Voice what Matters: the Podcast

Hey friends, 

This podcast episode is dedicated to answering the question: Why do we talk about breathing in voice coaching? 

This question came up with a private client who came to Christine to work on strengthening his voice, because he often feels sore after a day of talking at work. 

The short answer? The breath is the power source for the voice. Without breath, there is no voice. 

This episode looks at: 

• the relationship between breathing and speaking
• the difference between breathing normally just to survive vs. breathing to speak
• how the way you’re breathing for survival can have an impact on the way you breathe to speak— either empowering or disempowering your voice 
• an exercise to help you feel the relationship between breathing normally and breathing to speak 

There’s no reason that your throat needs to get sore from speaking. It’s possible, as long as you’re not speaking for prolonged periods of time in loud environments, to speak all day long without hurting yourself. If you are feeling sore a lot from talking, it likely has something to do with the way you’re breathing. This is where voice training can be helpful! Check out the resources available through this podcast and also don’t hesitate to contact us if you’d like some more personal voice coaching. 

Take good care, 

Christine & Lindsay 

Hey friends, 

This podcast episode is dedicated to answering the question: Why do we talk about breathing in voice coaching? 

This question came up with a private client who came to Christine to work on strengthening his voice, because he often feels sore after a day of talking at work. 

The short answer? The breath is the power source for the voice. Without breath, there is no voice. 

This episode looks at: 

• the relationship between breathing and speaking
• the difference between breathing normally just to survive vs. breathing to speak
• how the way you’re breathing for survival can have an impact on the way you breathe to speak— either empowering or disempowering your voice 
• an exercise to help you feel the relationship between breathing normally and breathing to speak 

There’s no reason that your throat needs to get sore from speaking. It’s possible, as long as you’re not speaking for prolonged periods of time in loud environments, to speak all day long without hurting yourself. If you are feeling sore a lot from talking, it likely has something to do with the way you’re breathing. This is where voice training can be helpful! Check out the resources available through this podcast and also don’t hesitate to contact us if you’d like some more personal voice coaching. 

Take good care, 

Christine & Lindsay 

Are you finding yourself on Zoom a lot lately? 

We are living through some interesting times. For the last few weeks, a third of the world’s population has been on lockdown as the world battles the Covid-19 Pandemic. For many of us, this has meant completely changing the way we regularly communicate both professionally and personally, because we can’t socialize with people outside of our homes. So we’re having to bridge the gap by communicating virtually— through platforms like Zoom, or Microsoft Teams, or Skype or FaceTime—- platforms where we can still see each other and in some cases even meet in groups. 

All of this virtual communication brings up some interesting new communication challenges, including:

• Physical Tension: because we are moving a lot less potentially in life but definitely when we are spending our days sitting and communicating on screens, you might be noticing more physical tension in your body as you communicate. 
• Restricted Breathing: This physical tension or destabilization might be restricting your breathing, making it harder to feel at ease and to speak from a supported, empowered place. 
• Pushing Vocally: Because we’re not getting the same kind of verbal/physical cues from our audiences that are letting us know we are being clear or that they are on the same page, we might feel the need to overcompensate by pushing physically and vocally 

This episode looks at some of these challenges and gives you some tips for how to handle them. The big takeaway is— don’t let communicating to a screen lull you into a false sense of security or divorce you further from your body as you communicate. Your body language, breathing and voice are even more important to pay attention to now than ever. It’s all about adjusting your awareness of how you’re communicating physically and vocally to this new medium. Warming up your body and your voice regularly is crucial, especially if you’re spending the majority of the rest of your day sitting down. We have a lot of warm ups on our website and podcast that you can look into to help you. 

Tips covered in this episode will help you think about:

— your body language and being physically grounded, at ease and ready to communicate

— breathing deeply and easily 

— supporting your voice 

— structuring your content to help you build a stronger relationship with your audience

We are not sure at this point how much longer social distancing is going to go on, but the cues we’re getting so far suggest that we could be communicating virtually for awhile yet. So as you navigate this new medium, we’d love to hear from you about the challenges you’re facing and how this episode is helping you or raising new questions. 

Take good care, stay safe and healthy! 

Are you finding yourself on Zoom a lot lately? 

We are living through some interesting times. For the last few weeks, a third of the world’s population has been on lockdown as the world battles the Covid-19 Pandemic. For many of us, this has meant completely changing the way we regularly communicate both professionally and personally, because we can’t socialize with people outside of our homes. So we’re having to bridge the gap by communicating virtually— through platforms like Zoom, or Microsoft Teams, or Skype or FaceTime—- platforms where we can still see each other and in some cases even meet in groups. 

All of this virtual communication brings up some interesting new communication challenges, including:

• Physical Tension: because we are moving a lot less potentially in life but definitely when we are spending our days sitting and communicating on screens, you might be noticing more physical tension in your body as you communicate. 
• Restricted Breathing: This physical tension or destabilization might be restricting your breathing, making it harder to feel at ease and to speak from a supported, empowered place. 
• Pushing Vocally: Because we’re not getting the same kind of verbal/physical cues from our audiences that are letting us know we are being clear or that they are on the same page, we might feel the need to overcompensate by pushing physically and vocally 

This episode looks at some of these challenges and gives you some tips for how to handle them. The big takeaway is— don’t let communicating to a screen lull you into a false sense of security or divorce you further from your body as you communicate. Your body language, breathing and voice are even more important to pay attention to now than ever. It’s all about adjusting your awareness of how you’re communicating physically and vocally to this new medium. Warming up your body and your voice regularly is crucial, especially if you’re spending the majority of the rest of your day sitting down. We have a lot of warm ups on our website and podcast that you can look into to help you. 

Tips covered in this episode will help you think about:

— your body language and being physically grounded, at ease and ready to communicate

— breathing deeply and easily 

— supporting your voice 

— structuring your content to help you build a stronger relationship with your audience

We are not sure at this point how much longer social distancing is going to go on, but the cues we’re getting so far suggest that we could be communicating virtually for awhile yet. So as you navigate this new medium, we’d love to hear from you about the challenges you’re facing and how this episode is helping you or raising new questions. 

Take good care, stay safe and healthy! 

Hey Friends, 

In this episode, we explore deeper sociological issues around masculinity, and how trying to sound masculine might be impacting and even impeding your vocal expression. 

The pressures men face to have a deep, masculine-sounding voice are real, and often, our male clients, to get what they think is that sound, end up pressing their voices down in a way that makes their voices sound monotone, mumbly and trapped. 

This is a pressure that faces both men and women because a deeper, more ‘masculine’ sound is also associated with more gravitas and authority, so women also try to emulate this sound, and often in the same way, by pressing their voices down. 

The issue with this pressing down strategy is it lowers your voice pitch potentially beyond where your voice wants to sit naturally, so you’re having to suppress not just your voice but maybe also your feelings so that your voice doesn’t move. 

There is nothing wrong with wanting a more masculine sound in your voice, but there are healthier ways to find it. 

Themes that come up are: 
1. the difference between a lower pitch and a deeper resonance, and how to find both vocally 
2. Exploring the idea that maybe there are ways to be a man in a more empowered way? That involves putting yourself out there more vocally, being more honest about who you are, and in doing so letting more of your body resonate, so you can find that deeper resonance? 
3. Can this be true for women too who are wanting to access their deeper sound? 
4. Simple exercises you can do to feel the difference between pitch and resonance 

This masculinity issue can come up in a variety of performance and public speaking contexts, as well as personal communication contexts. We’re especially curious to hear from the men listening what questions this sparks for you and how this issue affects you. 

Take good care, 

Christine & Lindsay 

Hey Friends, 

In this episode, we explore deeper sociological issues around masculinity, and how trying to sound masculine might be impacting and even impeding your vocal expression. 

The pressures men face to have a deep, masculine-sounding voice are real, and often, our male clients, to get what they think is that sound, end up pressing their voices down in a way that makes their voices sound monotone, mumbly and trapped. 

This is a pressure that faces both men and women because a deeper, more ‘masculine’ sound is also associated with more gravitas and authority, so women also try to emulate this sound, and often in the same way, by pressing their voices down. 

The issue with this pressing down strategy is it lowers your voice pitch potentially beyond where your voice wants to sit naturally, so you’re having to suppress not just your voice but maybe also your feelings so that your voice doesn’t move. 

There is nothing wrong with wanting a more masculine sound in your voice, but there are healthier ways to find it. 

Themes that come up are: 
1. the difference between a lower pitch and a deeper resonance, and how to find both vocally 
2. Exploring the idea that maybe there are ways to be a man in a more empowered way? That involves putting yourself out there more vocally, being more honest about who you are, and in doing so letting more of your body resonate, so you can find that deeper resonance? 
3. Can this be true for women too who are wanting to access their deeper sound? 
4. Simple exercises you can do to feel the difference between pitch and resonance 

This masculinity issue can come up in a variety of performance and public speaking contexts, as well as personal communication contexts. We’re especially curious to hear from the men listening what questions this sparks for you and how this issue affects you. 

Take good care, 

Christine & Lindsay 

Hey Friends, 

In this episode, we discuss the importance of creating regular rituals for yourself that help you feel more at ease generally, so that you can be more at ease in and ready for important communication events, like meetings, presentations, auditions, performances, etc. Rituals, whether physical, vocal, mental or some combination of all three, can help you start a communication event mindfully, because they allow you to take ownership over your own presence and how you are feeling before you start. These rituals can be something that are regular or something you do right before you communicate. They can last as long as they need to for you and that can change depending on the day and the circumstance. 

We'll talk you through:

- strategies for creating rituals
- ideas for a 1-hour ritual that includes a physical, vocal and mental component
- ideas for a 20-minute ritual that includes a physical, vocal and mental component
- ideas for a 5-minute ritual that includes a physical, vocal and mental component

We'll also discuss how to maintain the benefits of the ritual as you move through your day. 

When you are more at ease, you are a better communicator. Whatever ritual you develop, let it be one that helps you find more ease. Do show up for your ritual often to get the full benefits of it, but don't get discouraged or give up if sometimes you don't show up-- it's about finding that balance where you show up regularly, but also where the ritual is there to serve you-- you are not there to serve the ritual. 

We'd love to hear from you about how you're going to take this advice forward, or what rituals you already have in place that you love. What rituals do you want to develop? How can we help? 

Take good care, 

Christine & Lindsay 

Hey Friends, 

In this episode, we discuss the importance of creating regular rituals for yourself that help you feel more at ease generally, so that you can be more at ease in and ready for important communication events, like meetings, presentations, auditions, performances, etc. Rituals, whether physical, vocal, mental or some combination of all three, can help you start a communication event mindfully, because they allow you to take ownership over your own presence and how you are feeling before you start. These rituals can be something that are regular or something you do right before you communicate. They can last as long as they need to for you and that can change depending on the day and the circumstance. 

We'll talk you through:

- strategies for creating rituals
- ideas for a 1-hour ritual that includes a physical, vocal and mental component
- ideas for a 20-minute ritual that includes a physical, vocal and mental component
- ideas for a 5-minute ritual that includes a physical, vocal and mental component

We'll also discuss how to maintain the benefits of the ritual as you move through your day. 

When you are more at ease, you are a better communicator. Whatever ritual you develop, let it be one that helps you find more ease. Do show up for your ritual often to get the full benefits of it, but don't get discouraged or give up if sometimes you don't show up-- it's about finding that balance where you show up regularly, but also where the ritual is there to serve you-- you are not there to serve the ritual. 

We'd love to hear from you about how you're going to take this advice forward, or what rituals you already have in place that you love. What rituals do you want to develop? How can we help? 

Take good care, 

Christine & Lindsay 

Hi Friends, 

This episode is Part 3 of our 3-part series, 'Staying Present in Unprecedented Times,' designed to support you through this crazy new world of isolation and uncertainty as we navigate the health crisis that is Covid-19. In Part 1, we took you through a mindfulness practice called Orientation to help you connect to the present moment through your senses. In Part 2, we combined Orientation with a body scan to help you feel more embodied as you orient to the present moment. 

In this episode, we dive deeper into both Orientation and the body scan practice so that you can connect  on a physical level towards what is enjoyable about the present moment. This practice helps you not only come into the here and now in an embodied way, but strategically focus your perception on what you're enjoying about the here and now-- an invaluable skill in any time in life, but particularly right now, when you might be dealing with an unusual level of uncertainty, discomfort and anxiety. Orienting towards what's pleasant can help you communicate more from a place of connection, ease and even enjoyment, rather than anxiety, panic or stress. 

This practice is inspired by Organic Intelligence(r), which you can find out more about on www.organicintelligence.org, and Fitzmaurice Voicework(r), which you can find out more about at www.fitzmauriceinstitute.org. 

Please let us know how you get on with this practice, what questions it brings up for you, and what other kind of support you would like as we navigate these current times. Please also share this episode with anyone you think could use the support. 

Take good care, 

Christine & Lindsay 

Hi Friends, 

This episode is Part 3 of our 3-part series, 'Staying Present in Unprecedented Times,' designed to support you through this crazy new world of isolation and uncertainty as we navigate the health crisis that is Covid-19. In Part 1, we took you through a mindfulness practice called Orientation to help you connect to the present moment through your senses. In Part 2, we combined Orientation with a body scan to help you feel more embodied as you orient to the present moment. 

In this episode, we dive deeper into both Orientation and the body scan practice so that you can connect  on a physical level towards what is enjoyable about the present moment. This practice helps you not only come into the here and now in an embodied way, but strategically focus your perception on what you're enjoying about the here and now-- an invaluable skill in any time in life, but particularly right now, when you might be dealing with an unusual level of uncertainty, discomfort and anxiety. Orienting towards what's pleasant can help you communicate more from a place of connection, ease and even enjoyment, rather than anxiety, panic or stress. 

This practice is inspired by Organic Intelligence(r), which you can find out more about on www.organicintelligence.org, and Fitzmaurice Voicework(r), which you can find out more about at www.fitzmauriceinstitute.org. 

Please let us know how you get on with this practice, what questions it brings up for you, and what other kind of support you would like as we navigate these current times. Please also share this episode with anyone you think could use the support. 

Take good care, 

Christine & Lindsay