Speech Coach

How do impersonators learn to mimic other people's voices? Can anyone do it with enough practice?

Asked by joanne.richter over 11 years ago

As with any skill, people will see various levels of success at the skill of impersonation based on practice and their affinity for it. It is a skill like any other - just as one can learn to play basketball but not all can be Michael Jordan, anyone can learn how to do basic impersonations but not all can be on Saturday Night Live. 

You can think about each person's speaking voice as a recipe. The "ingredients" are the facets of the vocal anatomy (tongue, soft palate, vocal cords, larynx, etc.). By manipulating these ingredients, we get a different sound. If you have good aural recognition and solid control over these elements, you will likely be able to impersonate most speaking voices within your gender. If you don't, you can still learn almost any impression you like by being shown that particular recipe. 

The best way to get started is with a tape recorder. Record the individual you are trying to mimic, then record yourself saying the same phrase. Play them back to back. Experiment with your voice and get it as close as you can. If you are unsure of how to make the modifications necessary, a speech coach can show you what you're missing (e.g. hold the back of your tongue higher, tighten your vocal cords, etc.)

Impersonating is a fun skill to work on! And it leads to considerably more control in your own voice. 

What's the most common speech habit or characteristic that you get asked for help with?

Asked by Seth about 11 years ago

The most common speech characteristic I encounter is from those who do not like the sound of their speaking voice and would like to modify or change it.

By modifying the sound of one’s voice, we don’t lose touch with their “normal” voice – we simply enhance it. Just like you practice stretching and improving your posture in yoga class, you can learn how to stretch and improve your vocal flexibility. When you have added flexibility, you will have the vocal ability to suit any occasion. Depending on the situation, you will also be able to use a different facet of your voice. You dress differently for lounging around the house than you would for The Academy Awards.

Similarly, you will employ different vocal traits if you are chatting with your best friend versus giving the State of the Union address. Simply by manipulating various facets of the vocal anatomy, you can color your voice dramatically. If you don’t like the way your voice sounds on recordings or video, you can change it! I help people find a speaking voice they love.

Simply by learning how to manipulate various facets of the vocal anatomy, one can modify the tone of their voice. Common areas of voice enhancement include understanding to healthfully project the voice, strengthening the voice, learning how to sound more mature, and understanding how to sound less feminine, among others.

Why do people get hoarse after a long day of talking, and is it an indication that you're using your voice incorrectly, or does it happen to everyone?

Asked by GRAND1 over 11 years ago

Many people get hoarse after a long day of using their voice. Often this happens when the requirements of vocal production are greater than normal; talking at a loud bar, for example, or giving a 40-minute presentation. 

There are a number of reasons this can happen - if you have a cold, allergies, lack of sleep, acid reflux, or are dehydrated, this will make your voice succeptible to fatigue. 

The "hoarse" sound reflects the inability of your vocal cords to get a clean "zip." There is a little "leak" of air, which causes a raspy sound. 

Vocal misuse, though, is often the primary reason people feel hoarse after they've been using their voice for a protracted period.

We ultimately want air to be the fuel for the zip of the cords. We want the exhale to facilitate the cord closure. Most people do not breathe efficiently for vocal production. They are unaware of how to achieve this coordination. Therefore, the onus of speaking falls to the cords themselves. Without sufficient air to the cords, they will become tired, not close all the way, and start to leak. 

Many people's bodies erroneously seek to correct the problem by using outer musculature to get a better zip. This creates a vicious cycle of vocal misuse.

At New York Speech Coaching, we show people how to relax the outer muscles and breathe in a way that gets your cords closing healthily. This allows you to talk as long as you like at whatever volume you like (for all practical purposes) without getting hoarse or feeling excessive fatigue. 

Is there a sociological reason WHY everyone hates the sound of their own voice when they hear a recording of it?

Asked by dan79 over 11 years ago

Surprisingly, one could argue it’s as much of a physiological reason as a sociological one.

Though the feeling towards the sound of one's recorded voice can vary for different people, there is almost always a discrepancy between how a person thinks they sound, and how he or she actually sounds to outsiders. Voice is amplified through vibrations as they re-sound throughout the open spaces in the throat, mouth, and sometimes through the nasal passages. Voice reverberates. These vibrations then move through the air outside the body and we hear voices.

However, these vibrations do even more! They can set off more vibrations through the surrounding bodily structures in the person who is voicing - vibrations can travel to the cheekbones, jaw bone, skull, the spine, etc.

Arthur Lessac, a voice teacher and coach with a career spanning decades, called this vibration of surrounding areas in the body, "bone conduction." He created an exercise in which a student can perceive this difference of inner and outer hearing through the use of a tuning fork. Pluck the fork and hold it near your ear - you hear these small sounds through "air conduction." Then pluck the fork again and place it between your teeth - there is a much stronger sound, because you hear the sound through "air conduction" and "bone conduction." You literally FEEL as well as HEAR your voice when you are listening to yourself during speech.

Lessac says, "Hearing, therefore, can arise from vibrations initiated within the body as well as vibrations transmitted by air conduction through the outer ear" (The Use and Training of the Human Voice, 3rd ed, page 17-18). He continues to explain, "...when you listen to [a recording of] your own voice, your brain interprets it far differently than when you HEAR WHAT YOU FEEL during your vocal production." Meaning - when you listen to a recording of yourself, you only HEAR your voice, you don't also FEEL it like you normally do while speaking. This makes your recorded voice sound higher, tinny, and perhaps disembodied in your perception.

This can be extremely off-putting, because you associate your HEARD/FELT sound with your own identity. When you listen to this recorded sound, it's as if it isn't the real you. Of course, the recording equipment makes a difference, but no matter how good the recording, it will never sound just like 'your voice.'

Do you think vocal coaches need to have good voices themselves, or do you know some who are actually terrible at using their own voices, but are nonetheless good teachers?

Asked by Mix.A.Lot1 about 11 years ago

Great question! Vocal coaches who practice healthy vocal production generally have versatile and pleasant voices as a result.

Just as film critics may not be the best directors and basketball coaches may not be able to compete on the court, some vocal coaches understand the physiological concepts on an intellectual level but lack the ability to summon certain coordinations themselves. These individuals may prove to be competent instructors. However, in an optimal scenario the coach would be able to demonstrate exactly how you need to sound, rather than exclusively explaining. When choosing a coach, it's a great idea to work with a coach whose voice you admire!

Maybe this isn't your field of expertise, but do you have any thoughts about why computer vocal recognition technology is STILL not that great? What's so hard about faithfully transcribing human speech?

Asked by Tim Yaritz over 11 years ago

Computer voice recognition is not my area of expertise, so this is a hypothesis! Voice and language, even in just one person, have extraordinary amounts of variety. For example, the sound we think of as "t" isn't always the same sound. We pronounce it differently according to where it is in the word (beginning, middle, end), and we also pronounce it differently depending on what other sounds surround it (S, L, R, etc). Words like Struggle, Kettle, Quilt, and Table all use slightly different "t" sounds.

The processing abilities of human beings are extraordinary, and because of the tie between sound and meaning, we can easily decipher many more speech sounds than we consider belonging to the alphabet, often without realizing. However, a computer doesn't have the same ability to make the sound/meaning connections. It recognizes programming and patterns. Therefore we need to give the computer more to recognize. In order to improve voice recognition, there probably needs to be a larger speech sample, developed by someone with the awareness of all the different variations of the patterns of speech sounds. Then the computer can be programmed to recognize more patterns with greater accuracy.

Have you ever worked with a stutterer, and is it true that a stutter is entirely psychological or does it result from how you use your voice?

Asked by McLeod over 11 years ago

Yes – I have worked with clients who stutter!

Experts are not sure exactly what causes stuttering. According to the Stuttering Foundation there are four factors that may be involved to varying degrees that can cause a stutter: Genetics, child development, neurophysiology, and family dynamics. The Stuttering Foundations says, "Stuttering may occur when a combination of factors come together and may have different causes in different people. It is probable that what causes stuttering differs from what makes it continue or get worse."

Everyone's voices differ for most of the same reasons: Genetics - we're all born with our own unique vocal apparatus, child development - how we learn to use our body and voice as we grow, neurophysiology - the way the brain and body (in this case voice) operate together, and family dynamics - how we learn and respond depending on our home situation. Since each person is different, and each person's stutter may have different causes and then develops differently over the course of life, voice work can be highly beneficial for some stutterers.

When working with clients who stutter, we focus on breathing and continuity. Whatever the reason may be for the stutter, my clients have found great success by focusing on continuity, which is the ability to join words together on a single unbroken exhale. This means speaking within punctuation without disrupting the air.

However, the psychological implications should not be neglected. Once the physical techniques have been learned and understood, psychological factors can exacerbate the situation. At that point, it becomes a matter of developing psychological tools to overcome anxiety. What ultimately allows the training to work is a combination of voice understanding and therapy.

What exercises are best for learning to SLOW DOWN one's speech? I've been told that I talk too fast ever since I was young.

Asked by Darren.T almost 11 years ago

In all likelihood, if you speak quickly, you feel as if you cannot do anything about it. However, we assure you something can be done! Factors contributing to fast-paced speech include nervousness, self-consciousness, a self-imposed sense of urgency, and one that most people don’t realize - inefficient breathing technique. The insecurity that results from your fast speech or being misunderstood causes an anxious or nervous feeling, that in turn causes you to feel more self-conscious. It’s a vicious cycle that can be stopped!

Many people speak quickly because they’re enthusiastic about what they’re saying and feel like they need to get the words out as soon as possible (the aforementioned urgency). The key is to find a balance that we describe as “relaxed enthusiasm.”

Per your request, we have a few tips for you. The first is to get in the habit of filming yourself. You can do this for as little as 30 seconds then watch the video back. Filming is the best way to monitor your speed more objectively. If it sounds like you’re speaking too fast, try a video where it seems as though you’re talking entirely too slow. Go at a snail’s pace. When you watch back did you notice you were speaking at a more average or normal rate? The trick is to reconcile your perception with reality.

The second exercise is performed with a partner. Try articulating your thoughts one word at a time. Each time your partner opens his or her hand, say a word. Each time the hand closes, pause. He or she should vary the tempo of opening and closing to keep you on your game. Your partner is there to ensure you don’t say more than one word at a time. As soon as you’ve mastered this, try full sentences using punctuation marks to pause for breath.

Another thing that may be making you speak quickly is the rate of the words themselves. You can consider this as you might the act of singing. For example, try singing “America the Beautiful” (or any other legato song) and stop at the punctuation. Do you see how the words themselves last a beat or two? Then try speaking the phrase as a sentence, drawing out the vowels as you would while singing, just not quite as long. Elongating the vowels will inherently slow your speech.

If you work through these exercises diligently, they should help you speak slower. It’s also useful to work with a coach that can help expedite this process.

What's required in order to be able to TEACH speech? Obviously not everyone who has a good voice could teach that to others, so how do you know if you'd make a good teacher of it?

Asked by Lauren over 10 years ago

"While having a "good voice" can be an indication of one's potential to teach speech, having a strong ear and a keen eye might count for even more. In order to be an effective speech teacher, one must possess the ability to specifically identify subtle features of others' voices, articulation, and physicality. These features, unique to each individual, will contextualize, and serve as the starting point, for the collaborative work between teacher and student.

In order for development to occur, the teacher must expertly guide the student through the appropriate adjustments that enable a shift from the old habit, to a newly established habit. It is a thorough understanding of the appropriate functioning of the breath, voice, and articulators that will ensure the teacher’s efficacy is developing new habits for the student. Having a “good voice” to begin with just might mean that understanding is already in place.”

How much do you think you can tell about someone's personality just from hearing their voice? If you heard different people read the same passage, you think you could make reliable guesses about their kindness, stubbornness, leadership skills etc?

Asked by Ruff about 10 years ago

As a voice and speech coach it is certainly imperative that you possess the ability to draw conclusions from the sound of a person’s voice.  For example, one would want to be able to identify tension in a variety of specific locations based on the quality of the voice production.  In this regard, there are correct assumptions to be made. A tight, gripped, or pressed voice will almost always mean a speaker is dealing with unnecessary compression in the larynx, hyper-nasality will indicate a tight, or inflexible soft palate, etc. However it is important to separate judgment based, or subjective conclusions from the actuality of the physical habits of the speaker.  It is not necessarily the place of the Voice/Speech Coach to understand how or why that tension came to be in the first place.  Our job is merely to offer the speaker new habits with which to replace the old, and to facilitate a healthier, more sustainable speaking voice. That being said, we as a society have, for whatever reasons, cultivated associations to myriad sounds that are accepted as true by large swaths of the population.  Deeper voices tend to be regarded as more authoritative or aggressive, whereas a breathy voice, more seductive. Nasal voices get a bad wrap for how it feels to hear them, and so on.  Furthermore, inflection plays a huge role in how we perceive a speaker.  So though there is undoubtedly information to be gleaned from the quality and implementation of one’s speaking, I would caution that to draw too strict a conclusion about an individual’s character based solely on the sound of their voice could be misleading.  Remember what’s always been said about books and covers.

-Doug Paulson, Associate Instructor

What's your favorite or biggest client success story?

Asked by Harry about 10 years ago

My goal as a Speech Coach is to not only teach people but also reach people. Therefore, my greatest success story would have to be giving public speaking instruction to a gentleman whose goal was to run for public office in his native country, India. In all honesty, our initial session left me skeptical about his ability to reach such a lofty goal. His career as a tax auditor and accountant rarely afforded him the opportunity to speak in the public, political arena. His lack of comfort in communicating was apparent due to his stilted speech pattern and his constant use of filler words like “um”, “uh” and “OK”. It turned out that he had enough determination for the both of us.

I suggested that we take the usual approach of scheduling weekly, one hour sessions to address his speech issues. He countered with a request for two hour sessions twice a week! It soon became evident that my client took his training and daily practicing very, very seriously. It was during our nine months together that I built up an enormous library of quality speeches. His weekly demand for newer and better material was astounding!

After several months of both public speaking practice and articulation drills, my client was ready for the subtle nuances of body language and the utilization of varying intonation. He took to both of these with amazing ease. His comfort and confidence were at an all-time high. We both knew he was ready for the challenge of returning to his native country and making changes for the better. I am proud that I was able to help him reach so many others.

-Paul Geiger, Associate Instructor

You may know that children that grow up in dysfunctional families often times have modulation control problems when speaking that last a lifetime. Is this something you treat or can it be "unlearned"....Thanks.

Asked by mcmjuly about 10 years ago

Most modulation problems have to do with lack of adequate breath support. Lack of breath support can lead to physical compensation by the muscles surrounding the larynx and vocal cords. The sensation and the sound can be described as a “tight voice”. The stress of growing up in a dysfunctional family can cause additional raising of the larynx and additional tightness. The goal of the speech coach is to relax the stressed voice. This can only be achieved by recognizing and ultimately regulating your diaphragm muscle and reconnecting to your ability to speak on breath. As the old speech behavior is modified, the speaker’s confidence in their well supported voice will increase. Modulation control comes from developing a vowel centric speech technique with a strong foundation of breath support. Changing behavior of any kind requires diligence, time and good guidance. Speech behavior is no exception.

-Paul Geiger, Associate Instructor

What do you think is the hardest speech difficulty to fix (ex: lisps, stutters, anxiety, etc)?

Asked by Sauvignee almost 10 years ago

What causes people to "lose" their voice? If a Broadway performer loses her voice an hour before showtime, are there last-minute emergency exercises to get it back quickly?

Asked by Diane in SF about 10 years ago

Is speech therapy something that will require continuous practice and exercises in order to maintain any improvements? Or after a few months with a coach can I expect that improvements will be 'permanent' without further training?

Asked by Jayrov1 over 10 years ago

Can you help someone who doesn’t want to be helped?

Asked by Layla about 4 years ago

What things are most damaging to your vocal chords? Is there anything that, if you do too much of when you're young, will cause serious vocal problems in old age?

Asked by Van Halen almost 10 years ago

What habits do you develop during childhood that affect your eventual adult voice? Are there things you think kids should or shouldn't practice to promote healthy voice development?

Asked by Lagerfeld over 9 years ago

Was "picturing everyone in their underwear" ever actually a staple of professional advice for public speaking, or was that always kind of just a joke? I never understood how or why that would help.

Asked by Gerry about 10 years ago

What's the phenomenon called where you can basically recognize when a voice you're hearing (without seeing the person) is of a certain race? Like I can almost always tell when a customer service rep is black. Why is that?

Asked by Mike over 9 years ago