Tone of Voice Communication Skills Exercise

Unleash the power of your social skills and interpersonal skills with this tone of voice communication skills exercise.

Using the full power of your voice will significantly boost your communication skills, whether you’re a small business manager networking at events, a single guy / girl looking for that special someone, or a top sales executive seeking to maximise your profits.  People are remarkably sensitive to subtleties of the voice, so you need to develop good tone of voice communication skills, but how?

When studying in acting school or in singing lessons (two studies which focus more on tone of voice communication skills than arguably any other kind of course) there are three key elements one must master when developing their vocal ability: breath and articulation. Other areas such as resonance, volume and pitch control also come into play, but with breath, articulation and resonance you have the founding stones on which to build your vocal powerhouse. It is with these elements that we will develop our tone of voice communication skills.

Of course, we’ve no interest in becoming sopranos or tenors nor of filling the aisles of The National Theatre with our voice. We have in mind to develop the sense of control, power and flexibility that creates excellent communication skills, knowing these skills are of the utmost importance in job interviews and are naturally considered attractive in social and dating scenes.

This exercise will give you precisely the power and control you’re after, giving you excellent tone f voice communication skills. The exercise is in several steps. Do the first step first, then, when you are comfortable with it (which may take a few tries if not longer) move on to the next.

Tone of Voice Communication Skills Exercise #1: Breathing

Your breath is the beginning and end of your voice. Proper breathing will take you far.

1. Imagine the air is terribly heavy as you inhale. Imagine it sinking down into your lower body.

2. Let your breath fall to your belly button and explore the sensation this creates.

3. Allow the breath to fall faster. It fills your entire body.

4. Repeat

Now try breathing your breath right out of you until there is nothing left. Wait to feel an urge to breathe then completely relax. You will notice that when you relax and your breath fill you, it will follow the process we just ran through.

To breathe out, imagine two things. Firstly, imagine your exhale is being controlled by your stomach muscles. Secondly, imagine you are blowing a feather in front of you. The feather is floating on your breath.
Now allow your breath to come out smoothly, blowing the feather. Make sure your throat is completely relaxed. There should be no tension there. Your stomach muscles are controlling your breath.

Run through this exercise enough times so that it begins to feel natural. This is correct breathing.

Tone of Voice Communication Skills Exercise #2: Articulation

Learning to perfectly articulate each vowel and consonant is a long process. If you would like to learn to do so I recommend Cecily Berry’s Voice and the Actor

For this exercise we shall approach proper articulation more simply. One of the most important parts of articulation is taking stress away from the throat and jaw and making certain that you are using the right parts to speak, namely your lips and your tongue. To do so, read the following poem very slowly, articulating only with your lips and your tongue while maintaining completely relaxed jaw, neck and throat.
Combining the proper breathing exercise with this exercise for articulation, you will notice significantly improved clarity and control of your voice. This is more than enough to put you in the top ten percent of speakers (provided you perform the exercise routinely). More than this, however, your proper breathing will make you more comfortable when speaking, allowing a freedom of voice that will create a more confident communicator.
Enjoy your new voice!

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