You have started working on your voice. Be it using YouTube videos, seeing a voice coach, or just trying the hard yards on your own. What should you be working on, when you start exercising your voice?
These are the few changes that you should be aiming to see, soon after you start voice training.
- Self awareness: You should start feeling more aware of your voice, your breathing style, ( inhale vs exhale) and your speaking style.
- Self monitoring : You should be able to rate yourself and give yourself feedback when you speak. Eg, you should start getting into the habit of ownership and self-monitoring. Neuroscience says that people who take ownership of their learning fare much better than those who hand over their learning to their coach. Next time you see your coach , ask yourself, who is more invested in my learning? My coach or me?
- Nerves: Who doesn’t have them when you speak? Everyone does! However, after you engage in some voice lessons, you should be able to control your nerves more, and not let your nerves control you. The nerves will always be there, you just learn to be better at waltzing past them!
- Clarity: Your articulation becomes clearer. You voice should be more resonant and clearer. You should start feeling on top of your voice, rather than again, your voice on top of you. Your should start feeling more articulate, and confident of hearing your own voice. Most people cringe at the sound of their own voice. Here’s advice, if you cringe at your own voice, you are just being your worst enemy. Be nice and kind to yourself!
- Ease of Communication: Communication is not only verbal, it is also non-verbal. After few voice lessons, you should be feeling comfortable and easy using your voice. Communication should not be tensed, painful or uncomfortable. You should feel relaxed, and it should be effortless, rather than effortful
If you have had about 3 more or voice sessions, you should start noticing the difference in your voice. Maybe not for all 5 points, but at least one – two points. For those how have done voice lessons before, what have you seen as changes? And what are you keeping up as ongoing changes?