Where are we starting from?:

• A busy professional operates to deadlines and at a pressurised pace.

• There is little time for a ?stop and smell the roses? approach to vocal function, speech habits and presentation skills.

• There will be habitual posture and vocal traits that are impossible to completely eradicate in one short session

• Some of these traits may be ?trademarks? that give the speaker and individual quality that is attractive ? in which case, it would be inappropriate to try and remove them

• Some will be inhibiting optimal function, effective performance and confidence.

• Nevertheless, it must be recognised that most of us operate ?on tension?. This is inevitably associated with an adrenalized, [positively] stressed, busy and successful working life.

What does a busy professional need to have in his toolkit?

• The ability to monitor his/her own performance and recognise inhibiting factors when they creep in.

• A simple and time effective trouble shooting strategy for dealing with each problem as it occurs.

• Straight-forward, jargon free explanations to enable him to be in control of his own development

• A short and effective vocal warm ? up procedure that he will be motivated to use on a daily basis

• An understanding of basic vocal health dos and donts.

Common problems include a combination of the following:

• Lack of confidence and/or performance nerves

• Poor breath and support

• Lack of resonance and projection;

• Specific speech idiosyncrasies

Main features and focus of work would centre upon:

• Postural habits and remedial work/ alternative strategies

• Tension areas: recognition and remedial work -Lips / Jaw / Neck / Shoulders

• Work on resonance/carrying power of the voice and accent softening as necessary

• Breathing and connection to support to increase vocal power and projection

A typical Session would address some or all of the following:-
Limber up/loosen up

• Strategies for releasing joints and ?unlocking? the body

• Posture and locomotion

• Identifying individual pre-programmed habits

Breathing and support

• Accessing connection to low abdominal breathing and lateral rib swing

• Ribs wide and held in soft suspension for extra breath control

• The ?by the way? top up breath

• Eliminating over-breathing and stale breath habits

• Increasing breath control and building support musculature

Articulation and Resonance
Identifying problem areas and remedial work ? this might address

• Tongue root tension

• Lip tension

• Jaw tension

• Head and neck tension

• Poor head/neck positioning

Knowledge transfer:
Taking the work into an area relevant to the client ? this might include:

• Videoing and analysing of a mini presentation

• Analysing a political or business address and investigating tone and prosody of delivery to increase effectiveness

• Working on variety of pitch and change of pace

• The value of silence as an effective tool

• Interactive patterns in a particular situation ? interview, committee, board meeting, social context etc

Troubleshooting techniques:
Strategies for dealing with

• Performance nerves

• Dry mouth

• Shortness of breath

• Voice goes weak

• Illness

Ongoing Vocal Health : the client[s] would leave with a booklet/ CD/DVD/ that encompasses

• short vocal warm ?up ,

• trouble-shooting kit

• sensible tips for ongoing vocal health