Are you still doing 20th Century Presentations?

Some simple questions will give you a clue

• Do you believe that taking a few slow deep breaths will calm your nerves?
• Are you trying to project your voice?
• Have you been taught to use eye contact?
• Have you been taught to use body language?
• Do you always use amplification?
• Do you stand on braced legs, knees locked back to meet your challenges?

If the answer is "Yes" to all these your presentations, your communication with colleagues and your professional persona is not nearly as good as it could be. However clever you are with power point, however many presentation aids and 'tricks' you may have, the voice is the Number 1 professional communicator of you, your skill and your passion for it. If you are using all these 'nip and tuck' devices you are not getting the best out of yourself.

What are your real communication needs?

Everyone in business uses the voice to communicate with employees, co-directors, clients, prospective clients and customers, suppliers, investors etc. Not only must they communicate ideas but they must motivate, encourage and inspire. They must sell themselves to each of these audiences. In this age of corporate-speak the person who speaks from the heart, who is genuine in the message they wish to convey, is the person who will be listened to. Angela's training frees you from the obstacles that hinder genuine vocal communication. By working on the voice itself and strengthening its connnections with your brain. Your skill is not then enhanced by the charismatic way your voice expresses what you know.

How is Angela Caine's training different?

" I saw people behaving like bad actors and spent ten years discovering why. Now I know that overbreathing is bad for you and takes the power out of the voice: that the voice needs to vibrate inside your body, not 'project': voice and body need to coordinate if they are to communicate together. The great orators belonged to times when there were no microphones, no technical aids and yet moved hundreds at a time with their passion, often in open air locations. I also discovered that the voice is cleverer and more powerful than is generally acknowledged because much of its teaching has not changed in 100 years. If you were a tennis player still basing your game on information only twenty years old you would not make county level at 15, let alone Wimbledon. My training is influenced by up to the minute research in functional anatomy, information from exercise systems like Pilates and Yoga, and from the principles of the Alexander technique. I have worked with sports scientists and movement teachers, nutritionists and brain development experts to ensure that you look and sound at all times exactly as skillful, sharp and capable as you are - maximum result with minimum effort".

• Be in control of your voice by understanding the 'how and why' of it

• Apply this understanding to your own particular performance skill and continued development of that skill

• Experience how body, brain and voice work together for maximum charisma

Problems with accent and dialect

Voice Gym has been designed to promote clear speech in English, How important is that?

English is the language of international commerce, business, engineering and science, so people all over the world are learning English as a second language that may require even greater communication skills than their first language ever did.
You learn your first language during the years when you also develop skills in posture, tongue position, balance on two feet and singing. These become an integral part, not only of your speech but of your brain/ body/voice rhythm. The first language is influenced at this fundamental developmental level by the culture of the surrounding environment. The pitch and resonance of the voice; the moment of emphasis within any sentence, which determines meaning to the listener is established by that environment. Most people learn English in such a way that they can only speak that language in the rhythm of their first language and this is what the listener recognizes as 'accent'. Some languages, Indian languages for instance are based on a musical culture that has a a greater pitch range and a greater variety of rhythms than are used in English speech.. When English is spoken with this variety of pitch it is difficult for the average English person to listen to, let alone understand. Speaking slower or louder does not change the difficulty. VoiceGym teaches you to speak English with appropriate pitch emphasis and rhythm, thus improving both one to one communication and telephone skills.

Voice Gym and Professional Development

All the jobs I have ever had have involved communication-teacher of modern languages, salesman and business owner. Throughout these careers I was always comfortable speaking on a one to one basis or in the "authority" position of teacher to pupil or boss to employee. However,put me in a group of peers or strangers or ask me to give a talk and I would either withdraw into myself and avoid speaking out or prepare in advance by writing out in full what I might need to say leading to very stilted and usually boring speech. I went to Angela Caine to address this problem and I got so much more than I bargained for: Free flowing speech and thought. A better link between my thoughts and speech: the removal of the fear of music created in me by a music teacher; an energy flow which allows me to achieve without "trying hard", without strife & anxiety; a physical body which was tight and tense in the shoulders and legs became more flexible; the confidence to speak in front of groups without the left brained preparation which had previously led to such poor presentations; the energy, vitality and confidence to continue to pursue my goals at a time of life when many people are thinking of slowing down. Most importantly the joyful discovery that I have a voice. I can sing and I enjoy singing enormously.

Geoff Sober, Managing Director

Years of public speaking took it's toll on my voice and Angela's voice training really has helped me stop straining not only my voice but the parts of my body that I didn't realise were connected to my voice (legs and stomach). The course has helped me in my personal life as well as my work and has really shaken up how I approach not just speaking but my personal fitness and breathing.

Maria Donald, Press Officer

I have started my own business … I love it and spend my evenings in front of total strangers, making presentations, 2-3 hours at a time. I would never have done it but for you and VoiceGym. I owe you a great debt for helping me put all the pieces back together again in the journey towards finding my true voice. It was in turn terrifying and exhilarating, and above all huge fun.

Fiona Naismith

The one-to-one Professional Voice Course with Angela Caine

Consultation

To meet, discuss your aims and pinpoint special vocal needs, followed by a teaching 'taster' to give you a flavour of the course work. You will also be introduced to the VoiceGym Pack and how it works. This is also an opportunity to plan the course around your work and life commitments so that it works for you with maximum efficiency and success

The Course

There are eight sessions. The first 4 are to introduce Voice Gym into voice, body, and right and left brain. The equipment (see Voice Gym Pack page) is introduced to you as you need it and understanding and change build naturally through combined voice and body exercise and play. You work on the exercises in between sessions and even the most traveled can take the CD and the stretch band and work in the hotel, or read The VoiceGym Book on the train. It is enjoyable to do and makes you feel good, always welcome after 'heavy' meetings, or long 'sits' on flights. Financial departments have been surprised at the reduction in expenses, until they discovered people were singing in their Hotel room instead of sitting down in the bar!

The second part of the course is to apply what has been learned and developed personally to what is professionally required. This may be presentation skills, working on body mechanics and posture to improve image confidence, on the fly interviews or dealing with the media and the press. The aim of the course is to develop the stability and quality of voice, posture and 'on the fly thinking' to deal with present business demands.

You can be referred to clinicians who are 'voice aware' in the disciplines of chiropractic, osteopathy, physiotherapy, dentistry, or nutrition using a national network, should that be necessary for physical or vocal stability.

For more details, or to book a consultation, email (angela@voicegym.co.uk) or call Angela on 023 8039 0555.