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

• How to improve your voice so that people are ready to listen to you for a long time
• Voice training: is it possible to change your voice and make your speech more harmonious
• How to get the attention of the audience during a public speech
• How does a person's voice change in stressful situations?
• Why the General Director of the company "All for the Garden" decided to work on his voice and what results he achieved

In this article, we will tell you how to improve voice and train him. Most people assume that the characteristics of the voice are something given by nature once and for all. However, it is not. Personal development expert Nikolaus B. Enckelman, a 35-year student of the psychology of successful people, states, “He who changes his voice changes his bank account.”

An entrepreneur's brain doesn't work the way most people do. This view is receiving more and more scientific confirmation through research.

We have prepared a useful article in which we tell you how entrepreneurial thinking differs 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 to an audience, we use three means of conveying information: words (of which the listener receives 7% of all information), gestures (55%) and intonation (38%). During a telephone conversation, there are only two means of transmitting information - this is intonation (86%) and words (14%). That is why voice training is designed to help achieve commercial results.

• Should the CEO become a public person?

What kind of voice do people find pleasant

Tone. For most people, a high voice is unpleasant, and a low voice, on the contrary, is pleasant. It is known that Margaret Thatcher practiced lowering her voice to make her speech more harsh. In the human subconscious, high-pitched sounds are associated with feelings of anxiety.

The pitch of the tone depends on the frequency of vibration of the larynx. In people tall a large larynx, and hence a low, subconsciously attractive voice. A low male voice is associated with strength, leadership, self-confidence and the ability to convince others. That is why, even without seeing the owner of a low voice, we imagine him to be high and handsome. Scientists characterize a pleasant female voice as not loud and not quiet, not sharp, not too low, calm, devoid of annoying notes.

Audibility. In voice training, trainees are often asked to report the same information. different people located in the assembly hall, in the church, at a noisy party and in a small meeting room. The conclusion that coaches are pushing for is that the audibility of the voice does not depend on the volume, and a correctly delivered voice is equally well heard in all corners of the room. The task of the speaker is to make the voice of normal volume spread evenly. In everyday conversation, we fill only 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 own intonation is monotonous and therefore tiring for others. So that the voice does not 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. To do this, rhetoric experts advise recording it on a dictaphone. You will probably be surprised at 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 proper breathing. Scientists-physiologists from the Peoples' Friendship University of Russia in the course of experiments found out that the voice 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: a smooth inhalation through the nose and a free exhalation, pronouncing vowels on inhalation, counting up to ten or fifteen while inhaling, pronouncing a phrase or tongue twister on one exhalation. Voice improvement and strengthening respiratory system also contribute to singing, visiting gym and... inflating balloons.

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 close it after two or three seconds. Repeat five or 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.

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

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

As a result of these exercises, the voice becomes lower and more harmonious, its range expands, and the pronunciation becomes clearer. Once you've learned to speak "professionally," use that voice to Everyday life. Two voices - for informal conversation and open public speaking - should not be.

Voice training: features of public speaking

During the performance, the muscles of the legs play an important role. It is necessary to lean on a full foot - then a posture is created, which is necessary for proper breathing and clear work of the heart. Straighten up to your full height and tilt your head slightly - it will be easier for you to control your voice box. The voice should not be interfered with by the clamped breath, the elongated neck, the tense lower jaw, and other bodily overloads. Get plenty of air into your lungs to control your voice.

If you are nervous before the performance, you can walk around a bit. Walking calms and also supports the work of the heart and vocal apparatus. You can often see how professional lecturers actively rub their hands before starting a speech. Such a “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 sounds you make depends on the amount of air in your lungs. If you are speaking in front of an audience using a microphone, do not speak loudly - otherwise the sound quality will deteriorate. It is worth noting that the lower the voice, the less it is distorted by amplifying devices.

To attract attention, as well as to express sincere sympathy, it is worth speaking a little quieter, and the words that are emphasized can be pronounced half a decibel higher.

But expression in a public speech is inappropriate. In an informal conversation, we often emotionally express our attitude towards the subject of the conversation. It is desirable to avoid this in an 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. You should not talk loudly - otherwise you may get the impression that you are excited. However, if your voice sounds too quiet, the interlocutor will have to ask again or listen, and this will set him against you. You need to speak at a normal pace (no more than 120 words per minute): fast speech is tiring, too slow - annoying. Psychologists advise smiling at an invisible interlocutor: a positive attitude is heard in intonation, and when talking on the phone it is stronger than when meeting in person. Use phrases that convey an emotional mood: “Very happy”, “Amazing”, “I doubt it”. The best thing the interlocutor can hear from you is: “I think so too.”

How our voice changes depending on the situation

During public speaking, as well as during private conversation, remember that when you are excited or tense, the volume and pitch of your voice rise automatically, so you can involuntarily go into a scream. If the speaker is angry, the voice becomes harsh. In moments of uncertainty, the pace of speech accelerates in a person. A tired voice becomes hoarse, and the timbre of a sad voice is 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 definitely hear it - because when you lie or reclining, the angle of the diaphragm changes, and, accordingly, the timbre of your voice. In addition, the voice can make a person older or, conversely, younger. For example, at one of the trainings, the participants were given the task to determine the age of the speaker by voice. The same person uttered the same phrase with different intonations. The increased tone, anger and fear made the speaker older, while the joy and goodwill allowed him to lose ten years.

Also remember: even a singer shouldn't strain their vocal cords for more than four hours a day. Otherwise, after a while, there may be a non-closure of the ligaments, leading to a loss of voice.

CEO speaking

André Bilder, General Director of Everything for the 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 colleagues convinced me otherwise. There were other reasons to use my voice: in the search for new customers, I had to participate in international meetings, and there I had to convince potential clients of the reliability of my company during the speech.

The main goal that I set for myself was to make the voice lower. The 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 under different circumstances: in a full room, on the phone, and in the presence of colleagues. The hardest part was not to start yelling at the whole 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 my breathing. In addition, to develop the tongue, lips and facial muscles, he did various exercises at home: he built funny faces in front of the mirror, reaching out with the tip of his tongue either his nose or his chin, and then he squeezed his mouth into a tube and stretched 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 and after the training). I also monitor the clarity of pronunciation of sounds and the choice of the right words. I have changed some of my habits - now, for example, when talking on the phone, I do not fall apart in an armchair, even if there is no one in the office. Interestingly, with a new voice, it became easier for me not only at work, but also at home. Children perceive my requests and instructions unquestioningly, and my wife argues less.

Practice does not always lead to perfection, but it always leads to better results! There are many practical ways improve the quality of your voice. To do this, you need to learn how to breathe properly, avoid certain foods, and do special warm-up exercises before you start singing or giving a speech. You can't achieve success overnight, but with a lot of effort and some time, you can certainly improve the quality of your voice.

Steps

Part 1

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

Use your abdominal muscles. At correct breathing the lower muscles (diaphragm) above your belly should move forward, making room for even more air. While singing (speech or just for exhalation) use these muscles to push the air out.

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

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

   Relax. When you get into the correct posture, make sure you are no longer tense. You should not feel any tension from sticking out your chest or keeping your back straight. Remember to relax the muscles in your face and neck.

Part 4

Drink more water. Drink at least 8 glasses of water a day. This number may be higher if you are exercise or live in a hot climate (i.e. sweat a lot).

Eat healthy food. Eating whole grains, fruits, and vegetables helps keep the lining of your throat healthy, which means your voice will also be healthy.

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

Try not to scream. This is especially important if you have a gig coming up soon. Yelling can harm 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 keep your posture right, you will immediately feel something change in you.

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

1. Ask for help. If the quality of your voice has recently deteriorated, for example, the voice has become more raspy, deep or tense, this may indicate health problems. Just in case, consult a 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 background, as this 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.

• Style imitation is a great way to learn how to sing because it forces you to do things you wouldn't normally do.

1. Watch professional singers and announcers. Pay attention to how they breathe and how they hold 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 professionals you don't like. Think about why you don't like this or that singer or announcer. What do they do differently from others? Are they doing something wrong, or is it just not your style?

The voice of each person is unique in its sound and features. If we talk about the characteristics of singing voices, then here the distinctive features are: timbre, range, height of disclosure 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 not difficult to find out what type of voice the performer has while listening. Experts pay attention to its timbre, tonality, features and tessitura, and then draw a conclusion.

Timbre

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

A vocalist who has a soft and pleasant timbre to the ear will be more in demand than one who has a harsh and repulsive manner of singing. In fact, it depends on the timbre of the voice whether a person can practice 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 work the voice may sound differently, so it is better to sing in your 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 hit with his voice. So, based on the working range, it is worth choosing the key for a particular work.

What is a range?

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

About tessitura

A tessitura is a part of the range in which the singer is comfortable singing. That is, it can be comfortable or uncomfortable for a particular voice. It happens that a song can be comfortable for one performer, but not for another, although both have the same range. This means that they have different parts of the range for comfortable singing. Therefore, the wider it is, the more convenient it is to sing.

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

• You should breathe with the diaphragm, that is, the stomach should rise when you inhale, and fall when you exhale. This will give you more control over
• Maintain 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.

Any person can put his singing technique. If we talk about vocal technique, then development will depend on the presence of concentration of memory and attention, lung capacity and characteristics of the vocal cords. In fact, no matter what a person’s physiological characteristics and vocal data are, it is possible to develop a singing voice.

For voice development

• Do not set too high standards for yourself in anticipation of progress, be patient and continue to train your voice.
• Sing simple songs first, and then take on more complex ones.
• Cold and hot drinks harm the vocal cords. It is better to drink water at room temperature, and when you sing, moisten your throat with warm water from time to time.
• Feel what you are performing, try to feel and convey the emotions of this song.
• It is important to determine which musical style is more native to you, for this practice singing different styles of music.
• It is good for the ear to play notes on the piano and sing along.
• Avoid orange juice and milk drinks as they coat your throat and make it difficult to sing.
• Speak in your normal intonation, as both whispering and shouting can harm your vocal cords.

Characteristics of female voice types

First, consider the types of female voices. Most female vocalists have a soprano voice. Incidentally, he has largest number varieties. It has a sonorous and transparent character, as well as expressiveness, the sound is open and light.

There are dramatic, lyric and coloratura soprano.

The 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.

Main types of male voices

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

Some misconceptions about the classification of voices by type

Some researchers are of the opinion that supposedly there are no types of voice at all, and only female and male are distinguished. They believe that the sound of the voice depends only on the specific features of the methods and performances, in other words, any woman can be a contralto, a mezzo-soprano, and a 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 different types votes. In most cases, the performer cannot overcome differences in tessitura, such as thirds. Moreover, a tessitura too high or too low by only one tone can harm the voice.

Let's mention other misconceptions regarding voice types. There is an opinion that pop singers do not need to determine the type of voice, and that they are classified only for academic singing. But such an opinion differs from reality, since the types of human voice are divided by nature into three female and three male.

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

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

So, there is a specific complex external signs and personal feelings that help determine the type of voice while singing. The human vocal cords are very sensitive and can be damaged quite easily, which can harm the voice or it can disappear altogether.

Since teachers sometimes make mistakes too, it is better not to strain your voice too much during the hearings, for example, by performing a song in a not very comfortable tessitura. If someone's voice seems to you more vivid and expressive than yours, do not forget that each of us has a unique voice, so sing only in your own manner.

Interestingly, when law enforcement agencies are looking for criminals, they are given out by the features of the voice. To search for offenders, special services use specially developed methods for identifying speech. Thanks to the individual sound, which is called overtones, it is not difficult for us to recognize the voice of one or another familiar person.

In fact, this is an indicator of the mental and emotional state of each person, an expression of our inner strengths. It is thanks to the voice that one can hear fear of the public, depression, delight, hysteria, 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 important WHAT you say, but HOW you say it”. I assure you - it's 100% true!

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

I want to bring to your attention a few simple exercises that affect 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 talking, then after 3, and as a result, it did not recover at all by the next shift.

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

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

2. … “gets stuck” in the throat

Do exercises for the face. The goal is to free the throat, transferring the main work to the lips and diaphragm. Say the syllables "q-x": on the "q" the lips are rounded, and the "x" is pronounced with a wide smile.
Repeat the exercise 30 times and then give a short speech to see if it works.
During performances, the vocal cords will be less tired, and the muscles of the mouth will be easier to follow the commands sent by the brain.

3. …does not sound

Read some text aloud for 5-10 minutes a day, but without consonants. So, the phrase "Five exercises to love your voice" will sound like "I-u-a-e-i-o-s-o-yu-i-o-o-o." The consonants act like a springboard, causing the vowels to vibrate.
Reread the same passage of text, this time minting the consonants.
The voice will acquire the intensity of vibration and sound, while you will not get tired, and you will be better understood.

Frame from the film "The King's Speech"

4. …too quiet

Place your hands on the 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 clearly pronouncing the consonants and opening your mouth wide.
Try to express your emotions in this way more often - sadness, anger, joy. The voice will become richer, less formal, more sincere.

5. … impersonal

Standing barefoot, breathe calmly, expanding your belly with each breath.
Slowly shift your 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 distribute energy better.

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

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