The Testimonials section has some very positive reviews describing my approach to this work, and should give you feel for how I go about things. Being able to communicate well, one on one, is a precious skill. I can help you with that. Making everyone in a group of people that you may be addressing feel as if you’re talking to them one on one is even more precious.
The way I teach brings the best of actors’ voice training, sprinkled with the wisdom of a great singing tradition – which can help you improve your voice for everything from casual conversation to demanding work environments, meetings, interviews, any sort of public speaking… acting, even. (And as I keep saying, being able to communicate what you have to say is more important still.)
Don’t worry, I’m not going to twist your arm to make you sing (unless you really want to). But that part of my training and experience brings something extra to the table, from a different direction, that can really help to build and free your voice.
I try to make the vocal training as interesting and fun as possible. Fun and imagination can take your voice to places it wouldn’t normally go, and give it energy it may not usually have.
The fact that you’re here means that you’re already one step ahead of nearly everybody you know. Hardly anyone is conscious of how they speak – especially in day-to-day life. Just about all of us, before we go out of our homes, will check in a mirror to make sure that we look at least all right – some of us won’t step outside until we’re satisfied that we look like something out of a magazine. You might wear makeup… spend a fortune on your hair!!! …. diet, or exercise… Yes, we’re very conscious about how we look. How can we not be – those mirrors are everywhere? We can even see our reflection in shop windows!
But what about the voice? We don’t have the equivalent of mirrors for how we sound. You can’t go up to a shop window and say “Hello, how do I sound today?” Well, you could, but you’d probably end up in a special unit!… And that lack of vocal mirrors is why most people are completely unconscious about how they sound. If you’re prepared to put the work in, your voice could be your secret weapon!
My aim is for you to have a flexible, strong, clear, pleasant-sounding voice, whether at conversational level – or if for any reason you need to be louder than that.
My other aim, if you’re up for it, could become your second secret weapon. It’s for you to be able to speak in front of a gathering of people of any size, in a way that’s interesting and dynamic, so that you don’t sound as if you’re reading, or making a speech, but that you come across as if you’re speaking to each individual who’s listening. You’re making it personal. That might not be your thing, but it would be worth your while thinking about it, because you can apply some of it to everyday speaking, and my method, based on natural communication, can enhance the sound of your voice at the same time
What can you expect to achieve? That depends on what you want to achieve, and how much work you’re prepared to put in. The principles of what I teach aren’t hard to understand, but they have to be digested and assimilated. All of the ideas and techniques, for improving both your voice and your communication skills, need to be practised until they become second nature.
You’ll notice a link on this site which is titled Celebrants. (A celebrant is a person who is trained in the art of writing and presenting ceremonies such as weddings, funerals, namings, and several others.) Over the years, I’ve worked a lot with celebrants and celebrants-in-training, and it would be worth your while having a look at that section, too, because the principles of voice and communication training for a celebrant and a non-celebrant are pretty much the same – just with a few different emphases. And now I’m making my training available to all-comers.
If you’re interested in becoming a celebrant, the full training is of a very high standard. Take a look at: Heart-led Celebrants.