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Articles from Nancy Daniels | Selfgrowth.com
- ***To Memorize or Not in Public Speaking? That Is the Question - by Submitted on Jun 08, 2011 from Nancy DanielsSome coaches advocate memorization; others do not. While I want your opening statements memorized so that you are able to get through the beginning of your presentation or speech without flaw, I am not an aficionado of memorizing the remainder of your script or material. And, my reasoning is ...
Views: 1727 - ***When You (Unknowingly) Say Something Offensive to Your Audience - by Submitted on Apr 23, 2013 from Nancy DanielsSome years ago, I was in London, Canada, speaking to a very large group of lawyers and their spouses about the power of the speaking voice. Part of my presentation on voice deals with color, which is the life, the animation, the emotion you express in speaking. In talking about this aspect of ...
Views: 1723 - ***Don't Just Talk to Your Audience -- Captivate Them! - by Submitted on Oct 15, 2011 from Nancy DanielsThere are so many people with so many great messages but the moment they open their mouth to speak, the sound that emanates from their lips is anything but captivating. All too often, we are so preoccupied with the message and subsequent delivery, that we never take into account the vehicle ...
Views: 1709 - ***Do You Know What Color Refers to in Speaking? - by Submitted on Nov 19, 2013 from Nancy DanielsBeing expressive when you speak is referred to as color. Color is heard in the various and vivid effects of your vocal sound: it is also seen in your facial expression and body language. Speaking without color is called speaking in a monotone. It is also called boring. You can have the ...
Views: 1686(2 votes) - ***Losing Your Voice in the Club Scene? - by Submitted on Aug 05, 2014 from Nancy DanielsDoes this sound familiar? You go to a loud club and your friends tell you that they can’t hear you even though you’ve been talking in a louder voice. Your throat feels raw and sore or perhaps you have lost your voice after an hour or two of straining to be heard. What you are experiencing ...
Views: 1684 - Is a Sexy Voice More Attractive Than a Pretty Face? - by Submitted on Dec 01, 2016 from Nancy DanielsI read an article in Psychology Today entitled, Is a Sexy Voice More Attractive Than a Pretty Face? My question with the statistics and the studies is not whether a sexy voice is more attractive than one’s face but how they judged their findings. There is no doubt that women find men with a ...
Views: 1679 - ***Persistent Sore Throats More Than Just a 'Pain in the Neck' - by Submitted on Dec 12, 2008 from Nancy DanielsSome people can yell or talk non-stop all day and never experience hoarseness or sore throats; others cannot. Your voice is as individual to you as are your fingerprints: no two are alike. They may be similar but not exact. In that sense, your vocal apparatus is also unique. For 60 years, ...
Views: 1678 - ***The 2 Best Ways to Control Your Speed When Speaking - by Submitted on May 12, 2014 from Nancy DanielsOften I find that unclear or poor diction is due to talking at 100 mph. It is certainly not uncommon to hear it in people in which English is not their 1st language; however, it can also occur for speakers in any language whether it is their mother tongue or a 2nd language. Bear in mind that ...
Views: 1676(2 votes) - ***The 2 Best Ways to Control Your Speed When Speaking - by Submitted on May 12, 2014 from Nancy DanielsOften I find that unclear or poor diction is due to talking at 100 mph. It is certainly not uncommon to hear it in people in which English is not their 1st language; however, it can also occur for speakers in any language whether it is their mother tongue or a 2nd language. Bear in mind that ...
Views: 1676(2 votes) - Voice Training Not Only Improves Your Voice But Your Diction As Well - by Submitted on Oct 27, 2014 from Nancy DanielsOne of the most fascinating things I find on television or in the movies is that everyone’s speech is clear and understandable. Whether the actors are playing hoodlums or heroes, whether the characters are from Harlem or Park Avenue, they all speak distinctly. This particular characteristic is ...
Views: 1674 - ***Does Your Voice Complete Your Profressional Image or Detract from It? - by Submitted on Jul 28, 2014 from Nancy DanielsAs a people, we are concerned about the image we project. Certainly in business we want to project a professional image. Does your speaking voice complete that image or does it detract? By the way, I’m not talking about the voice you hear in your head. I’m referring to the sound you hear on ...
Views: 1671 - ***When You Stop Pushing Your Voice, You Will Stop the Vocal Abuse - by Submitted on Jul 01, 2013 from Nancy DanielsI hear from many people about their chronic hoarseness, a persistent sore throat, and even loss of voice by the end of the day. This is called vocal abuse and until you change how you produce voiced sound, you will not stop this abuse. Most people are using only 4 of their 5 resonators to ...
Views: 1669 - ***Is There Such a Thing As a Performance Voice in Public Speaking? - by Submitted on May 12, 2014 from Nancy DanielsAbsolutely Not! I recently read a quip from a man on a public speaking social media website who is working with a voice coach. He said that “her normal talking voice in a one on one situation is massively different to her ‘performance’ speaking voice.” When I coach my clients, I explain ...
Views: 1665 - Does Your Handshake Match Your Speaking Voice? - by Submitted on Apr 02, 2008 from Nancy DanielsWhat does your handshake say about you? Confident, diffident, overbearing, wimpy? Does the sound of your speaking voice match the grip of your handshake? In teaching voice improvement, I have found through the years that those whose speaking voices are weak or wimpy very often follow through ...
Views: 1662(1 vote) - ***How Important Is Your Walk to the Lectern? - by Submitted on Jul 15, 2009 from Nancy DanielsThis past April when Susan Boyle walked onto the stage and approached the microphone on Britian’s Got Talent, the Irish singer was judged entirely on her appearance. Her audience assumed that her performance would be a disaster and responded to her entrance most negatively and with laughter. ...
Views: 1655(1 vote) - ***I Can't Believe He Said the D-Word! - by Submitted on Oct 24, 2011 from Nancy DanielsRecently I had the opportunity to hear an international speaker address a large group of women. The women’s ages ranged from their 20’s to their 60’s. While the speaker used the F-word once, the silence in the large ballroom was much more palpable when he then used a 4-letter word that begins ...
Views: 1654 - Superman or Clark Kent - Which One Are You? - by Submitted on Oct 19, 2017 from Nancy DanielsRecently I worked with a wonderful young man from Qatar by means of Skype. When I first started working with him, his voice was soft-spoken and he did not exude much confidence. After a few sessions, I showed him a video clip from Superman which really opened his eyes – not only for the ...
Views: 1652 - ***Attention Mumblers: Speaking Clearly Is Much Easier Than You May Think - by Submitted on May 12, 2014 from Nancy DanielsOne of the biggest frustrations when trying to communicate with those who mumble is the fact that we, the listeners, cannot understand their diction. What generally results is that we will ask that oft-repeated question, "What did you say?" Recently, a young man called me and wanted to ...
Views: 1651(1 vote) - ***Your Voice Is Your Calling Card - Is That Good or Not So Good? - by Submitted on Dec 16, 2013 from Nancy DanielsOne of the 1st things you do when you start a new business is to create a business card. While the purpose of the card is to identify you and your business, your goal with that card is to project a positive image of that business. In fact, you should probably hire a creative talent to design ...
Views: 1644 - ***What is Your Most Valuable 'Commodity' in Public Speaking? - by Submitted on Mar 30, 2009 from Nancy DanielsWith the wealth of information available at our fingertips, it is interesting to note how little is said about our most valuable asset or ‘commodity’ in public speaking. We are so consumed with learning the best means of creating and delivering our material that our focus often ignores our ...
Views: 1634 - ***How Credible Are You As a Public Speaker? - by Submitted on Jan 10, 2012 from Nancy DanielsWithout a doubt, age is a factor in establishing credibility with an audience. I am sure that many people think that if you are older and being paid to address an audience, you must have something valuable to say. But what about novice speakers? How do these individuals, who may still be in ...
Views: 1629(1 vote) - ***How Voice Training Improves Your Diction - by Submitted on Nov 25, 2013 from Nancy DanielsWhen I first started my voice business, my husband remarked that he did not understand what my clients were saying in their ‘before’ recording. He was, however, able to understand everyone in their ‘after’ clips. Why were my clients speaking more clearly in their ‘after’ recording? While I ...
Views: 1625(1 vote) - ***Is a Voice Improvement Workshop Something You Should Consider? - by Submitted on Sep 24, 2013 from Nancy DanielsToday there are numerous ways you can improve the sound of your speaking voice. There are books, CDs, DVDs, webinars, private sessions, group sessions and even Skype. I find that one of the most effective means of discovering your ‘real’ voice is the 2-day workshop. While voice training ...
Views: 1625 - ***Nasality: Too Much Nose Can Ruin a Great Speaking Voice - by Submitted on May 12, 2014 from Nancy DanielsIf your voice is plagued with too much nose, then what is hiding inside could be a truly amazing instrument. And since the majority of the population is not aware of and thereby not using their ‘real’ voice, the majority of the population does not know just how great their speaking voice may ...
Views: 1624(2 votes) - ***All Great Speaking Voices Have One Thing in Common - by Submitted on May 12, 2014 from Nancy DanielsThere is one word I use to describe the resonance I am looking for in each every ‘real’ voice I discover. While all voices that have had training exhibit a greater depth and breadth of sound – a fuller, rounder quality – some voices will be deeper in pitch, some brighter in tone, others may be ...
Views: 1609 - ***Why the Valley Girl Sound is Sabotaging Your Job Interviews - by Submitted on Jun 10, 2013 from Nancy DanielsIf there are 2 candidates for a job in which one sounds like a Valley Girl and the other does not, I guarantee that the candidate who speaks with normal inflection will win that battle. When your answers, remarks, or statements are on the upswing, it sounds like you are asking a question. ...
Views: 1607 - ***Your Diction Has a Direct Influence on Your Success - by Submitted on Oct 07, 2013 from Nancy DanielsIn watching TV or the movies, I am always impressed with the diction I hear from the actors. It doesn't matter what characters they are playing. And, it doesn't matter which nationality they are, their articulation is clear and concise. It is part of their training. Can you say the same about ...
Views: 1591 - ***Public Speaking Is the Art of Communicating WITH an Audience - by Submitted on Sep 24, 2010 from Nancy DanielsIf you are looking for the best means of delivering a speech or presentation, the first thing you need to understand is that public speaking is a form of oral communication with an audience. Too often, speakers do not recognize that this form of delivery is a 2-way street. They assume that the ...
Views: 1588(1 vote) - ***Stop Obsessing About Public Speaking and Just Do It! - by Submitted on Nov 12, 2012 from Nancy DanielsAh, the perfectionist and public speaking. Without a doubt, those who seek perfection when addressing an audience are chasing an elusive dream. There are no sports played perfectly, no concerts performed without a flaw and no theater productions that are delivered without a mistake. While ...
Views: 1587 - ***If You Are Seeking Perfection, You Just Failed Public Speaking 101! - by Submitted on Apr 15, 2013 from Nancy DanielsWhat do you think constitutes perfection in public speaking? Is it saying every word perfectly without a mistake? Is it never losing your train of thought or emphasizing a particular word in a particular sentence or smiling at the right moment? There is no such thing as perfection in ...
Views: 1586 - ***Must You Be an Expert to Get on the Public Speaking Circuit? - by Submitted on Nov 25, 2013 from Nancy DanielsThe answer really depends on your topic. There is one situation in which the answer would be, ‘no.’ Let’s say, for example, that you have survived a death-defying event and are being interviewed on TV to talk about your experience. Labeling yourself as an expert is a non-issue. However, if ...
Views: 1578 - ***Zero In On Your Smilers - by Submitted on Oct 03, 2008 from Nancy DanielsRecently I gave a presentation at a Summit Conference in New York City and was confronted with a very ‘tight’ audience. I was blessed, however, to have two women in the large ballroom who smiled throughout, nodding their heads in agreement with everything I said. The second blessing was that ...
Views: 1573 - ***Conquering Your Fear at the Lectern - by Submitted on Jun 05, 2009 from Nancy DanielsIn my last article, I discussed the fact that diaphragmatic breathing is the single most important thing you can do to take control your nervousness in any form of public speaking. I refer to it as the physical component of public speaking. There are 4 other factors, however, that can help ...
Views: 1501 - ***Public Speaking: What Is the Bottom Line? - by Submitted on Oct 07, 2013 from Nancy DanielsIf you desire to be a public speaker, then you have a goal that needs to be met if you are going to be successful in your career. I am not talking about the wedding toasting, the valedictorian speech, or a travel presentation to a senior citizens group. I am talking specifically about the ...
Views: 1497 - ***Speaking Like a Valley Girl Does Not Speak Well of You - by Submitted on May 12, 2014 from Nancy DanielsIf you are looking to make the best impression possible, sounding like a Valley Girl is not helping that objective. When you raise the pitch of your voice at the end of every sentence, you lose all semblance of credibility because your statements sound like questions. You may be very ...
Views: 1494 - ***The Problem May Not Be Your English, It Might Be Your Diction - by Submitted on May 12, 2014 from Nancy DanielsMany of my clients speak English as a second language, initially contacting me because they are not being understood when they speak. Of course, they question if their English skills are lacking. In 99% of the cases, I have found that their English is good; it is their diction that is the ...
Views: 1472(2 votes) - ***Did You Know That Your Speaking Voice Could Be a Fantastic Tool for Your Business? - by Submitted on Oct 07, 2013 from Nancy DanielsThe first time I heard those specific words was from one of my clients many, many years ago. She had found her ‘real’ voice and told me that her she couldn’t believe what a fantastic tool her voice was for her business. Let me ask you a simple question. Would you rather listen to a ...
Views: 1469 - ***Speaking from Your Heart Is a Fundamental of Dynamic Public Speaking - by Submitted on Mar 07, 2011 from Nancy DanielsWhen you address an audience, are your more concerned with speaking from your head or your heart. While knowledge of your material is undeniably important, if it doesn't come from your heart, then you are missing a fundamental of dynamic public speaking. Those who speak from their head often ...
Views: 1457(1 vote) - ***Plain Speaking is the Best Approach in Public Speaking - by Submitted on Nov 12, 2009 from Nancy DanielsIf you are scheduled to give a speech or presentation, plain speaking should be your choice so as not to appear affected, superior, or on exhibit. Plain speaking, simply put, is the ability to speak and be easily understood by all in attendance. And, it goes hand-in-hand with the theory of ...
Views: 1417(5 votes) - ***Speaking From Your Heart Is a Fundamental in Public Speaking - by Submitted on May 12, 2014 from Nancy DanielsIf you listen to the great presenters, you will find that they share one attribute in common: they speak from their heart. While they may have given the same presentation hundreds of times, their material sounds fresh and new with each delivery. If you memorize your presentation, the ...
Views: 1174(2 votes) - Sounding Like a Valley Girl Doesn't Sell - Professionalism Does! - by Submitted on Nov 26, 2019 from Nancy DanielsIn working with a group of young professionals some years ago, I was stunned to hear all the participants ending their sentences on the upswing as if they were asking a question. I had often heard this type of speech inflection at the business lunch during the personal introductions, but this ...
Views: 1166 - Vocal Abuse: Causes, Characteristics, & Cure - by Submitted on Jan 17, 2020 from Nancy DanielsVocal Abuse is the misuse of the voice which can lead (or already has led) to permanent damage to the vocal cords. Teachers, trainers, coaches, and politicians are the most likely candidates for vocal abuse. However, anyone who uses their voice heavily throughout the day can experience the ...
Views: 1005 - Why Men Are Attracted to a Deep Voice No Matter What the Psychologists Say! - by Submitted on Apr 23, 2019 from Nancy DanielsIt seems that studies done on the speaking voice say that men prefer women with higher-pitched voices. These studies report that men ‘see’ women with higher-pitched voices as being younger and thinner. I beg to differ! In all the movie in which the directors specifically want an attractive ...
Views: 952 - COVID-19 Masks and Your Muffled Voice - by Submitted on Nov 17, 2020 from Nancy DanielsToday we are living in a precarious situation because of COVID-19 in which we need to stay 6 feet away from others when we are outside of our homes. Have you considered what is happening to your voice when you are wearing a mask and need to be heard when speaking? Most likely, your voice will be ...
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