***Can You Improve the Sound of Your Speaking Voice with a Book?

By Nancy Daniels, The Official Guide to Public Speaking
The official guide to Public Speaking

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That is a marvelous question because libraries, book stores and Amazon are replete with books on voice and presentation skills. The answer, however, is probably not.

When I made the change with my own voice many years ago, I had majored in singing in college so I had an understanding of those techniques, the terminology, and the type of breathing necessary to improve the singing voice. I took all that I had learned and then improved my speaking voice when my singing professor in graduate school showed me where the optimum range of my speaking voice was.

Had I not learned to sing correctly prior, however, I would not have been successful in finding my ‘real’ voice and making it a habit. When I was later approached to teach voice to the graduate students of journalism at the University of Western Ontario, I was given a book to read on voice improvement. I understood what the writer was saying because of my background in music and the fact that I had already made the change with my own voice.

Do you think you can become a great pianist or a great basketball player by reading a book? Unless you have someone coaching you and showing you physically how to do it, I rather doubt that you will be the next Rubenstein or the next Michael Jordon.

Good voice training is a physical process similar to a music lesson. In order to find your ‘real’ voice, you will have to hear what should be happening and what should not. A book cannot do that. Even CDs are questionable because there are times when you will need to see what the process looks like and how it is happening.

If you are serious about wanting to improve your voice, find a coach or look for information on video. Do not waste your time or money with products that only describe in words what should be happening.

Good voice training involves two principles:

1. learning to breathe with the support of your diaphragm so that your chest becomes your primary amplifier or sounding board; and,

2. speaking within your optimum range which means that the pitch (highness or lowness of sound – not the volume) will probably drop to some degree. Yes, your speaking voice will be somewhat deeper.

Forget the books if you want to discover your ‘real’ voice and study with someone who understands the above two techniques. Anything else is a waste of time, energy and money.