Letting My Hair Down!

Y4U

Myself and Clare Abell
at the Switched-on Awards

Hello again everyone,

Some of you have pointed out to me from time to time that I am a bit of a workaholic and should take it easier. Well, I'm pleased to tell you that I took your advice and let my hair down not just once in October but twice within 3 days!

On the 1st of the month, with my husband Stewart and three business friends in tow, I put on my glad rags and headed for the New Bingley Hall in Birmingham. I had been nominated for an award at the Switched-on-biz/Business Link event for 'Women in Business with B**ls'! (no tittering at the back please). so I downed my champagne and ate my dinner with the 400 others present and clapped all the category winners before mine came up. Needless to say I didn't win - I couldn't really compete with the lovely lady who won (she has a transport company with a turnover of £80 million!) However, it was great fun and a good time was had by all.

Two days later I was at a film premiere! O.K. not in Leicester Square but just as important for the 8 youngsters taking part. I will put you in the picture (if you'll excuse the pun). Several months ago I was approached by a local charity, Y4U who work in schools, to provide actors for a short film which is to be shown to young teenagers on the subject of sexual pressure and how to deal with it. I provided 8 teenagers who rehearsed the original script for several weeks before filming it on location locally and we were all invited, with family and friends, to view the finished product at a local hall in Hinckley. we dressed up, had fizzy plonk (non-alcoholic!) and tucked into a pizza supper. What a great night - I was so proud of them and also of the fact that the film will be used as a teaching tool, with a facilitator from the charity, in all the Leicestershire upper Schools.

So October started with a bang and I continued to be over-fed when I attended the 3 day British and International Federation of Festivals Conference in Durham. Lots of sitting and listening to interesting speakers and being entertained but not great for the waistline! I have been fortunate in being an international adjudicator, under the umbrella of BIFF, for the last 18 years and I shall be heading for Hong Kong on 13 November for 5 weeks as a judge at the National Speech Festival - but more of that next month....

On the 8th I ran another of my 'Dynamic Speaking' open workshops at the Marriott Hotel, Leicester. I had 4 ladies and 4 gentlemen this time and we all had a great time. My next course for this subject is on 26 january 2010 and I'm delighted to say that it is already full.

I was meant to be in two places at once in the middle of the month which caused some difficulties! Due to a misunderstanding one of my clients thought that they had booked me to take two voice protection and projection workshops but I didn't know and had arranged my drama school's annual Open Day on the same date. Both went ahead, I'm pleased to say but for the first time ever I missed the Open Day. Never mind, everyone seemed to enjoy it anyway so perhaps I am more dispensible than I thought!

I attended 13 different networking organisations during October (some of them several times) which I think must break my previous record. I also spoke for the Institute of Directors, leicester; 4 Networking at Daventry; Futures Networking at Coventry and the Federation of Small Businesses in Nuneaton.

One of my most enjoyable mornings this month was spent at a local high school where I was a business volunteer at an Enterprise Day run by Leicester Education Business Company. I found myself on a 'Dragon's Den' panel, assessing the games that different year groups had invented and vetting them as a viable business product. It was great fun and some of the ideas were excellent.

I also managed to fit in a one-day exhibition at Stratford and a day's examining for LAMDA in Bedford.

I don't often mention the work I do with my 1-2-1 clients in my blog but I do have a very interesting and varied selection of business people coming through the door. I was delighted to see Brad Burton and Tim Johnson, managing director and director of finance respectively of 4 Networking for a session. I don't get to see them too often as they live in Somerset but I was especially pleased to see Brad's new video at and to see my article 'Speak your Way to Success' in print in the '4 Community' magazine.

I was pleased to welcome professional magician, Steve Short, for a chat. Wwe are hoping to develop a pretty unique workshop involving presentation skills and magic - watch this space!

I was also delighted to be able to help an individual with a pretty unique problem. He has only one functioning lung and half his diaphragm is collapsed so that acheiving power in the voice is tricky. We managed to put some techniques in place which made a real difference and I am looking forward to working with him again early in 2010.

Well, I think that's quite enough for this month. I'm not quite sure whether December's blog will appear as usual because I will be on the opther side of the world but I'll be back as soon as I can.

Time for a tip before I go. If you have to read anything aloud try these techniques: -

• Take your time
• Use the punctuation marks for sense pauses
• Make frequent eye contact
• Make sure the text is at the right height for easy communication
• Remember that practice makes perfect
  

Oh - almost forgot. My two 'Voice Matters' sessions in November are full so I'm booking forward to:
2 February - Marriott Hotel, Leicester
26 February - Hogarth's Hotel, Solihull
£80 deposit by BACS secures your place - I hope to have the pleasure of your company.

Speak Wisely
Speak Well
Speak Loud & Clear!

Contact me on 01455 230317
Web: www.loudandclearuk.com

Musical Memories

RM Adjusting Ltd workshop


Hello again everyone, Just a little late this month due to pressure of work and social happenings as you shall see. I had three musical experiences this month and they were all quite different. Firstly I went along to the Kilworth House Theatre (Leics.) for 'The Opera Show'. If you live anywhere near junction 20 of the M1 do go along and have a look at this terrific open-air theatre built in the gardens of a private hotel. This is its 3rd year and obviously the season only extends from June to September but there is a huge variety on offer. The show was something really unique. There were four principal singers six dancers, a string quartet, a virtuoso guitarist and backing orchestra and the show consisted of 3 acts of operatic extracts set in different times: The Baroque (fabulous costumes), The 1940's in Spain and finally the Electronic age. it was so well presented and great entertainment, even for those who were not opera buffs. Musical evening number two was the musical 'Dreamboats and Petticoats' at the Belgrade, Theatre, Coventry. This was a simple (but very funny) script set around 40 hits from the late 50's and early 60's. The company did all the singing and dancing and played the instruments - terrific energy! I had noticed the show because a fellow student, David Cardy, in my year at the Guildhall was featured in the show but unfortunately he is still on in the West End and I could only get to see the tour. I recommend it though if you can remember that era.

O.K. now I am REALLY going to give away my age......I was one of Cliff Richard's original fans folks so I just had to go and see the 'Cliff & Shadows Reunion tour' last week at the Nottingham Arena. All I can say is they can still do it - great musically, fun and nostalgia focused only on the music they played together (plus the Shadow's solo hits). No dancers or fancy extras, just 2 ½ hours of great music. I hope I still have the energy to dance around stage like that when I'm 69!

Well, I was quite glad of those relaxing evenings as September was pretty frantic on the work front. I had 4 speaking engagements, an exhibition and 8 workshops in the diary. The exhibition was organised by Network Midlands at Crick. The speaking engagements were for 4 Networking at Northampton and Rugby (N.B. do have a look at their website, this is a pretty dynamic organisation); 'Mind Your Own Business' event organised by the LeicestHERday charity, for women wanting to start their own business and 'Supporting Women in Business' (SWIB) at Stratford. I took a 3 hour 'Voice Protection & Projection' CPD session for Liverpool City Council followed two days later by 2 more for Manchester City Council. (These were for swimming coaches working for the councils in schools and leisure facilities). The following week I was back up in Manchester for a 1/2 day bespoke workshop for RM Adjusting Ltd. I was asked to do this after Neil Robbie (the MD) heard me speak at an event in Birmingham earlier in the year. An evening seminar for 25 examiners for BTDA (the British Theatre Dance Association) took place at the Marriott Hotel, Leicester, on using the voice in the examination room and the next day I was taking a seminar for Leicester Aids Support Services at their headquarters. I worked with some of their volunteers on how to use the voice effectively on the phone. Last, but no means least, I had two more of my 'Voice Matters' full day business workshops at Solihull and Leicester. They were the 8^th and 9^th sessions since I began them in September 2008 and I'm delighted to say they were both full with 12 people on each. Here is some of the feedback: 'Fantastic presentation. Very informative and easy to take in.'
'An excellent introduction to using your voice to its full potential' '
I found this course very useful and think it will help my communication and public speaking no end!'
'I'm reborn! You've opened the gate and pointed me in the right direction'.
'Fabulous, charismatic and knowledgeable' 'Excellent, informative and fun'

I think I can finally state that voice Coaching is not a tenuous area of training but something that really does show results. Look at my testimonial page for proof!

Apart from filling the remaining days with my Private clients I also managed to attend a 'Switched-on-Biz' lunch at Solihull, the IOD lunch at Nottingham, the Soroptimist' lunch at Leicester and various breakfast meetings - for me, this is the best way to remind people that I am still alive and kicking and waiting to give them some help with those all-important communication skills. I mustn't forget to mention that I also did a little performing this month at an 'Older Voice' day in Hinckley. This was a day of events for the over 50's and I presented a recital called 'The Prime of Life' - a lighthearted look at getting older - with my colleague and friend, Ann Shires.

Well, October has begun at the run once again. I am marketing my next 2 'Voice Matters' workshops - 3 November at Hogarth's Hotel, Solihull and 5 November at the Marriott Hotel, Leicester. I have a few places available so do take a look here and join us for a really effective day of training at only £140 inclusive. I hope I have the pleasure of working with you. And don't forget:

SPEAK WISELY

SPEAK WELL
SPEAK

LOUD & CLEAR!

Contact me:
Priscilla Morris
01455 230317
www.loudandclearuk.com

Hello again everyone, I hope you've enjoyed your summer (such as it was!). I managed to get a bit of sun abroad as I'll tell you later but first I want to talk about a fascinating radio programme I heard a couple of weeks ago.

The series is presented by Stephen Fry and it explores the use of the English language through history. This episode was entitled 'Speaking it Proper' and concerned the thorny issues of pronunciation, grammer and accent! The variable use of our own language causes great debate and is fraught with problems. The way we speak is a matter of taste, tradition, fashion, class, geography etc. and it is continually changing. George Bernard Shaw said "It is impossible for an Englishman to open his mouth without making another Englishman hate and despise him" Do we really care that much about how people sound? Well, yes, according to a survey carried out amongst business people recently. Questions were asked relating to individual responses to accents throughout the U.K. The results may surprise you.

• Some accents indicate dishonesty i.e. scouse
• Some accents suggest dullness i.e. Birmingham
• Some suggest financial probity - home counties (R.P.)
• Northerners believed they were looked down upon because of their accents
• Both Northerners and Southern R.P. was more indicative of success.

The BBC used to only use presenters with clipped vowels but now accents can be heard. However, these are never very broad but quite well centred with the focus on good enunciation i.e. starting and ending words properly. Obviously acents have their place - a broad Glaswegian telling a joke may add to the humour but in the business world this would be a problem because the best English pronunciation is the type that can be understood by everyone. I have, in the past, completely eradicated a Geordie accent for a senior manager. For him it was the right decision as it led to promotion but generally it is intelligability that really matters and that comes from undeerstanding what you're playing with and knowing how to make the necesssary small changes. suprisingly our accent is actually fixed by what surrounds us at the age of approx. 17 - 19, not our childhood but you can learn to change. Impresionists use strong visual images and body positions to help them create the right voices and amazingly they way we speak and our physicality are strongly linked. When voice coaches train actors on accents (as I sometimes do) the physical positioning of the facial muscles is an essential element in understanding hoe the sounds change and sometimes movement of the whole body can also trigger a correct change. What do we require in business today? Well, people should be clear, fluent and lucid. English is the international business language and companies require therir oral communication to be effective. This has lifted Voice Coaching to a much higher level of importance in the corporate world and many large comapanies now employ people like myself. How your voice impacts on others is important knowledge. We have an unconcious response to vocal sound which produces an emotional judgement as to whether we like someone or not. When you come down to it, your energy, pitch, volume, intonation and hoarseness wil be more important in the long run than your accent but you do need to be aware of your vocal effect on others. Ideally you should speak at between 150 and 180 words per minute and we genereally perfer a lower male pitch (sorry ladies!) Ihope that you found this as interesting as I did. Much of it I am engaged in on a daily basis but it was very nice to have things re-inforced by recognised experts in the field.

I mentioned that I had got some sun this month. That was because we gave up on our dreadful weather and booked a late week at Lake Garda in italy. What a fabulous place! The sun shone, the water was welcoming and all the resorts we visited were absolutely delightful. I would recommend it to anyone who wants to chill out and refresh. I deliberately gave myseld a break from private clients in August but I did do a taster seminar on voice for a Pertemps regional conference in Birmingham, a repeat session on Voice Protection and strengthening for the Parkinsons Society in Coventry and I had a meeting with the head of HR at Lafarge with a view to possible in-ouse workshops on voice.

As I finish this I shall be off on the road to Liverpool for an overnight stop before delivering a Voice Protection workshop for Liverpool City Council's swimming coaches. I'm delighted to say that my 'Voice Matters' courses on 17th and 21st September and my 'Dynamic Speaking' on 8th October are now all full and I am booking forward to 3rd and 5th November and 26 January 2010. Details, as usual, can be found here. Well, I think I must sign off now and pack my overnight bag. Until next month:

SPEAK WISELY
SPEAK WELL
SPEAK LOUD & CLEAR!

Contact me:
Priscilla Morris
01455 230317
www.loudandclearuk.com

'Youth has it's voice'

Lincoln
summer school

Circus day at HSDS summer school



'Youth has it's voice'

As I write, my drama school's summer activity week is in full swing with sessions on mask, magic, stage fighting, bollywood dance, circus skills, putting on a play and a trip to the Birmingham Repertory Theatre. About 40 youngsters aged 5 to 15 are taking part and thoroughly enjoying themselves whilst learning.

Last week I had the pleasure of working with 15 fantastic young people at a residential theatre school in Lincoln. We hear so much about people getting into trouble, but my experience is very different. I thought you might like to know what they achieved in the week....

Seven years ago I was invited to be a tutor for the Betty Yager Summer School at Bishop Grosstette College, Lincoln with my colleague from Manchester, Marie Dixon. We wrote a production, putting together words and music on a theme and they liked us, so we've been back every summer! This year, our theme was ' A Theatrical Life' and we met the youngsters aged 11 to 17 on Monday when they had drama workshops before auditioning with a prepared acting piece or poem and a song. We then cast according to their strengths and began rehearsing on the Tuesday morning. On Saturday night they performed two 40 minute halves with full lighting and costume in a modern theatre in front of an audience of family and friends plus the Mayor and Mayoress of Lincoln.

During the week they had learnt all the words and moves for five song and dance numbers (including 'Anything Goes', 'Brush up your Shakespeare' and 'Fame'). Group items included 'Gus the Theatre Cat', a short Victorian melodrama, Nell Quinn, 'St. George and the Dragon', 'Send in the Clowns' and 'Don't put your daughter on the stage' by Noel Coward. They worked together like an established company although they had never met before the Monday. They hardly ever had to be reminded to pay attention and most of the time retired to their rooms when asked! (well, boys will be boys and teenagers will be frisky!). It was a great experience and they were a pleasure to work with so you won't find me complaining about young people.

By the way, the lady who masterminded the week gives up a week of her holiday each year to do it and manages to persuade companies like W.H. Smith to give her sponsorship so that the children only pay around £230 for full board and all the excellent facilities. If you know a keen youngster aged 11 to 18 who might like to attend next year from July 26th to 31st, please email Jane Holmes at bjholmes@talktalk.net.

On the business front I did several days of examining during July in Solihull, Stamford, Northampton and Borehamwood. I also spoke at three business meetings: 'Connecting Women' in Tamworth, The Chartered Institute of Management in Nottingham, and The Hinckley Business Association. I also enjoyed volunteering for the Leicester Education Business Company as a business mentor at English Martyrs School, Leicester where they were staging a fashion show of their own recycled clothes made from paper and recycled fabric.

Two outside entertainments were attempted - early in the month we went to see 'Crazy for you' at the Kilworth House Hotel Theatre - another excellent production from this inspired venue. Then it was Beaumanor Hall for a classical concert (in which my husband was performing as principal trumpet) and a grand firework display in aid of the British Legion. We started off all right but as the Hurricane passed over heads the heavens opened and a sizeable part of the concert took place through a sea of umbrellas, pac-a-macs and slightly soggy quiche slices! Hundreds of very wet Britains waving flags and singing Rule Britannia in a slightly hysterical fashion must have been a sight to behold!

I intend to have a break for the latter part of August to re-charge my batteries as I've had a bug which gave me a very sore throat and a poorly voice twice in the last month which is probably a signal to relax and get some fresh air (if it ever stops raining!)

Some really good news on the 'Voice Matters' courses - 17 September at Leicester is full (with 3 on the reserve list) and 21 September is filling up with just a few places still available. My 'Dynamic Speaking' advanced presentation skills course on 8 October is also full. So, for the next 'Voice Matters' in Leicester we are now taking bookings for 5 November. As always, details can be found here: Voice Matters

Well, enjoy what's left of the summer and let's keep hoping..... As always:

Speak Wisely, Speak well, Speak Loud & Clear!

Priscilla Morris 01455 230317
www.loudandclearuk.com

The Power of Performance

Hello again everyone,

The death of Michael Jackson made me think about how much we are uplifted by great performers and how much performance has meant in my life to date. I was always a Drama Queen (I can hear some of you saying WE KNOW!). As a small child I remember loving the dressing-up-box and putting on little shows in the garden for my friends. Then there was dancing for the Cadbury factory fete as part of my junior school Irish Dancing team - complete with beautifully embroidered green and gold dress and cape. The first 'proper' play I remember appearing in was Aesops fable 'The Belly and the Members' where I played The Belly with a biscuit tin stuffed up my costume! Soon I graduated to musical theatre in 'Salad Days' and then Shakespeare as Hero in 'Much Ado About Nothing' which began a life-long love of the Bard (with a published book in 1977). By my mid-teens I knew that theatre was for me and at 19 I found myself performing in the West End with the National Youth Theatre and then gaining a coveted place at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama in London for professional training. Throughout my adult life I have had the pleasure of performing on stage numerous times in recitals, concerts one-woman shows and have acted or directed over 40 plays, musicals and pantomimes. As a fully paid up member of Equity I continue to keep a strong focus on all things theatrical and whenever I get a free night I'll be having a 'busman's holiday' and taking my seat in the auditoriam. So what has being a performer taught me that I can apply to my business life? Well, that people work best when they work with passion and commitment; that if we work as a team we can acheive more by sharing the load; that good oral communication ensures a clear message and therefore faster results. I suppose that is what I try to convey in my 1-2-1 sessions and workshops. Everyone has a bit of a performer in them. Even someone who is basically shy can find a little spark which will affect another human being. Sometimes we just have to allow our feelings out because people buy people, rather than a business. If you think your spark is still lying hidden - you know where I am!

What have I been up to in June? Examining took me to Sheffield for three days and also to Leamington, Nottingham and Bedford. I did some breakfast meetings for 4Networking at Derby and Birmingham, a lunch event at Leicester organised by Network Midlands and The business Club and an evening event supporting 'Women in Business'at Stratford. Early in the month I did a short 'Something to Shout About' session for a womens' network in Burton-on-Trent and later an interactive seminar in Birmingham for the Lyness group network. As a direct result of this I will be taking a 1/2 day 'Voice Matters' course for a company in Manchester during July. I was delighted to be involved in LeicestHERday on 12 June. It was an inspirational day held at the Walkers Football Stadium which had excellent conference facilities. I was taking one of the table workshops in the afternoon for the education and training section and thoroughly enjoyed the day. I was an exhibitor at a business to business event at the new Bingley Hall, Birmingham organised by Switched-on-Biz At the same event I had the pleasure of being one of the 5 key-note speakers. My presentation included the story of my business success over the last 37 years and a recital entitled 'It's a Dog's Life' in aid of Guide Dogs for the Blind which Angela Agnew, of 'Switched-on-Biz' supports. I also had some related news which was quite a surprise - I have got to the final in the awards for 'Women in Business with B***s!' Don't laugh please. I shall be donning my posh frock and heading for the New bingley Hall on October 1st so wish me luck. Stewart and I attended an EMITA event about working in Hong Kong and China. As some of you know I judge at the speech festival every two years on Hong Kong island and I believe my voice coaching could be very popular in the business community. We are pursuing several avenues and will let you know the result. If you have any business contacts in Hong Kong who you feel might be intersted in talking to us in November/December please ask them to get in touch. I held my latest 'Voice Matters' open workshop at the Marriott hotel, Leicester on 16 June with another set of mixed business delegates. Again, there was excellent feedback and I'm now booking workshops numbers 8 & 9 for 17 September, Leicester and 21 September, Solihull It wasn't all work though.

I went to see an excellent youth production of Andrew Lloyd Webber's early musical 'The Likes of Us' about the founding of Dr Barnados. Although it was really only songs linked by narrative, the production by the Concordia Youth Theatre was really terrific - what talent and condidence they showed. I also really enjoyed 'The War of the Worlds' musical extravaganza at the National Indoor Arena. I went with an old school friend (that is length of friendship - not age!) and it was a trip back to my youth. You can't beat the vocal tones of Richard Burton!

Finally, back to the performing arts. I've been fortunate to help five students gain places at major training establishments for acting and musical theatre. They have 2 places at Guildford Conservatoire, 1 at Arts Educational and 2 at Mountview, london with several gaining full scholarships - my work is sometimes very rewarding. So, do you have any 'performing' stories to share with me? Have you ever 'trod the boards' or taken on a persona in the cause of art or business?

Tip of the month:
Every time you stand up in front of an audience, whether small or large, you should think as a performer. Use energy, clarity and emotion to put across your message. try it and notice the difference. Until next month:

Speak Wisely

Speak Well

Speak LOUD & CLEAR!

www.loudandclearuk.com

01455 230317

All Work & No Play!

Work

Play

All work and no play.........

I make no excuse for the fact that I spent the latter half of May on a cruise in the Mediterranean! You do need to re-charge the batteries from time to time so Stewart and I have thoroughly enjoyed exploring places we have been before and some we haven't. I know that the weather really improved in the UK while we were away but we were especially lucky, as this was the beginning of the season. Every one of our 7 ports was bathed in sunshine and temperatures which began at 26 in Cadiz and reached 31 by the time we got to Venice, Dubrovnik and Corfu. Even Gibraltar managed a sunny smile although it was a Sunday and therefore Marks & Spencers was shut - so no tax free shopping there! The only problem for any of you who've tried cruising is, of course, the food - that is the quantity of it! We tried to be good and did as many ballroom dancing classes as possible but the waist bands are definately tighter than when we went.

As a performer, I always look forward to the entertainment and we really had a treat this time with the best musical theatre company I have seen on a ship. 'The Headliners' were a hugely talented bunch with 5 lead singers and terrific dancers. They managed to do everything from Abba and Queen to Cole Porter with amazing energy and style. I was accepted as a guest speaker for P&O in 2006 but due to a number of circumstances I've never actually done any work. Hopefully I will be 'treading the ship boards' myself before too long.

Of course, I did do some work before I got on board. During the first 2 weeks of May I spoke at a 4Networking meeting on my exotic working travels; gave an inspirational talk on my success for an event organised by Women Aloud in Coventry; attended a lunchtime networking event in Birmingham run by Switched-on-Biz and exhibited at a 'Network Midlands' happening in Leicester.

I was delighted to work with a new business client from Cornwall who is returning for another session in June and I went down to London to meet a new contact with a view to collaborative voice work in the future. I was invited by LAMDA to run a course at their headquarters on the new Performance Examinations syllabus. I thoroughly enjoyed working with 20 enthusiastic teachers from all over the UK.

On the 13th I ran my first 'Dynamic Speaking' course at the Marriott Hotel, Leicester. I was delighted that the 6 business men who attended felt they had gained a great deal. The development achieved by some in their filmed presentations was particularly gratifying. You can see some comments on my testimonial page. The next session for advanced speaking will be in October.

I have a 'Voice Matters' course on June 16th - again in Leicester and there's only one place left as I write. I am now planning September courses for Leicester and Solihull. Details of these highly practical days click here

I fitted in 1 days examining too and finally celebrated my birthday with my dear adjudicating friend, Sheila Howells, and her daughter Pippa, over from Canada. We had a delightful lunch at the Potter's Club in Stoke-on-Trent.

Well I hope you are all enjoying getting out and about now that summer is almost here. Remember that all important work/life balance and have a bit of fun!

Tip of the month:

If you scream yourself hoarse at your favourite sporting venue, swig down the water to help your vocal cords recover. N.B. that DOESN'T include beer!!!

Don't forget -

Speak Wisely

Speak Well

Speak LOUD & CLEAR!

www.loudandclearuk.com

01455 230317

It's never too early......

I've just finished watching the final of 'The Speaker' on BBC 2. It was interesting that all 3 finalists had precise speech & confidence - essential requirements for a good communicator.

Last week I read an article in a major national newspaper entitled 'Millions of youngsters don't know how to talk'. It was bewailing the fact that Britain's teenagers are not being given sufficient focus on the spoken word in their education. As a result they don't know how to use appropriate forms of speech for formal and informal situations. This also results in an inability to listen properly or conduct a productive dialogue.

It has now been identified that the ability to express yourself properly, to get your syntax right and to adapt the right mood of speech for specific circumstances is a key to professional and even personal success. I have worked with youngsters for over 35 years and when they are given the right ammunition they can win any battle (metaphorically speaking). I think it may be time to have a debate on how we can get our youngsters out from behind their computers and into conversations, discussions and debates. If we don't, the next generation of businessmen and women in the U.K. will be at a distinct disadvantage in the global marketplace where oral communication skills are valued much more highly.

O.K.......that's my soap-box bit over!

Well, it's been another busy and interesting month. I began on the 1st of April with two Voice Protection workshops for an ASA (Amateur Swimming Association) Training Day in Chester then I spent a weekend adjudicating at the Bristol Festival. In Easter week I spoke at 4 Networking meetings in Sutton Coldfield & Leamington Spa and for Business Networking Clubs in Broughton Astley. Then it was relaxation time with two theatrical occasions - firstly a 6 hour marathon of parts 1 & 2 of 'His Dark Materials' by Phillip Pullman at the Birmingham Rep. This had received mixed reviews but Stewart & I thoroughly enjoyed it. Next it was off to the Belgrade, Coventry for Northern Broadsides production of 'Othello' starring Lennie Henry. Well, what a surprise, he can act and act Shakespeare too! This was a very fast-paced production which sometimes resulted in a lack of clarity I felt but it was also exciting and vibrant, which reminds me, I must let Barrie Rutter know I went - a long time ago he was a young director when I was in the National Youth Theatre and we had a long chat last year when he was speaking at a conference I attended.

Having got my theatre fix Stewart and I set off for a few days break in Lynmouth, Devon. Weather was mixed but we did lots of walking and cleared the passages (so to speak!). On the way back I killed two birds (not literally) by calling in at 4 networking headquarters in Taunton and working with two of the directors, Tamsen Grieg and Tim Johnson.

The weekend of 18th/19th was spent on a LAMDA training day for their new syllabus and an introduction to GODA (the Guild of Drama Adjudicators) in Worcester. I have been recommended to join their ranks by a past member and I am considering whether I have time to add this to my busy diary. I must admit that getting paid to spend your evenings watching and judging lots of plays does appeal!

I had 2 speaking engagements on the 21st April. The first was for 4 Networking again and then for the Federation of Small Businesses in Lutterworth. This was a busy week for workshops as I delivered an open 'Voice Matters' session in Solihull on the Wednesday. This was attended by 12 delegates and the feedback was terrific. On the Friday it was a bespoke full day for 8 trainers from STEPS at Birmingham City Council. Both days were highly successful and I continue to book my open sessions ahead. My second stage workshop 'Dynamic Speaking' has it's first outing on May 13th and I'll tell you about it next month.

The last week of the month was spent in Manchester examining for LAMDA but over the weekend I had some fun. First there was an excuse to put on the glad rags for the Mayor's St. George's Day Ball in Hinckley in aid of local charities. I was asked to contribute to the entertainment so found a funny poem about St. George & the Dragon which I delivered in a northern accent. I don't think I offended anyone! Then it was off to the theatre again - twice in one day! First it was to see 'The Royal Baccarat Scandal' at the Little Theatre, Leicester where 2 of my adult performing arts students were appearing (and very good they were too!) and then up the motorway to the Pomegranite Theatre, Chesterfield to see the last night of a professional tour of 'The Birthday Suite' in which one of my ex-students, Rebecca Noon, was playing a leading role. It is so gratifying to see someone making a living as an actor - not an easy task nowadays. She's off to London now to wait for the phone to ring.

A recent poll by an international development organisation asked businesses to list what they thought made a successful leader. Attributes included 'empowering', 'visionary', 'inspirational' and 'decisive' but these were all beaten to the top slot by 'communication skills'. The survey's findings suggested that whilst a leader's role was to inspire, their job was to communicate these values to others inside and outside their organisation.

It amazes me that so few business people realise what an important tool their voice can be in persuading and motivating. I shall continue my one-woman quest to train the world!"

tip of the month - only say what you mean & mean what you say!

A limerick (written by me...)
There was a great tutor of voice
Whose client made only a noise.
After twisters for tongue,
Breathing out on a hum
He has bought her a brand new
Rolls Royce!

We live in hope.....

Have a great month and don't forget:

Speak Wisely, Speak well, Speak Loud & Clear!


Contact Priscilla:
tel: 01455 230317
web: www.loudandclearuk.com