Voicework

Play to hear Kieran

Speaking. Easy, right? Just push some air over your vocal folds, shape the sound and you too can compel others to listen and take action. Of course the technicalities of speaking are already known to you. You probably think about them as much as you do breathing.

So giving speech instruction to our heads – look here, inflect there, imagine the audience like this – makes little sense. Sure, the concepts and ideas are interesting enough. But in the moment of speaking they’re sanguine at best. And often worse – a distraction.

We don’t speak with our heads (although it’s easy to understand why that seems to be the case). Instead, the airflow that makes up our speech – that audible, interpretable bit that others hear – starts in the body. When we sound like ourselves, our diaphragm supports the voice without us even knowing.

But we’re so often in our heads when we speak about the stuff that matters. And it tends to be negative. “Don’t forget… Don’t go on… Don’t they care?” As we get drawn by our heads, we lose contact with the body. Our voice falters, doubt creeps in. And we don’t sound like ourselves anymore.

That’s why Voicework is predominantly about problem solving. We practice the act of speaking and find practical solutions to the challenges that arise. This is nimble, creative work that opens the space for you to sound like yourself.

“I met wonderful, charismatic people. Hearing the unique perfection of their voices helped me to appreciate my voice too. To accept that my accent told a story of its own. To realise how my voice perfectly matches my person. In this group I learned that voices are an integral, central part of the self.”

– Esther Slattery

You, clearly

£300, One-off 1:1 session, ~2 hours

£1000, Four 1:1 sessions, 2–4 Weeks

These practical workshops address the speaking challenges you currently face. Presenting your work and ideas. Asserting yourself. A conversation you’re avoiding.

Bring your expectations of the experience and we’ll practise the outcome you want. This is a space to explore your concerns and try out different approaches in a supportive environment. You may find that you’re resourced in a way you hadn’t realised. Or that the thing you want to say sounds reasonable and balanced out-loud. Whatever it is, your expectation will be quite different to the bodily reality.

Do you notice any of these patterns when you communicate?

• The pressure to be perfect and the fear of criticism
• A desire to help others without appearing self-centred
• The need to present nothing but successful outcomes
• A feeling of not being unique or creative enough
• A sense that you inexplicably know more than the experts
• A resistance to ideas that haven’t been adequately tested
• A tendency to stray off topic and get sidetracked by ideas
• The sense that people see you as dominating or scary
• A struggle to assert yourself and an inclination to merge and agree with others’ opinions

These concerns may sound unconnected to your current focus, as they can easily become buried, but exploring them can unlock your communication in unexpected ways.

You’d like to work together? Great. Let’s chat through the things you want to work on and find the best way forward.

You can select and book a day and time that suits via Calendly below.

Loving the Lens

£1.2K, Group, Two month programme

We already know that video is an effective communication tool. But simply recording a video isn’t enough. If you’ve tried filming yourself in the past, you may have found it uncomfortable or pressured. Or perhaps it looked good, but didn’t feel like you.

The relationship we have with the camera lens is far more important than any other technical detail in a recording. You can fill your room with a beautiful background, the most wonderful lighting, a high-definition camera. That’s all great (and believe me, I get the excitement about new kit).

But ultimately what happens is between you and the lens. It’s the only important part, because that is the connection to your audience.

Obviously you want your beautiful visage to shine out, so good lighting is important. But it’s not the same as the connection between yourself and the lens. Imagine your audience listening to you. They’re represented by the the lens when you record. A hunk of plastic and glass. Cameras don’t tend to do a great line in emotional connection. Instead, you have to do something to bring that relationship alive.

That’s what this course is about. The practice of authentically connecting with your audience, even when faced with the big, red recording light.

Register your interest

“I’ve got so much more from this than just feeling more confident about making videos. So much more from it. I’ve learned so much about my practice. I don’t think any of us expected that from the course, but I think we all got that from it.”

– Fiona Greenhill