Everyone has had the experience of hearing their own voice on a voicemail or video and exclaiming in horror, “Is that what I sound like?” While very few of us are entirely happy with the way we sound, the majority assume that they are stuck with the voice they hear. Rarely do people realize that with practice and training, they can change their voice!
There are many complaints people have about their voice: that it’s too whiny, too nasal, too loud, too soft, too hoarse or any other host of issues. However, with the help of a trained professional, most of these qualities can be modified! A speech-language pathologist specializes in matters of speech production, including vocal quality. With speech therapy, you can learn to retrain and control your voice.
A speech-language pathologist can help instruct you in principles of breathing, resonance, and vocal effort to gradually change your voice. Vocal therapy typically involves a range of exercises that help you become aware of the components of voice production and how each contributes to the resulting sound. The problematic vocal qualities are then targeted and progressively modified until the desired vocal quality is achieved. Practice exercises are also given to be performed at home. This is a key component of vocal therapy—the more practice that is put in, the more natural it will feel to produce your voice in this new way, until it becomes second nature.
Do you have complaints about your vocal quality? Do others have difficulty understanding you when you speak because of volume, pronunciation or enunciation? Give us a call at 212-308-7725 or visit us on the web at www.corporatespeechsolutions.com and let our team of corporate speech-language pathologists help you turn your speech into your most powerful professional tool. Don’t live in NYC? No problem! Our services are Skype ready, so CSS can help you improve your communication from anywhere in there world.