tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8078379512095504946.post614565749547110516..comments2024-03-29T01:07:30.224-07:00Comments on Had Enough Therapy?: His Mistress's VoiceStuart Schneidermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12784043736879991769noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8078379512095504946.post-35385892650206298062016-08-02T09:47:22.989-07:002016-08-02T09:47:22.989-07:00Anonymous JK Brown said...
Excellent advice, and t...Anonymous JK Brown said...<br />Excellent advice, and thanks for the story about Bacall.<br />My family has done a lot of amateur theater over the years, and I totally agree that the art of voice-projection is just about extinct. However, it is a useful skill on a lot of levels, for instance, when people (e.g., Boy Scouts) need to be directed in the outdoors.AesopFannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8078379512095504946.post-68224803772045614572016-08-02T09:11:18.710-07:002016-08-02T09:11:18.710-07:00There is also a posture element to a command voice...There is also a posture element to a command voice. The voice will be both deeper and have more projection if your spine is straight and the neck is lengthened to where the chin drops. This opens up the airway allowing the diaphragm to have free flow. With the head tilted up, even a bit, the voice becomes more nasally (childish). Of course, shorter men and most women don't naturally find this effect since they rarely are looking down upon another speaker. Taller men can develop this. <br /><br />I discovered this through learning of the Alexander Technique, which was developed to help with voice projection to the back of the theater. I suspect self-discovery of this is being lost as microphones replace the need to develop voice. <br /><br />I read an anecdote that Lauren Bacall developed her "voice" on her first movie. She was so nervous, she had to tilt her chin down to keep it from shaking. This gave her voice its distinctive timber that she then cultivated. <br /><br />I've had to counsel many young officers, mostly female, to not end their commands with a question mark, an uplift in tone. Rather all commands should end in a very hard, very harsh sounding period, cut off the sound suddenly and emphatically. Of course, going about daily life speaking in "command voice" is not a good way to develop consensus or show respect to others, but when commands are needed it is needed in the repertoire. JK Brownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8078379512095504946.post-73975277641725348502016-08-01T20:12:35.785-07:002016-08-01T20:12:35.785-07:00It's not just the pitch, it's the delivery...It's not just the pitch, it's the delivery (as with Thatcher).<br />True story.<br />A young man in Air Force Officer Training School was doing great in everything except what they called "command presence" - he was an affable, consensus-oriented engineer who just couldn't get the hang of giving orders. So he consulted with the relative who retired from the AF with general's stars; didn't work. He consulted with the relative who ran a company training Pentagon people in operations management. Didn't work. Finally one of his siblings advised him to "just channel Mom."<br />That worked.<br />AesopFannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8078379512095504946.post-84809034878601084142016-08-01T12:24:51.413-07:002016-08-01T12:24:51.413-07:00Many years ago, I heard an episode of Audio Odditi...Many years ago, I heard an episode of Audio Oddities and Antiquities (no guarantee that is correct) on public radio, on which was played a record of a castrato singing. I believe it was from the early 1900s. It was a high, pure voice.<br /><br />Maggie Thatcher was mentioned. How about Golda Meir?Sam L.https://www.blogger.com/profile/00996809377798862214noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8078379512095504946.post-35136001396730572312016-08-01T08:41:20.279-07:002016-08-01T08:41:20.279-07:00This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.Ares Olympushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09726811306826601686noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8078379512095504946.post-78316651573000111772016-08-01T06:18:02.229-07:002016-08-01T06:18:02.229-07:00"Everyone knows that the male voice has a low..."Everyone knows that the male voice has a lower pitch than the female voice. Whatever the reason, it’s a fact, a biological datum, and is not a social construction."<br /><br />If you're interested in the biological reason for a man's lower voice, it stems (as you might expect) from testosterone. The rise in testosterone levels at puberty causes the thyroid cartilage in the throat to thicken and grow larger. This deepens the voice and also causes the cartilage to protrude from the throat region, making the "Adam's apple." If insufficient testosterone is present at puberty, as in females and castrated males, the voice will remain high.Lindsay Haroldhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13094965953749825163noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8078379512095504946.post-17254937162914629922016-08-01T06:07:02.847-07:002016-08-01T06:07:02.847-07:00Stuart: When groups choose female leaders their en...Stuart: When groups choose female leaders their enemies tend to see it as a sign of weakness.<br /><br />Laughable projection.<br /><br />I can equally say when people choose blowhard leaders, their enemies tend to see it as a sign of weakness, a people who are afraid and who think like children.<br /><br />I do agree that there are different ways of speaking for males and females individually, so a faster and higher-pitched voice in either gender comes across as less confident, and slower and lower-pitched as more confident, higher status, and you can see that people treat you differently based on how you speak, and that itself can raise confidence and status.<br /><br />Toastmasters will work with that, and I'm sure anyone who wants to participate in leadership positions could use some training in how they project their voice.<br /><br />Here's example document on voice quality:<br />http://www.toastmasters.org/~/media/B7D5C3F93FC3439589BCBF5DBF521132.ashx<br /><br />There are thousands of clubs around the world, and a good chance you can find one close to you. I see there's 20 clubs within 5 miles of my zip code.<br />http://www.toastmasters.org/Find-a-Club<br />Ares Olympushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09726811306826601686noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8078379512095504946.post-80832628602201349452016-08-01T05:21:38.462-07:002016-08-01T05:21:38.462-07:00One of the reasons people took Margaret Thatcher s...One of the reasons people took Margaret Thatcher seriously was her authoritative voice, even pitch and confident tone. This is why she was so successful as an early female leader. I'm not sure why more women have not learned this and followed her lead. When Hillary raises her voice, she sounds shrill, even looney.Ignatius Acton Chesterton OCDhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18222603717128565302noreply@blogger.com