Craft of Communication’s theatre-based techniques have proved to be popular and highly effective in helping Managers and Executives to develop their Communication Skills. Set up in 2002 by John Abulafia, the international theatre and opera director, we now have over 130 clients in 53 sectors. The disciplines of Performance, and a deep understanding of the psychology of Audiences, Leaders and Teams, provide the bedrock of our training - whether we are working with groups or one-to-one.
RESOLVING VOCAL PROBLEMS
“People say I have a boring, monotonous voice.”
“I become breathless when I speak for long periods of time.”
“I get a sore throat if I speak for longer than ten minutes.”
“I’ve been told I can’t be heard, even when I’m talking as loud as I can manage.”
“People say I talk too fast and they can’t follow what I’m saying.”
These are just a few of the problems that clients bring to us. In each case, one of our highly qualified Vocal Coaches was able to diagnose and create a coaching programme to resolve those problems with diction, audibility, use of pitch, vocal energy and unpunctuated speech.
ENHANCING YOUR COMMUNICATION:
But we can do more than fix problems. Many clients focus on the words they are saying, but ignore the actual sound their voice makes: yet it is the nuances of sound within the human voice that conveys the meaning behind words.
In theatre, we have long known that the human voice is the most powerful means we have of motivating and inspiring others, changing the minds of an audience, or even just explaining complex ideas with clarity and eloquence.
THE WAY WE WORK:
If you want to command an audience with your voice, instinct isn’t enough. You need technique. Actors learn about the anatomy of the voice, then devote a long time to precise exercises that liberate the full potential of the voice. At the end of the training, they are able command the full attention of an audience with the minimum of effort, and then communicate thoughts and feelings to their audience.
Craft of Communication have adapted and compressed this approach to help our clients. Our professional Voice Coaches use clear, specific, targeted exercises to develop the vocal potential of the individual client. We can work with small groups, or one to one. Whichever we do, we always target individual needs because everyone’s voice is unique.
Our approach is cost effective; our vocal coaches create a personal development plan for each client which they can carry through independently, day by day, developing their vocal work and potential beyond the sessions. To support this, clients are given detailed handouts with supporting information.
ACCENT REDUCTION
English is the language of business. This means that, in our global economy, English will be spoken by - and used to communicate with - people for whom it is a second or third language. This can lead to communication problems because the rhythm of spoken English is so different from many other languages.
Many other languages are syllable-timed: the stress is placed almost equally. English is stress-timed, meaning that lots of words get squished together between stressed syllables. This is why people who have English as a second language may develop good use of vowels and consonants, but still find intelligibility impaired due to the rhythm differences.
Anther example: the majority of words in Romance languages (French, Italian, Spanish) end in a vowel. In English, the majority of words end in a consonant. (The English say ‘Yes’, in Romance Languages the words is “Oui’ or ‘Si’.) Vowel endings allow a speaker to run words together into a lyrical phrase. If you apply that to English, consonants are softened and words blurred, making them difficult to hear. The cumulative result is that the speaker’s message is compromised.
We help those who feel their accents prevent them from communicating with clarity. Our accent reduction work is nothing like the old, discredited, teaching of elocution which sought to suppress a speaker’s natural accent. We focus on specific vowels and consonants to help non-native speakers retain their own unique voice while speaking English idiomatically.
HELP WITH SPEECH & LANGUAGE PROBLEMS
We can help clients overcome speech and language problems such as a stammer (including word-blocks, repetitions and prolongations), a lisp, an overly loud/quiet, high/low-pitched voice, or unconscious habits when speaking. In the workplace, people with speech and language issues often develop strategies to help them avoid the embarrassment of, say, a stammer. This leads to them suppressing it. That, in turn, leads to stress and anxiety, which can manifest in physical tension - leading to, for example, headaches, jaw pain, or tiredness.
People who have overt or covert communication issues often feel they are not achieving their potential. For example, they may feel that their communication style is not as effective as they would like, which leads to misunderstanding, impairing working relationships and work efficiency. We can offer them specialist help from our Speech and Language therapist. Her approach is holistic, embracing the whole system of speech; from body, breath, phonation and resonance use to articulation and manner of delivery. Her goal is to help clients through their difficulties and develop articulation and clarity in their every day spoken communication at work.
