The Power of the Voice
by Kathy Grable
Before we even enter the world, we can recognize the voice of our mother, our father, and even siblings. Those voices have the power to soothe us or up-end our days with only a few harsh words. Hearing is also the last sense to go before we leave this world. We’ve all heard stories of people in comas who, after reviving, can recall hearing the sounds and conversations around them. Listening to tender, emotionally packed words can move us in a way no other form of communication can.
We live in an age where people are shouting and few are listening. But in that cacophony how can we – women over 50 – with a lifetime of experience, be heard? The first step is to realize that because of our experience and wisdom, we have something relevant to say.
A bit of my backstory… I’m a voice-over artist, an actress behind the microphone as well as a director, coach, and consultant. It’s a ‘niche’ industry that has allowed me to do everything from the ‘Baskin Robbins Talking Spoon,’ to the voice double for ‘Nicole Kidman’ in Batman Forever, national campaigns, commercials, books, and podcasts. I’ve also directed Superbowl commercials, worked with individual clients in corporations such as Apple and government professionals.
I first learned my craft on stage, in college, national tours, and regional theatres all over the country. We learned to play to the back of the room. We learned that the voice is what carried you night after night, scene after scene. But mostly we learned that ‘truth’ was found in the voice. Not in gestures. Not in ‘style’ or expressions, pratfalls, comedy or costumes, but in the actor’s voice. Even the famed Director Alfred Hitchcock knew the power of the voice. Before watching a scene he’d just filmed, Hitchcock turned off the picture and listened to the actors. He was quoted as saying, “I can hear the truth.”
So, how do we communicate more effectively whether that’s in a board meeting, at home, or that charity where you volunteer? How will we be heard or communicate this holiday season over Thanksgiving dinner or that office party? In a culture that is starting to lose the art of communication, or has never learned out to put it into practice, realize you have something to say realize and it is your ‘gift,’ to speak up with clarity and purpose. You have earned this right, not with a sense of entitlement, but because it’s your story, your experience, your life, and your point of view.
You can learn techniques that will help you convey your message in a way that will help you move, motivate and persuade. If you are not able to express your truth through voice, it may fall flat or never be heard.
Some things to consider about your voice and how it’s affected:
1. Embrace your unique voice - Don’t worry that it’s not smooth or beautiful. Not every one can sound like Kathleen Turner or Lauren Bacall. But those amazing women conveyed something special beyond the tone and timbre of their voices. One of the first things I teach is, “Voiceover has nothing to do with your voice.” I’ve coached and directed people with average voices that could grab your attention with a handful of pedestrian words, penned by a mediocre writer, and have you in tears by the end and ready to sign up! The power of your voice comes from being able to speak your truth with confidence.
2. Posture - Think about expression and posture, for example – smile! You’d be surprised how often that’s the only direction I get when I am in the booth (our term for the small room with the microphone). Why? Because you can ‘hear’ a smile, and you can hear a frown, a slouch, crossed arms or even hands in a pocket. We humans are very adept at hearing the truth by picking up on cues we cannot see.
3. Slow down - There is power in a well-timed pause. It works in music and in speaking. It will calm your spirit, as well as your audience. Even if it’s to your family. In a fast paced, multi-tasking world I’m finding I have to remind people to breathe. Enjoy the rhythm of the words. Think about what you are saying. Stay in the conversation.
4. Who’s your audience? - Ask yourself before you start, “WHO am I talking to?” A little trick used by radio announcers and well-known voice talents; they often tape a picture of the person who reflects their primary target audience. A person. Not a group. Think about your key person or persons you want to reach and influence. It will change the way you talk ever so slightly but will give them confidence in your words.
There are a few other simple techniques that I teach students, and when I coach executives. It can help them actually get a foot in the door of the VO business or nail that speech they must give. Either way, confidence helps them grow because anytime we can better express ourselves, it’s a good thing.
Let me leave you with an anecdote on how on powerful words can be. My daughter came home from being a counselor at a summer camp for troubled girls. Every night she sang a song to calm them down called, “I Bid You Goodnight,” a lullaby from the late Nicolette Larson. My daughter was completely unaware that the song had been played to her as an infant as part of her bedtime ritual every night. And it was now part of her very spirit. Words have power. Use them wisely.
Lay down my sweet baby
Lay down and take your rest
Won’t you lay your head
Upon your mother’s breast
Oh I love you, but God loves you the best
And I bid you good night, good night, I bid you goodnight
