentations, podcasts, and voiceover recordings.
Join me next time in Real Talking Tips Episode 42 as we begin a new 4-part series on the Power of Persuasion.
- Please take a moment to click the YouTube video to Subscribe and Ring the Bell for notifications.
- Listen and download the audio Real Talking Tips podcast in Apple Podcasts, TuneIn, Stitcher, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Outcast, and Deezer.
- Check out the elaineclarkvo.com/podcast page to view the blog, watch the video, listen, and share the episode with your friends and colleagues using the social media links located at the bottom of the page.
The post Episode 41: Real Talking Tips – VOICE PLACEMENT: Shifting Voice Locations. appeared first on Elaine Clark VO - Coaching and Production.
40: Chest Voice Warm-Ups andSpeaking Techniques In this 3rd of 4 Voice Placement episodes, we’re going to drop the speaking voice down from the middle ‘mask voice’ and higher ‘head voice’ to the deeper ‘chest voice’. Confidence and authority are usually associated with lower voices. That’s why a lot of speakers prefer speaking from the chest voice area to take advantage of it’s strength, resonance, pitch, and tone.
The following are 4 ways different style speakers can use their chest voice:
1. Higher voice: Start speaking from your lowest relaxed voice placement and lift the words up briefly and back down.
2. Middle voice: Speak and gesture with the hands at waist level or below to keep the pitch lower in the chest.
3. Weaker voice: Plant the heels of the feet in the ground, bend the knees slightly, and tighten the lower buttock and thigh muscles.
4. Ultra Deep voice: Begin speaking at a higher voice pitch and dip down briefly into the lowest tones before returning to the slightly higher voice.
Practice along with this Real Talking Tips video, audio podcast, blog, my Elaine Clark app – Activate Your Voice, my best selling books, There’s Money Where Your Mouth Is and Voice-Overs for Podcasting, and continue adding variety to your speaking voice in my Elaine Clark app, Adding Melody To Your Voice!
Click the video to watch or select the audio podcast by clicking start or selecting your favorite audio player in the icon below.
40: CHEST VOICE WARM-UPS and SPEAKING TECHNIQUES
Real Talking Tips 40 is the 3rd of 4 Voice Placement episodes. So far, we explored the mask and head voices in Real Talking Tips 38 and 39. Now we’re going to drop the voice lower into the rich and warm sounding chest voice. Well, that’s not completely true. If the chest voice lacks breath support it can sound gravelly and raspy. One way to tell if you’re speaking in the CHEST VOICE is to put your hand on the chest when you speak to feel if it vibrates or resonates in that area.
Lower voices exude confidence. That’s why a lot of speakers prefer speaking from the chest voice. But if that chest placement isn’t natural, it can also sound phony or pushed. As with the other two voice placements, you can speak with a more supported voice when you breathe from the bottom up. Of course, be sure to relax your throat to allow your vocal cords to vibrate at a lower frequency and produce that deep chest voice.
If your voice has more nasal resonance, speak on the breath so it lowers the resonance from the nose to the mouth and chest area. You can do that the same way I demonstrated a couple episodes ago by letting a little bit of air out before speaking.
#3 Voice Placement: Use Your ‘Chest Voice’ to Sound Authoritative and Confident.
The chest voice is usually associated with confidence and authority. One reason why people who speak with a questioning uptalk inflection may not be taken as seriously as the downward inflected chest voice speaker. So if uptalk is on your Weaknesses list from Episode 1, pay close attention to the following Real Talking Tips.
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Keep your chin up, stand tall, and speak confidently from your deep authoritative chest voice.
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To lock the chest voice into position, keep your movements and gestures below waist level. From that position, you can scoop your hands up as you connect with the breath that started in the lower part of the body. You can increase the power of the chest voice by tightening muscles in the lower half of the body, while keeping the throat relaxed and open.
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Improve the lower vibration resonance. We’ll use the same NG and ONG resonating sounds from the last episode and my Elaine Clark Activate Your Voice app. Curve the sound down so it sounds like this: NGGGGGGG. ONGGGGGGG. Add to that by saying the word, PONG. Force the ONG sound lower as you say the word PONG.
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Since the voice is like a rubber band, a speaker’s range can be stretched. Say the higher pitched word PING and the lower pitched word PONG. Remember to hold onto the NG in Ping and ONG of Pong as you voice those two words and ending resonant sounds.
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You can also use that same 5-word m-buzz series again to lower the pitch. Chew the words and hold onto the ‘m’ resonance as you drop a note lower when you say each word.
Hum. Numb. Drum. Strum. Crumb.
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To lower the resonance and voice pitch, say the same word series again dropping each word down a musical note. Repeat the series starting one note lower. Continue that musical drop until you are unable to go any deeper.
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You can do that same exercise with other words and sounds. Example:
OH NO… Oh No… oh no….oh…no.
And OH YES, it’s time now for you to practice using your chest voice!
4 Tips for Speaking in a Lower Chest Voice.
There are all types of speakers and voice qualities. The following are a few ways to speak from the ‘Chest Voice’.
If you have a naturally higher voice, you can still use your chest voice. Start speaking from your lowest relaxed voice placement and lift the words up and then back down to that lower foundational starting sound.
Example:
“With a higher voice, I can still start low and lift the voice higher and then back down to that same starting note.”Plant the feet and heels firmly in the ground, stomp them a few times to get connected to the earth, stand tall, raise the chin so it’s straight and level, and bend the knees slightly to give your voice and movements buoyancy. Speak and gesture with the hands at waist level or below.
Example:
“I will speak and gesture in a professional manner, with my body relaxed, hands below the waist, and my speaking notes confined to the chest voice area.”To add intensity and authority, remain in the grounded position and tighten the buttock and thigh muscles. If you gesture, engage the arm muscles and continue to keep the throat muscles relaxed.
Example:
“I now am adding more intensity to my chest voice by engaging the muscles in the lower half of my body.”For people with extremely deep and resonant voices, it’s possible to lighten some of the resonance and raise the pitch. Start speaking at a higher voice location and dip down briefly into the lowest tones before returning to that higher voice position.
Example:
“Start speaking with a higher pitched voice, relax it down into the lowest chest voice before raising it again to that higher starting pitch location.”
So now we’ve covered the mask, head, and chest voice. Join me next time in Real Talking Tips Episode 41 for the fourth Voice Placement lesson as we combine all three of these speech location techniques.
- Please take a moment to click the YouTube video to Subscribe and Ring the Bell for notifications.
- Listen and download the audio Real Talking Tips podcast in Apple Podcasts, TuneIn, Stitcher, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Outcast, and Deezer.
- Check out the elaineclarkvo.com/podcast page to view the blog, watch the video, listen, and share the episode with your friends and colleagues using the social media links located at the bottom of the page.
The post Episode 40: Real Talking Tips – VOICE PLACEMENT: Drop it Down into Your Chest Voice. appeared first on Elaine Clark VO - Coaching and Production.