How to improve your voice and turn it into an effective business tool. Male and female singing voices Voice sound

• How to improve your voice so people are ready to listen to you for a long time
• Voice training: is it possible to change your voice and make speech more euphonious
• How to attract audience attention with your voice during a public speech
• How a person's voice changes in stressful situations
• Why did the General Director of the company "Everything for Garden" decide to work on his voice and what results did he achieve?

In this article we will tell you how to improve your voice and train him. Most people believe that the characteristics of the voice are something given by nature once and for all. However, it is not. Personal development specialist Nikolaus B. Enckelman, who has studied the psychology of successful people for 35 years, says: "The one who changes his voice changes his bank account."

An entrepreneur's brain works differently from most people. This point of view is receiving more and more scientific support through research.

We have prepared a useful article in which we tell you how entrepreneurial thinking is different and how to train it.

Bonus!In the article you will find 4 ways to train your entrepreneurial brain.

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When communicating with an interlocutor or speaking in front of an audience, we use three means of conveying information: words (of which the listener receives 7% of all information), gestures (55%) and intonation (38%). In a telephone conversation, there are only two means of transmitting information - intonation (86%) and words (14%). This is why voice training is designed to help you achieve a commercial outcome.

• Should the CEO become a public person

What voice do people find pleasant

Tone... For most people, a high voice is unpleasant, but a low voice, on the contrary, is pleasant. It is known that Margaret Thatcher trained to lower her voice in order to make her speech more harsh. In the subconscious of a person, high-pitched sounds are associated with anxiety.

The pitch depends on the frequency of the larynx vibration. People of tall stature have a large larynx, and therefore a low, subconsciously attractive voice. A deep male voice is associated with strength, leadership, self-confidence and persuasion. That is why, even without seeing the owner of a low voice, we imagine him high and cute. Scientists describe a pleasant female voice as not loud and not quiet, not harsh, not too low, calm, devoid of annoying notes.

Audibility... In voice acting training, trainees are often asked to share the same information with different people in the auditorium, church, noisy party, and small meeting room. The conclusion, to which the coaches are pushing, is that the audibility of the voice does not depend on the volume and the correctly delivered voice is equally well heard in all corners of the room. The speaker's task is to spread the voice evenly at normal volume. In everyday conversation, we only fill the tops of the lungs with air - to get a pleasant chest voice that easily spreads over a long distance, you need to breathe deeply.

Intonation... This is another important detail. Depending on the meaning of the phrase, the speaker's voice should either rise or fall. The speech of a person who does not know intonation is monotonous and therefore tiresome for others. In order for the voice not to sound too monotonous, it should cover at least an octave.

How to improve your voice: voice training

First of all, get to know your voice. For this, experts in rhetoric advise to record it on a dictaphone. Surely you will be surprised by what you hear. If, after a ten-minute conversation, your throat gets tired or your voice sounds too young for a person in a high position, then it's time to work on yourself. Here are some tips to improve your voice:

1... Develop Correct Breathing... Physiologists from the Peoples' Friendship University of Russia in the course of experiments found that the vocal spectrum depends on the volume of air that a person can exhale and on the patency of the trachea and bronchi. To develop breathing, perform the following exercises: smooth inhalation through the nose and free exhalation, pronouncing vowel sounds on inhalation, counting during inhalation to ten or fifteen, pronouncing a phrase or tongue twisters on one exhalation. Singing, going to the gym and ... inflating balloons also contribute to improving the voice and strengthening the respiratory system.

2. Increase the mobility of the lower jaw, lips and tongue muscles... For the lower jaw, for example, this exercise is useful: lowering the jaw, open your mouth, stretching your lips into a vertical oval (do not move your tongue), and after two to three seconds close it. Repeat five to six times.

To train your lips, squeeze them and pull them forward, then slowly turn your lips to the right, left, up, down; finally, make a circular motion with your lips, first in one direction and then in the other direction.

And here are the exercises for the tongue. Open your mouth and write the letters of the alphabet in the air with the tip of your tongue, returning your tongue to its original position after each letter. Or another: opening your mouth and slightly sticking out your tongue, straighten it, squeeze or bend it with a cup. Repeat five to six times.

3. Learn to pronounce sounds and words clearly... This can be achieved by correctly articulating each sound. For example, you will develop a clear and expressive speech if every day for 5-10 minutes you begin to loudly read the text without consonants. Let's say the phrase "learn to speak correctly" would sound like "uie ooi aio". At the same time, remember: to achieve clear diction, you need to open your mouth wide enough so as not to filter out sounds through your teeth.

As a result of these exercises, the voice becomes deeper and more euphonious, its range expands, and its pronunciation becomes clearer. Once you have learned to speak “professionally,” use that voice in your daily life. There shouldn't be two voices - for informal conversation and open public speaking.

Voice training: features of public speaking

The muscles of the legs play an important role during the performance. It is necessary to rely on a full foot - then the posture necessary for proper breathing and clear work of the heart is created. Straighten up to your full height and tilt your head slightly - it will be easier for you to control the vocal apparatus. The voice should not be hindered by tight breathing, an extended neck, a tense lower jaw, and other bodily overloads. Draw in more air in your lungs to control your voice.

If you are worried before the performance, you can walk a little. Walking is calming and also supports heart and vocal function. You can often see professional lecturers actively rub their hands before speaking. Such "charging" helps to warm up and relax the muscles of the shoulders and neck, which has a positive effect on the voice.

Also remember that the volume of the sounds you make depends on the volume of air in your lungs. If you are speaking to an audience using a microphone, do not speak loudly, otherwise the sound quality will deteriorate. It should be noted that the lower the voice, the less it is distorted by amplifiers.

To attract attention, as well as to express sincere sympathy, it is worth speaking a little more quietly, and the words on which the emphasis is placed, it is permissible to pronounce half a decibel higher.

But expression in public speaking is inappropriate. In informal conversation, we often emotionally express our attitude to the subject of conversation. It is desirable to avoid this in the official report.

• How to speak so that people remember you and your company

How to improve your voice before an important phone call

In a telephone conversation, special attention should be paid to confidential, friendly intonation, clarity and sufficient volume of speech. Talking loudly is not worth it - otherwise you may get the impression that you are agitated. However, if your voice sounds too quiet, the interlocutor will have to ask or listen, and this will turn him against you. You need to speak at a normal pace (no more than 120 words per minute): fast speech tires, too slow - annoying. Psychologists advise smiling at an invisible interlocutor: a positive attitude is heard in intonation, and when talking on the phone, it works more strongly than when meeting in person. Use phrases that convey an emotional mood: "Very happy", "Amazing", "I doubt it." The best that the interlocutor can hear from you is: "I think so too."

How our voice changes depending on the situation

When speaking in public, as well as during a private conversation, remember that with excitement or tension, the volume and pitch of your voice increases automatically, so you can involuntarily shift to screaming. If the speaker is angry, the voice becomes harsh. In moments of uncertainty, a person's speech rate accelerates. The tired voice becomes hoarse, and the tone of the sad voice becomes lower than usual. Those who want to discuss a business issue, lounging on a sofa or in an easy chair, should remember that the interlocutor will surely hear this - after all, when you are lying or reclining, the angle of the diaphragm changes, and, accordingly, the timbre of the voice. In addition, the voice can make a person older or, on the contrary, younger. For example, at one of the trainings, the audience received the task to determine the age of the speaker by voice. One and the same person uttered the same phrase with different intonations. Raised tone, anger and fear made the speaker older, while joy and goodwill allowed him to throw off ten years.

Also remember that even a singer should not strain his vocal cords for more than four hours a day. Otherwise, after a while, ligaments may not close, leading to loss of voice.

This is the CEO speaking

André Bilder, General Director, Everything for Garden, Oberhausen (Germany)

I have always believed that the voice is given to us by nature and it is almost impossible to influence its timbre and sound. However, the experience of my colleagues convinced me otherwise. There were other reasons to take up my voice: in the search for new customers, I had to participate in international meetings, and there it was necessary to convince potential customers during the speech of the reliability of my company.

The main goal that I set for myself was to make the voice lower. A high voice is not very pleasant to the interlocutor. During the training, we solved different problems; here is one of them. We needed to get fellow students to agree to a deal in different circumstances: in a full room, by phone, and in the presence of colleagues. The hardest part turned out to be not to start shouting at the entire audience, because most people believe that the louder we speak, the better we convey the content. In fact, extra decibels only repel listeners. Of course, the voice should not be monotonous, but you should not go beyond certain limits.

To change my voice, I worked on breathing. In addition, to develop the tongue, lips and facial muscles, he did various exercises at home: he built funny faces in front of a mirror, taking out the nose or chin with the tip of his tongue, and then squeezing his mouth into a tube and stretching his lips in an endless smile. Now I hear that my voice sounds not only more friendly and confident, but also weighty, authoritative (I recorded it on a dictaphone before the start of training and after its completion). I also monitor the clarity of the pronunciation of sounds and the choice of the right words. I changed some of my habits - now, for example, talking on the phone, I do not fall back in my chair, even if there is no one in the office. It is interesting that with a new voice it became easier for me not only at work, but also at home. Children accept my requests and instructions unquestioningly, and my wife argues less.

Practice doesn't always lead to perfection, but it always helps to improve your results! There are many practical ways to improve your voice quality. To do this, you need to learn how to breathe correctly, avoid certain foods, and do special warming up exercises before you start singing or speaking. You won't be successful overnight, but with your best effort and time, you can certainly improve the quality of your voice.

Steps

Part 1

Learn to breathe properly. To have a strong voice, you must be able to breathe correctly. The bottom line is to breathe deeply.

Use your abs. With proper breathing, the lower muscles (diaphragm) above your abdomen should move forward, making room for even more air. When singing (speaking or just breathing out), use these muscles to push out air.

• Use the muscles above your lower back (around the kidneys) in exactly the same way to control your inhalation and exhalation.
• While straining your abdominal muscles, try not to lean forward.

1. Learn to stand correctly. Monitor the position of your legs, knees, hips, abdomen, chest, shoulders, arms and head:

   Relax. Once you are in the correct posture, make sure you are not tense anymore. You shouldn't feel the strain from sticking out your chest or keeping your back straight. Remember to relax the muscles in your face and neck.

Part 4

Drink plenty of water. Drink at least 8 glasses of water a day. This amount may be higher if you exercise or live in hot climates (i.e. you sweat a lot).

Eat healthy foods. Eating whole grains, fruits and vegetables helps keep your throat lining healthy, which means your voice is healthy too.

Relax. Stress affects everything negatively. Take time each day to do something that will help you relax. You can do yoga, meditation, go for a walk, watch your favorite TV show, read a good book, or play a musical instrument.

Try not to scream. This is especially important if you have a show soon. Screaming can hurt your voice and degrade its quality for the next few days.

Be patient. It may take some time to improve the quality of your voice. You won't get much improvement overnight, but after you warm up and learn how to breathe and maintain your posture, you will immediately feel something change in you.

• There is nothing wrong with doing things gradually. First, learn to breathe deeply and stand correctly. Once you've learned this, work on your mouth position and do some warm-up exercises.

1. Get help. If your voice quality has recently deteriorated, for example, your voice is raspy, deeper, or tense, this could indicate a health problem. Just in case, see your doctor to rule out the possibility of illness.

Part 5

Find a qualified teacher. A good teacher will be able to advise you on how to improve your voice. Find a teacher with a classical education, as such a teacher will be familiar with a variety of styles.

Listen to professional singers and announcers. Watch how they control their breathing, volume, articulation, modulation, vocal habits and sonority. If you like their style, try imitating it.

• Mimicking a style is a great way to learn to sing because it forces you to do things that you wouldn't normally do.

1. Watch professional singers and announcers. Pay attention to how they breathe and hold the notes with their breath. Look at their posture and body language. Watch how they use their lips to articulate the sounds and words they sing.

   Don't ignore the professionals you dislike. Think about why you don't like a particular singer or announcer. What are they doing different from others? Are they doing something wrong, or is it just not your style?

Each person's voice is unique in its sound and characteristics. If we talk about the characteristics of singing voices, then the distinctive features are: timbre, range, opening height and individuality.

How to determine the type of voice? The classification of male and female voices according to vocal characteristics, which exists today, was invented in the Italian opera school. It is easy to find out what type of voice a performer has during listening. Experts pay attention to its timbre, tonality, features and tessiture, and then draw a conclusion.

Timbre

The timbre of a voice is called its individual color and brightness. The voice can sound rich or soft, and the coloration can be dark or light. Teachers distinguish between the following types of voice timbre: sharp and soft, chest, head, mixed.

A vocalist who has a soft and pleasant timbre will be more in demand than someone who has a harsh and repulsive manner of singing. In fact, it depends on the timbre of the voice whether a person can do vocals.

The timbre of each of us is unique, so we can easily identify the sounding voice of one of our favorite singers due to its individual characteristics.

About tonality

It is worth considering that in each piece the voice can sound differently, so it is better to sing in your own working range. We, in turn, call them the range of notes to which the vocalist is able to give a beautiful color and high-quality sound. Here we are not talking about the full range of notes that a person can take with their voice. So, based on the working range, it is worth choosing a key for a particular piece.

What is range?

The range of each type of voice is determined during the chanting, as well as in the process of singing the song in a key for a person. In most cases, singing voices have a specific range that makes it easy to identify their type. Especially appreciated are performers who have a wide working range and therefore can replace one of their colleagues with a different voice.

About tessiture

Tessitura is the section of the range in which the singer is comfortable to sing. That is, it can be comfortable or inconvenient for a particular voice. It so happens that a song may be convenient for one performer, but not for another, although both have the same range. This means that the range of the range for comfortable singing is different for them. Therefore, the wider it is, the more comfortable it is to sing.

Moreover, the performer must learn the correct singing technique. The wrong one distorts the voice. To make it sound beautiful and convincing, you need to pay attention to the following technical features:

• You must breathe with the diaphragm, that is, the stomach should rise when inhaling and lower when exhaling. This will contribute to greater control over
• Maintain the correct posture while singing. It is better to keep the neck straight and relaxed. If you stand up straight, it will be easier to breathe.
• The back of the throat should be open while singing; sing the vowels clearly.

Anyone can put their own singing technique. If we talk about vocal technique, then development will depend on the presence of concentration of memory and attention, the volume of the lungs and the characteristics of the vocal cords. In fact, no matter what physiological characteristics and vocal data a person has, it is possible to develop a singing voice.

For voice development

• Don't set too high a bar for yourself in anticipation of progress, be patient and keep training your voice.
• Sing simple songs first and then tackle more complex ones.
• Cold and hot drinks harm the vocal cords. It is best to drink water at room temperature, and while singing, moisten your throat with warm water from time to time.
• Get into what you are performing, try to feel and convey the emotions of this song.
• It is important to determine which musical style is more familiar to you, for this practice singing different styles of music.
• It is useful for the ear to play notes on the piano and sing along.
• Avoid orange juice and dairy drinks, as they tend to clog your throat and make it difficult to sing.
• Speak in your usual intonation, as both whispering and screaming can damage your vocal cords.

Characteristics of female voice types

Let's look at the types of female voices first. Most female vocalists are sopranos. By the way, it is he who has the largest number of varieties. It is distinguished by a sonorous and transparent character, as well as expressiveness, the sound is open and light.

Distinguish between dramatic, lyric and coloratura soprano.

Mezzo-soprano is known for its rich sound and deep timbre. The sound of such a voice is lower than that of a soprano. This voice can also be dramatic or lyrical.

The main types of male voices

If we talk about baritone, then it is a heavier type of voice than tenor. It has a bright and strong sound at the top of the range. Baritones are lyrical and dramatic.

Some misconceptions about the classification of voices by type

Some researchers express the opinion that there are no types of voices at all, and only female and male ones are distinguished. They believe that the sound of a voice depends only on the specific features of techniques and performances, in other words, any woman can be contralto, mezzo-soprano, or soprano.

However, the vocal data of many performers confirm the absurdity of these statements. Only in very rare cases can a person have special vocal abilities that allow him to sing with different types of voices. In most cases, the performer cannot overcome differences in tessiture, for example, in third. Moreover, a tessitura that is overestimated or underestimated by only one tone can harm the voice.

We'll mention other misconceptions about voice types. There is an opinion that variety performers do not need to define the type of voice, and that they are classified only for academic singing. But this opinion differs from reality, since the types of human voice are naturally divided into three female and three male.

In addition, some confuse timbre and type of voice, although these are completely different terms. The type of voice means pitch features, and varieties of timbre do not play a special role in such a delicate matter as determining the type of voice. Individual timbre scores are important for choosing your singing style and for highlighting the artistic characteristics of a voice. So, the types of voice are its pitch indicators, determined using the scale.

About the features of the voice

The human voice cannot be replaced by any of the musical instruments known to us, nor by the voice of any other creatures, therefore, the human soul reacts very subtly to live singing, receiving impulses for the heart and mind.

In the past, there was an opinion that phoniatrics is able to determine the type of voice of the performer by examining the size and shape of the Adam's apple. It was believed that the tenor would have a less noticeable Adam's apple, while the bass would have it more prominent. But after numerous examinations and scientific studies, it became clear that the structure of the Adam's apple and larynx does not affect the type of voice in any way. When it comes to ligaments, their structure can play a role, but you need to evaluate the thickness, strength, size and elasticity.

So, there is a specific set of external signs and personal feelings that help determine the type of voice while singing. A person's vocal cords are very sensitive, they are quite easy to damage, which will harm the voice or it may completely disappear.

Since teachers also sometimes make mistakes, during the hearings it is better not to strain your voice too much, for example, when singing a song in a not very comfortable tessitation. If you think someone's voice is brighter and more expressive than yours, do not forget that each of us has a unique voice, so sing only in your own way.

Interestingly, when law enforcement agencies are looking for criminals, they are betrayed by their voice characteristics. To search for offenders, special services use specially developed speech identification methods. Thanks to the individual sound, which is called overtones, it is not difficult for us to recognize by the voice of this or that familiar person.

In fact, this is an indicator of the mental and emotional state of each person, an expression of our inner strength. It is thanks to the voice that one can hear fear of the public, depression, delight, hysterics, feel gratitude or hatred.

Try to express your emotions more often - sadness, anger, joy!

In completely different sources, from articles on pickup trucks to business literature, you have probably come across the phrase “it is not WHAT you say that matters, but HOW you say”. I assure you - this is 100% true!

It seems to me that many people think that the voice is something unchanging, given to us from birth and not amenable to training, and even more so to changes. This opinion is wrong.

I would like to present to your attention a few simple exercises that influence the voice and help shape it. These exercises helped me a lot in the first weeks of work, when the voice “sat down” first after 4 hours of conversation, then after 3 hours, and as a result did not recover at all by the next shift.

ANDsecond of the presented exercise tips is Philippe-Nicolas Melo (Philippe-Nicolas Melot), French vocal professor, author of the course “Finding Your Voice”. He teaches singing to amateurs and professionals; his exercises are designed for solving the main problems that a person with their own voice may have.

Make a shell out of your left palm and place it to your left ear - this will be the earpiece. Bring the right one to your mouth - it will become a microphone.
Try it like a sound engineer: count out loud, say different words while playing with the sound.
Do this exercise for 5-10 minutes daily for 9 days.
By understanding how others hear your voice, you can improve its sound. When we hear our own voice in a microphone or watch a video of ourselves, often our own voice seems completely unfamiliar.

2. ... gets stuck in the throat

Exercise for your face. The goal is to free the throat by transferring the main work to the lips and diaphragm. Pronounce the syllables "q-x": on q, the lips are rounded, and "x" is pronounced with a wide smile.
Repeat the exercise 30 times, and then give a short speech to see if it is beneficial.
When speaking, the vocal cords will fatigue less, and the mouth muscles will be easier to follow the commands sent by the brain.

3. ... does not sound

Read some text loudly for 5-10 minutes a day, but without consonants. So, the phrase "Five exercises to love your voice" will sound like "I-oo-oo-oo-oo-oo-oo-oo-oo". The consonants act as a springboard, making the vowel sounds vibrate.
Re-read the same passage of text, this time chasing consonants.
The voice will acquire an intensity of vibration and sound, while you will not get tired, but will understand you better.

still from the movie "The King's Speech"

4. ... too quiet

Place your hands on your solar plexus. Think of something that made you very angry. Say any text, pressing your hands to your stomach and trying to make the sounds come from the navel area.
Release your anger by speaking your consonants clearly and opening your mouth wide.
Try to express your emotions in this way more often - sadness, anger, joy. The voice will become rich, less formal, more sincere.

5. ... impersonal

Standing barefoot, breathe calmly, inflating your stomach with each breath.
Slowly move the support of the foot from heel to toe and back.
Continue with your eyes closed. If your energy is too concentrated in the head area, you will lose your balance. Stop controlling yourself and focus on your feet. This exercise will help you better distribute energy.

You will better “settle down” in your body, and the timbre of your voice will become richer. published

Here are some professional tips to improve your voice no matter how you sing: