Notes for Communication class taught by Dr. Alvin Plexico at Park University in Millington, TN. The notes are based on the book Your Voice and How to Use It by Cicelly Berry

1. by Cicely Berry
Voice Director of the Royal
Shakespeare Company

2. • Personal (how we arrive at our own voice)
• Social (how we react to other people)
• Public (different public expectations)
• Practical (exercise your voice)

3. Two factors:
1.Something that strikes
2.An object that is struck
Volume will depend on:
1.Hardness of the object struck
2.Sensitivity to vibrations
3.Size of vibration determines the volume
4.Vibrations = resonance
Example: violin (vocal chords) , bow (breath) and
vibrations (chest, throat, nose, head)

4. Four factors:
1.What you hear
2.How you hear it
3.Your physical make-up
4.Your personality and experience

5. Why do you sound different than you
think?
- Use a tape recorder or video camera
- Cup your hands around your ears to
approximate how you sound to others.
Would you be surprised if others said you
appear to be abrupt, discouraged,
disinterested (especially when you felt none
of these emotions)?
How do you find your vocal energy and use
it to your advantage?
- Listen to the behavior in your own voice.
- Notice how others react to your voice
- Monitor your own private image (what
you think about yourself)

6. by Cicely Berry
Voice Director of the Royal
Shakespeare Company

7. • Sound
• Tone
• Understood
• Good voice should not be noticed

8. • Use the voice you have and
stretch it to reveal your own personality
• Form your words completely to gain the most value
• Speak clearly (both consonants and vowels)
• Avoid using a “thick” accent
• Discover the vitality of your own speech and have
confidence in your own words
• Deep, DEEP breaths (all the way to the diaphragm)

9. Message sent =
message received

10. by Cicely Berry
Voice Director of the Royal
Shakespeare Company

15. • Good breathing is key to a good voice
• Strong bow/breath across well-
tuned strings/vocal chords
• Good breathing is fundamental:
• Expanded chest gives fuller, richer
space for sound
• More breath to flow across the vocal
chords
• Calming effect

16. • Take time to think
• Don’t be afraid of silence
• Tension wastes energy
• mental
• physical
• Some nervous energy is good
• makes the adrenalin flow
• helps the mind work quicker

17. by Cicely Berry
Voice Director of the Royal
Shakespeare Company

18. • We use words to:
• Communicate information
• Share experiences
• How do we use language to cover up what we feel?
• How can we use language to reveal what we feel?
• The more a person wishes to conceal, the wordier he or she
becomes.
• Conceal our lack of knowledge through a lot of words.
• “…some people without brains do an awful lot of talking...
don't they?”
• “Precision of thought. Economy of expression.”

19. Unusual words used significantly catch on quick, but soon become
abused
- charisma, literally, if you will
- Obamacare,
- other examples?
Unnecessary phrases
- at that point in time
- in fact
- other examples?
Don’t use a $.25 word when a nickel word will do
“If you can’t explain it simply, you don’t understand it well enough.”
– Albert Einstein

20.  When you lose confidence:
 You tense up
 You stop taking your time
 You stop choosing your words with care
 You lose reasoning and control
 Gain confidence through:
 Preparation
 Breathing
 Practice

21. by Cicely Berry
Voice Director of the Royal
Shakespeare Company

22.  No voice is wrong if
it is communicating
adequately
 Cannot divorce the
voice from the
person
 Strive for clarity
 A good voice will
not be noticed.

23.  Put yourself in the position of your
audience
 Realize the value of silence
 Rid yourself of feelings of inadequacy
 Accept and believe in yourself and what
you have to say

24.  Athletes exercise their muscles
 Pianists exercise their fingers
 Speakers exercise:
 Diaphragm
 Vocal chords
 Vocabulary
 Exercises in Berry (pp. 57-66, 89-96, 134-138)

25. Volume
Pitch
Pace
Pause

26.  Listener needs
pauses to digest your
message
 You need pauses to
rest and receive
feedback
 Pauses give you
energy
 Pauses draw your
listeners into your
message
 Use with discretion

27.  Know your audience
 Know your purpose
 Make your points clearly
 Keep it simple
 Brevity is better
 Prepare, practice,
perform!