Full Voice by Barbara McAfee

Author:Barbara McAfee
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Berrett-Koehler Publishers
Published: 2011-08-15T00:00:00+00:00

Practices for Accessing the Fire Voice

To practice the fire voice, you are going to need a place where you can make a lot of noise. It is astonishing how few places you can find where you can cut loose with everything you’ve got. I recognize the challenge of finding a “dog park” where your fire voice can run off leash. The reliable places my clients have found include the car, the shower, the beach, and the garage, as well as with their children (if they’re the right ages and dispositions).

• Start out by speaking some Italian with an exuberant tone. The names of noodles will do: “rigatoni, spaghetti, fettuccine!” Use your hands to emphasize your words. Let’s take it a step farther. Sing the word “lasagna” as though you are a fiery Italian tenor. Open your arms wide. Imagine you have a broad, hairy chest. Ham it up shamelessly. Make your lasagna aria a little higher. Then a little bit higher. Build it to a dramatic crescendo. Make them weep in the third balcony. You can do this same exercise with the phrase “ta-da!”

• Shout “No I won’t!” just as you might before slamming a door. Stamp your foot. Fill yourself with joyful defiance. Stand tall. Put fire in your eyes. I invite you to stay cheerful and fierce in this exercise. It’s a delightful contradiction to the assumption many of us carry: you can only say no if you’re really angry.

• Sing a long and wildly enthusiastic “wow!” Open your eyes, mouth, arms, and stance. Fully extend your fingers. Animate your facial expression with sheer delight. Take up all the space you can, physically and vocally. You can do the same movement using the words “shine” or “alive.”

• Assume the character of a fire-and-brimstone preacher. You can either recite something familiar (the Pledge of Allegiance or the lyrics to “Happy Birthday” will do) or give a fiery sermon using nonsense syllables (“blah, blah, blah”). Again, get your whole body involved. Wave your hands. Point your finger at your imaginary congregation. Build your sermon to a fever pitch before you bring it to a close. You can also use this character to practice a specific presentation. The first few times through, let the preacher shout the words. Then experiment with bringing some of that fiery quality into your actual delivery.

• Call out “Hey you!” as though you were an outraged New York City cab driver. Imitate the accent, the stance, and the attitude. Be loud, boisterous, and opinionated. Vary the pitch higher and lower while maintaining the same level of intensity. This exercise can be fun to do with a partner. The two of you can create an entire dramatic scene out of escalating “hey yous.”

A fire voice exercise is available at the Full Voice website.

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