Listen to hear—not to defend. Do you to listen with the intent to reply or are you rehearsing a response instead of listening to understand? As a listener, don’t offer solutions, advice, apologies, etc. until the other person has completed speaking and you show that you have been listening and that you understand what was said. […]
A meaningful conversation is not a highly competitive tennis match. It’s not about who scores more points. It is not an opportunity to pontificate — to show off. If there is a goal to listening, it is to learn as much as you can about the other person. Most people would rather talk than listen. The […]
Little Wonder It’s little wonder to me that people no longer know how to listen as they stress out communicating in a digital world flooded with text messages and email. Knowing how to listen is a critical component in your ability to have a meaningful in-person conversation with anyone. Sadly, too often, when we’re face-to-face […]
The only thing more powerful than a big idea is your ability to communicate that idea to others. In our latest series, Find and Power Your Authentic Voice, I walk you through specific exercises to begin your journey to a better communicator. Lesson One – Vocal Toolbox; the key to finding and powering your authentic voice […]
The traditional, in-person, face-to-face job interview is rapidly being replaced with digital interviews — mainly through Skype and Verizon’s FaceTime. Skype is a free program that enables you — via the Internet — to connect with people all over the world, with video and audio connections, at no cost to them or to you. FaceTime is […]
It’s not what you say, it’s how you say it that counts. And even that’s not enough for you to be fully understood. There’s a big difference between what someone says as opposed to what they’re really saying. And this is where emotional intelligence comes into play. How sharp are your skills in reading the […]
Once you train and find your authentic voice you need to be sure that everyone in your audience can hear your authentic voice. Your volume needs to be loud enough to be heard by the people in the back row. If you are practicing lessons one through six — breath, pitch, pace, resonance and melody […]
Voice Melody – The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines the melody of speech as — “the intonation of connected speech: the continual rise and fall in pitch of the voice in speech.” In an earlier lesson, I described the ability and how to of the human voice to have 36 different pitches. On the average most people […]
Find your Resonance Producing a deep, full, clear reverberating sound gives a voice resonance, color and timbre. The resonance sound is rich, focused and relaxed with full vibration. Picture yourself standing in a huge cathedral with a bell peeling in the tower with the sound vibrating throughout the building – resonating throughout all chambers of […]
Your speaking pace, or speed, is a critical tool to effectively keep your audiences engaged (audio version of this blog post can be heard here). Speaking too quickly may leave your audience behind. Speaking too slowly may lull the audience into dozing off. And there are those who speak at a “normal” pace which is not enough […]
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