The Lack of a Common Vocabulary to Fully Discuss Voice
Question from a Subscriber Hi Judy, One question… I am sure there is a way to alter/change one’s voice.I never had a strong voice myself.What is the process of changing or altering voice called?It is not about changing or improving one’s accent, it is a different thing.But I don’t know how it is even called…Any […]
How Does A Program Start?
How Does It Work? New clients often ask me how a program starts, so… I’ll tell you! I start by having you fill out a questionnaire that covers various aspects of communication, speech, and voice. In terms of communication, I inquire about which contexts you are the most comfortable in and which the least, and […]
Don’t Be The “Scooter” Of Your Office
Sleep With Me, if you haven’t heard of it, is a podcast for people who struggle with insomnia. The host of Sleep With Me, “Scooter” as he is referred to, tells stories in a rambling manner and monotonous voice, with the intention of helping listeners fall asleep. It has episodes with titles like “Big Farm P.I. – This […]
Tips For Online Meetings
Updated 1/27/2025 Although many people have been communicating online full- or part-time for a while now, I still work with clients who struggle with it. It’s so easy to slip into a “viewer” role in front of the screen rather than showing up as an active participant. The good news? With some awareness, practice, and […]
Could Your Company Meeting Be More Efficient?
A lot of my clients spend a great deal of time improving their “meeting skills.” While it is absolutely critical to know how best to lead and contribute to a dialogue (a topic for another blog), a lot of companies have been re-thinking the whole meeting format. Research shows that most managers believe meetings kill […]
What Makes a Voice Effective?
I recently read an article about the voices of the apps Headspace and Calm. The experts consulted for that article reiterated what makes a voice effective in “putting people in the zone.” One, the director of research and innovation at Brown University’s Mindfulness Center, said, “The content obviously is important, but I think the tone, cadence, and the […]
Dealing With Fear as it relates to changing one’s way of speaking
Every client who comes to my office is seeking some sort of change. They come because there is some aspect of their communication style that is impacting their life negatively. Oftentimes, it is for professional reasons; they come independently or are sent by supervisors or HR because it becomes apparent that their communication style is […]
The Mindset For Speaking a Non-Native Language (English, in this case)
One of the reasons we struggle with speaking a language different from our native tongue is simply that we don’t sound like ourselves. The sounds, sound patterns, and music of our first language have shaped our perceptions of the world. We come to associate our speaking patterns with our identities. It feels phony and unnatural […]
Some Tips For Reducing a Japanese Accent
Intonation Japanese speech sometimes gives the impression of sounding like a picket fence, with a lot less variation in pitch. It may be due partly to the fact that in English, there is a fixed word order, whereas in Japanese, any word can be moved to the beginning of a sentence, with an added particle […]
Need a Japanese Accent For a Role?
I recently worked with a young Japanese American actor who needed an authentic Japanese accent for a role in a film. Being 3rd generation American, he had little knowledge of Japanese or its sound system. I will share with you some of the things we worked on. There are only five vowel sounds in Japanese; they are […]