Rachel has a long-awaiting chat with Priscilla Morris of Loud & Clear Voice Coaching about the power of the voice – not something we often think about but essential to consider if we find ourselves in front of an awards judging panel or on a 1-2-1 telephone call with one of the judges.
Video Transcription
Good morning. Good Morning. It’s Rach here, an award-winning award writer with The Awards People. Erm, we’ve had a day filming vlogs, and it has been—well, it’s been a morning so far of having people on the sofa who we have been chasing for months. And this lady is one of them—diary like you wouldn’t believe, all over the world, literally, back now in the UK for I don’t know, a fly-in 00:37 visit, but this is Priscilla Morris from Loud & Clear. I’m gonna ask her to introduce herself because she does some amazing things all around voice, but, er, please, Priscilla, brilliant that you’re on the sofa. Thank you so much for joining us.
PM: My pleasure.
RH: Please tell our female viewer in Sheffield who you are and what you do?
PM: [Laughs] I certainly will. Thank you for that intro. Er, so, right. Priscilla Morris. I’ve been a voice coach for, hmm, over 45 years now. Erm, my company’s called Loud & Clear Voice Coaching, and my aim is to make people think more about how they use the voice, why they use the voice, and the best way that they can use the voice. So, I’m working with individuals, er, many layers, erm, in business so it could be managerial. It could be CEOs, but it could just as certainly be a salesperson from, from the shop floor, or somebody’s who working on a, on a production line, er, where they need to communicate information. They need to get messages across. How are they doing it? Is it the best way they could do it, or could it be better because your voice has a—there are a lot of options with your voice. You could do a lot with it. It’s just that we all use this on automatic pilot, don’t we? And we don’t really think about that.
RH: And the first question, just coming out of what you just said there, is it just about the voice, or is about anything else? How you stand? How you breathe?
PM: Yes. Of course it is because the voice is part of the body, and the body reacts to everything it feels. And you can hear that in a voice. So, if somebody is very tense, for example, you’ll get that sense. When the body tenses up, then what happens to the voice? Everything up here tenses up, so you get this “I am really scared at the moment,” and that’s coming through in, er, the effect that the voice has on other people. And I think that’s the key, isn’t it? It-, it’s—we know what works because we know what we like when we meet somebody for the first time, or when we’re actually responding to somebody, we get a sense of how they’re feeling and whether they’re comfortable, whether they’re confident. And very often people are not aware of this subconscious sense of selling yourself or what you’re saying to people in the way that you’re speaking.
RH: Mm-hmm.
PM: It’s not what you’re speaking, but it’s how you’re doing it.
RH: Hallelujah to that. Absolutely. And I think that one of the reasons why I, I was persistent with, with Priscilla, erm, and Stewart 03:10, was, was I see clients—sometimes it’s not the persuading clients to make an entry, er, for an award ’cause at the end of the day, if somebody’s not happy to do it, you’ve gotta respect that, but sometimes you just need to persuade people to—you are worthy. You are good enough.
PM: Mm.
RH: Let’s put your head above that parapet.
PM: Mm-hmm.
RH: I know that you will shine here.
PM: Mm.
RH: Erm, sometimes I need to be their cheerleader until they can be their own cheerleader.
PM: Yes.
RH: But then, so, you, you have that, and you get that award application in. Everybody kind of goes [blowing sound]. That’s that done, then. And I’m, kind of, going, “Okay.” [Laughs] No, guys. No. This is now the start.
PM: Sure.
RH: Erm, not every award entry requires somebody to go in front of a judging panel. The IoD, Ron Lynch, the Regional Director for the East Midlands, was on the sofa. He said sometimes we won’t do judging panels anymore, but we might phone them up and have a conversation.
PM: Mm.
RH: So, sometimes you’re in front of a judging panel. You may not know anybody.
PM: Mm.
RH: There’ll always be somebody playing bad, bad judge as well as good judge.
PM: For sure.
RH: Er, sometimes it’ll be on the phone. And I then have to talk to clients about okay, we’re going to judging panel. That’s great. And you can kind of see this, kind of, go pale.
PM: Yes. [Laughs]
RH: Start drinking a lot of water—
PM: Mm-hmm.
RH: – if it’s before 12 noon.
PM: Mm.
RH: Erm, and then it’s the coaching process. How do we get people to do that thing that I think’s one of the three things that everybody dreads, you know?
PM: Yes.
RH: Public speaking’s worse than the fear of death or something?
PM: Yeah. Yeah. I mean, some-, somebody at some point decided that that was the case. I don’t know, but it certainly—I mean, it is a major thing, isn’t it? Er, any form of, let’s call it public speaking as over-arching—
RH: Yes.
PM: – sort of, comment on, on what it is, but, actually, it’s really—it-, it’s communication, isn’t it?
RH: Yes.
PM: – intercommunication. At any point where you’re actually put on the spot—
RH: Mm.
PM: – and you’ve got to be yourself, and you’ve got to keep talking—so where it isn’t a conversation, that’s the scary bit—
RH: Mm.
PM: – because it-, it’s almost like the, the brain has this block along the, along the lines of if I don’t keep talking, or if, if, if I stop, and I falter a little bit, it’s all disastrous. But of course that’s not true, is it?
RH: No.
PM: Because in real life, we correct ourselves all the time.
RH: Mm.
PM: We’ll suddenly go, erm, oh, no. Erm, can I say that some—a different way? Can I put it this way? We correct ourselves. We pause. We think. All of these things are fine, and it’s making people realise that being natural is actually better than being over-prepared.
RH: Ah.
PM: It-, it’s really, actually, what do you want to say from the heart? What is it that matters to you—
RH: Mm.
PM: – about your business and where it is at the moment? You’ve been, you know, you’ve been—
RH: Yeah.
PM: – put forward for this award, so now sell it, but in a way—you don’t need to overdo it.
RH: No.
PM: It’s, it’s really just talk about yourself. Talk about how you’ve got there, you know, what—where you want to be. What’s personal to you? Don’t worry too much about what you think they want to hear.
RH: Mm. Now, for some of you, I don’t know how many of our viewers—in all seriousness, it’s just that one from Sheffield—
PM: [Laughs]
RH: – but no. Erm, er, some of you may have considered working with a voice coach before. Some of you might have been put off by thinking that they’re going to turn people into, erm, people who will never allow you to say an “erm.”
PM: Yes.
RH: People who will try and make you into somebody that you’re not.
PM: Mm.
RH: And that’s certainly—I don’t know if there that—there are voice coaches out there like that. There’s only one for me, and that’s you, but that’s not what you are saying. You said very clearly there, it’s about releasing the best part of you—
PM: Yes.
RH: – is what I got out of the bit of what you’ve said.
PM: Be, be honest. I mean, I’m not saying you have to stand there and wing it.
RH: No.
PM: Absolutely not. It’s got to be planned. You’ve got to know what you want to say, but don’t start with a script. You know, people make the mistake of thinking, “I’ve got to write it all down,” but the problem is with writing it all down, what you write is an essay.
RH: Yeah.
PM: And, actually, what we speak is something much simpler.
RH: Yes.
PM: Must—much less formal. We don’t use complicated language. We use short phrases.
RH: Yeah.
PM: So, it’s, it’s getting a format in your mind. Well, actually, quite often, logical thought is, is the best help we can have. So, where did you start? Where are you now? And where do you want to be?
RH: Mm.
PM: You know, that is a, is a nice, simple structure. The structure of time, if you like.
RH: Mm.
PM: Er, it could be, you know, perhaps you’ve been rewarded—you-, you-, you’re being put forward for this award because of a particular aspect of you, like a project or something. Well, when did you start it? Where are you now? And what’s going to happen at the end of it? So, it always works, it, it doesn’t matter what you’re talking about. Once you’ve got that idea, then just try talking about it. I mean, it-, I think, for people who aren’t professional, it feels strange.
RH: Mm-hmm.
PM: And that’s the problem. Well, you know, how can I talk to myself.
RH: Everything feels strange when you first start, I think.
PM: Yes. Yes, it’s true. Yeah. But actually—
RH: The first time you were learning to drive a car, didn’t that feel weird?
PM: Yes, and, and the thing is about conversation, it’s almost like—or, or giving information to someone, it’s like you need someone else to be there. Well, your nearest and dearest will do—
RH: Yeah.
PM: – you know, to say it to them. Say it to a mirror if you haven’t got anybody else. You know, if you see a face, you’ve got something to respond to. I know it sounds a bit weird, but it does work. It—the brain gets it when you do that.
RH: Mm.
PM: Er, and, I mean, I think your nearest or dearest old friend is great because you can say to them, “Be honest,” you know. Did that sound like me? Did I include what I should’ve included or—?
RH: And they’ll critique gently [indiscernible 08:47] rather than going whoo 08:59.
PM: Yes. Yes. Yes.
RH: “What the hell was that?”
PM: That’s right.
RH: They go, “Ooh.”
PM: But, but, but you need some, you need some practice because you—when you go into that, if it is in front of a panel, you need confidence.
RH: Mm.
PM: And you can’t have confidence if you don’t know what you’re going to, to talk about—
RH: Mm-hmm.
PM: – or you haven’t got an idea—
RH: Mm.
PM: – but it’s not about learning a script.
RH: Mm.
PM: It’s about your words, in the moment, how do you want to express it? And there is no problem in the odd “erm” and “er.” There is no problem in a pause because pauses are very powerful. And they actually allow you to think, but they also the people who are listening to you to take in what you’ve just said and go, “Ooh. That was good.”
RH: Mm.
PM: You know? So you are actually reinforcing it to a certain extent as well. Erm, if you have to do it on the phone, I think the phone is—it’s slightly different—
RH: Mm-hmm.
PM: – because on the phone, they’re getting a whole sense of you from the voice because they can’t see anything else.
RH: Yeah.
PM: So, there, in a way, it’s more difficult.
RH: Yeah.
PM: Erm, key things, I think, are take your time because if you sound as if you’re a bit manic in the delivery, it doesn’t exactly give them confidence in you. So, take your time. Again, plan what you’re intending to say although it may be that, of course, you get interrupted—
RH: Yeah.
PM: – by somebody asking a question. So be prepared for that, but just try and keep it simple. Don’t try to overcomplicate it. Don’t try and say everything.
RH: Mm. Yeah. Yeah, you know, that, that is a really good point, I think. Sometimes we want to get our whole life’s story into—
PM: Yes.
RH: – two minutes.
PM: Yes.
RH: And you’re never going to do it.
PM: No.
RH: Well, not if you had an interesting life. [Makes sound].
PM: No. [Laughs]
RH: You-, you’re not—
PM: No.
RH: – seriously, you’re not going to be able to do it.
PM: No. No.
RH: And I think sometimes when I have sat on judging panels in the, the dim and distant past, I almost wanted to say to the person who’s sitting or standing there, “Breathe.”
PM: Mm.
RH: Pause, think, breathe, speak.
PM: Absolute-, absolutely.
RH: Don’t just go, “Well, I was [runs sounds together].”
PM: Yes.
RH: And I’m, kind of, wanting to go [gasps]. And I’m, kind of, breathing for them.
PM: Yes. Yeah.
RH: I’m thinking, “Chuck 11:03, slow it down a little bit, my love.”
PM: That’s right because, you know—
RH: “Because I want to hear you.”
PM: – breathing is absolutely the most important thing you can think about probably because it does all these—it gives you—actually, if you—take a nice big breath. I mean, anybody’s who’s, sort of, actually, sitting there at the moment [takes breath]—
RH: I’ve just done the same.
PM: – take that, take that big breath.
RH: It kind of grounds you.
PM: What, what does it do? It, it completely steadies the body. It-, it’s solidifies your core, if you like.
RH: It does. Yeah.
PM: It’s, it, so, it—if you’re, if you’re sitting upright or your standing, you, you suddenly feel that sense of power.
RH: Mm.
PM: And then if you release your voice on that breath, the other thing it does is, is that it helps the voice to carry.
RH: Mm.
PM: So, without being too technical, it’s the way you begin to project sound. Er, so that’s very useful as well. Also it helps you to be clearer, to have more clarity, because the, the actual column of air that’s carrying the voice forward can spread it out more in the space rather that it being a little bit thin and reedy—
RH: Mm. Yeah.
PM: – which is what happens [gasps] When you [gasps], when you just take, take that little bit of voice at the top of the chest. So, what, what I’m doing at the moment is, is, sort of, breathing very sharply—
RH: Yeah.
PM: – and, sort of, almost a little—in a little panic. It’s upper chest breathing, we call it.
RH: Yeah.
PM: And it—you notice how much my voice has, has lost oomph.
RH: Oh, I feel—
PM: Yes.
RH: – like I’m struggling to—
PM: And, and there’s a bit of tightness there—
RH: Yeah.
PM: – where as soon as I take the voice—
RH: I’ve relaxed with you.
PM: – suddenly you get, you get, you get that—it, it sounds as if the person is feeling is okay.
RH: Mm-hmm.
PM: It sounds as if they know what they’re talking about.
RH: Yeah.
PM: Mm.
RH: But physically I relaxed as soon as you did that.
PM: Yes. Yes.
RH: And as soon as you did the, the upper chest breathing—
PM: Yes, because we feel for people, don’t we?
RH: Yeah, absolutely. You can’t help but empathize, can you?
PM: We feel their tension, and their, you know, and their, and their fear. Yeah, absolutely.
RH: Years ago, a very famous A-List Hollywood celeb-type lady did an, an, er, awards acceptance—I think it’s a huge award—and was vilified for the fact that she, she, she broke down in tears.
PM: Mm.
RH: She was—and, and the whole “sob trying to speak”—
PM: Yes.
RH: – and say thank you’s, etc., etc.
PM: Yes.
RH: Now, I’m not gonna be a hater. I, I can’t even remember the details of it, but, erm, what we—when you do—if you do get the opportunity—it is quite rare, now—
PM: Mm.
RH: – but if you do get the opportunity to thank you, or you’re asked for a few comments on the importance of inclusivity and diversity of your business because you’ve just won the Inclusivity and Diversity Award—
PM: Yes, yes.
RH: One, yeah, you need to know what you’ve put in your application and what inclusivity and diversity is—
PM: Mm.
RH: – but, more importantly, we don’t want to have that—
PM: No.
RH: – over-awed feeling.
PM: Yeah.
RH: How would you—what, what tips to you have to, kind of, help prepare people, so they don’t have that, “Uh.”
PM: Yeah. Well, the first thing is take a few deep breaths, dear—
RH: Yeah.
[Laughter]
PM: – because, actually, that’s, that’s the standard. [Takes breath]. Come on, calm yourself down.
RH: Yeah.
PM: It’s the standard thing we say to everybody when they’re, when they’re panicking.
RH: Yeah, yeah.
PM: So, you let the breath help you. And then, again, be prepared.
RH: Mm.
PM: So, it’s unlikely to happen, but you should always be prepared. Okay, somebody might say to me, “Erm, how do you feel about getting this award?”
RH: Mm.
PM: You must be prepared for that because if you’re prepared—just a couple of sentences. Oh, you know, “I’m, I’m, I’m so excited. It, it, it will mean such a lot to this company. It’s a new company, and to have this publicity will mean everything.” That’s enough.
RH: Mm.
PM: You know. It, it, it doesn’t have—
RH: Less is more.
PM: Yes. Yes.
RH: You don’t have to thank everybody that you know or like because you’re going to miss somebody.
PM: No, no, no, no. You don’t. Yes.
RH: Of course, you are.
PM: Yes. Yes. Yes. And I think in the business world, erm, I think that’s particularly true. I think when you come to celebrities getting, you know, awards for films and what have you, there’s a—it’s a slightly different—
RH: Of course.
PM: – a, a different situation, isn’t it? You know, they’re expected to be a bit more effusive, or a little more, you know, sort of, “Oh, Darling,” you know, “This is wonderful,” and all the emotion. But as, as you pointed out, if the emotion takes over—
RH: Yeah.
PM: – the control is lost.
RH: Yeah.
PM: And everything that you’ve prepared, and everything that you want people to feel about you can be destroyed—
RH: Mm.
PM: – because what you remember is the emotion—
RH: Mm.
PM: – and not what is being said.
RH: And some people will be a little cruel about it.
PM: Oh, yeah. Oh, always. Given the opportunity, there will always be some of those.
RH: Yeah, some of them. Erm, very few, but, you know, you, you want to remembered for all the good things.
PM: Yes.
RH: You want to—er, and, and, and I do say to, to my clients, “Less is more.”
PM: Mm.
RH: If all you can think about is inclusivity and diversity, for argument’s sake, is, is core to our business—
PM: Mm.
RH: – and then just look at the person and kind of go, “I’m finished.”
PM: Yes.
[Laughter]
RH: Then that’s fine.
PM: Yeah.
RH: It doesn’t have to go—in fact, everybody around that—those tables who is waiting for their award category to be, to be announced, er, is praying for you to finish.
PM: Yes.
RH: So, you don’t want War and Peace, do you?
PM: Oh, yes. I mean, that’s the other thing you want is you mustn’t go on for too long—
RH: Mm.
PM: – because the person who is organising the event has a particular time slot, and, you know, what comes next may be time-dependent.
RH: Yeah.
PM: Er, it’s the same as, you know, being at your conference and you’re listening to a load of speakers, and—
RH: Yeah.
PM: – you’re on last in the morning. And the one before you has taken half an hour more than they were supposed to, but nobody stopped them.
RH: Yeah.
PM: Where does that leave you, you know?
RH: Yeah.
PM: It, it—time, actually having an awareness of time and how long you should speak for is really important. And I think people should ask.
RH: Yeah.
PM: You know, if they think they’re going to be, erm, given the opportunity to speak—
RH: Exactly. There’s nothing wrong with that.
PM: – find out in advance, you know, how, how much do you want me to say—
RH: Yeah.
PM: – so that you’re plan—again, you’re, you’re prepared.
RH: Yeah. Should I be fortunate enough to win this category, am I just going up and accept, handshake, and photograph?
PM: Yes. Yes.
RH: What’s the process—
PM: Yes.
RH: – just so I’m prepared?
PM: Yeah.
RH: I’ve got the right shoes on. Whatever.
[Laughter]
PM: Because, because—well, then, of course, you don’t get any nasty surprises either.
RH: Oh, I hate a surprise. Other than birthday surprises. That’s fine.
PM: Yes. Erm, preparation in all areas of what’s going to happen is what’s going to make you feel better on the occasion.
RH: Especially if you are one of that part of that population, probably the majority of the population, who will say, if asked, “Oh, I don’t like to speak in front of people I don’t know.”
PM: Oh, yes. Yes. Well, introvert personalities are going to be key there, aren’t they?
RH: Mm.
PM: Or even, you know, if you’re a little bit on the fence. You’re a bit introvert and a bit extrovert, that situation is a scary one.
RH: Mm.
PM: And so you have to mitigate that by actually deciding how you want to face it, what you’re going to do, what you’re not going to do, and make those decisions in advance.
RH: Mm.
PM: And prepare accordingly.
RH: Mm. I mean, it’s, it’s amazing. It’s, er, fascinating hearing you speak about it, and especially from the—almost the internal side—
PM: Mm.
RH: – the, you know, where is your voice coming from?
PM: Yes.
RH: Because you can—if you start to hear yourself, kind of, a bit a higher or a bit tight—
PM: Mm.
RH: – I call it “tight-chested,” I know that’s not—
PM: Yes.
RH: – official. But if you can hear yourself in that, then you know what’s going on. You can, kind of, go, “Oh, hang on. Let me just right this.”
PM: Mm.
RH: It’s not lost. You don’t have to have the rest of your judging session—
PM: No.
RH: – in that same place.
PM: Yeah.
RH: Hmm. Let me just catch my breath and have a think about. That was blooming good question. I’m playing for time.
PM: Yes. Yes.
RH: And the judges might even know that, but they’re not there to, to—they’re not haters.
PM: No.
RH: They’re there to get the information from you so they can make a valid decision about your entry.
PM: And it’s also quite—it-, it’s useful to be prepared to say, “Do you know? I haven’t got the faintest idea, but that’s something I definitely need to look into.”
RH: Mm.
PM: Be honest.
RH: Yeah.
PM: You know, if you’re honest, nobody on that panel is going to think, “Oh, she should’ve known that,” you know, because you can’t make that judgement. Er, it’s much more about not—you, you don’t want to see somebody, sort of, going, “Oh, er, erm, oh.” You know, that doesn’t help, does it?
RH: Mm. No.
PM: But just, just be honest.
RH: Mm.
PM: Er, and it always works.
RH: Mm. Oh, it’s fascinating. So, I know you’ve been travelling around. You did stuff in Hong Kong and—
PM: Mm. Yes, I’m there again this year.
RH: Are you?
PM: Yeah. In fact, this year, er, I’ve actually—they asked me to set the whole syllabus, so I’ve set 200 classes for, for the Hong Kong Festival for this year.
RH: God.
PM: It is their 70th festival, yeah.
RH: And that is all around—
PM: It-, it’s different ways of using the voice in English. So, er—
RH: Christ, and so it’s not even in—
PM: No, no. That’s the point. It’s with English as a Second Language for most of them which is incredible, isn’t it? I mean, I’ve, I’ve—
RH: People, we think we’ve got a tough job.
PM: I’ve—yeah, I know.
[Laughter]
PM: But, erm, but yes, so everything that could be done, really, in English. So, there’s a lot of public speaking—
RH: Wow.
PM: – even the little tots, you know, the four-year-olds enter the public speaking. It’s wonderful. Erm—
RH: How amazing.
PM: – erm, but then it might be the performing arts as well, so it’ll be, er, might be reading aloud. It might be poetry. It might be acting.
RH: Oh.
PM: All sort of things. Mm. Mm.
RH: Gosh. And what else is, er, is held in the schedule? What else are you up to?
PM: Oh, coming up. Oh, I—an, an interesting new, erm, contract which I should be in Shanghai this October. I’m waiting for the exact date.
RH: My favourite city. I love Shanghai.
PM: Mm. I’ve been there once before, erm, but, er, I—
RH: It would’ve changed beyond belief. It always does.
PM: They do all the time, don’t they? So fast over there.
RH: Yeah.
PM: But, yes. I’ve, I’ve, er, I’m going to be helping, erm, a lady who is actually Chinese by birth but has spent about 12 years working over here.
RH: Okay.
PM: So, erm, and she’s an educationalist. She’s gone back to Shanghai, seen that there is a little gap in the market where it comes to developing the skills in English within in the schools, and this is state schools—
RH: Mm.
PM: – er, so that she’s managed to get the backing of the local educational authority, and we’re doing a three-day course for, er, about 30 English teachers working in the primary sector about how to make their English, erm, more enjoyable.
RH: Oh, wow.
PM: So, it’s, it’s integrating, sort of, more performance techniques and things into the teaching of English. So—
RH: They don’t know what’s going to happen to them.
PM: [Laughs]
RH: They are gonna have such fun.
PM: Yes, it will be fun.
RH: What about in the UK? Have you got anything coming that, that chums can come along to?
PM: Erm, no. I mean, it—at the moment—
RH: It’s not because you’re so—
PM: – yeah, well, at the moment, unfortunately—
RH: [Indiscernible 21:29].
PM: – my open courses have had to be put on the back burner. In fact, I haven’t done any for about three years.
RH: Wow.
PM: Erm, it’s just, it’s [indiscernible 21:35] work now.
RH: Oh, okay.
PM: So, I’m, I’m doing, erm, I’ve got a couple of, erm, there’s [indiscernible 21:40] workshops 21:40 coming up before the end of the year, and to more prospective ones already in the pipeline for next year.
RH: Mm.
PM: Most of the time at the moment, I’m just working with individual clients—
RH: Mm.
PM: – but that can be, erm, at my home base in, in Hinckley, but also I do quite a lot of Skype. Erm, I’m working with a headmaster in Armenia at the moment. [Laughs]
RH: Isn’t it fascinating?
PM: Yeah.
RH: Did you even know this existed, Pat People 22:04? I mean, er, I, obviously, I didn’t ’cause I met you, ooh, on the networking scene, I would imagine—
PM: Mm. Mm.
RH: – the business networking scene.
PM: Yes. Yes, it would’ve been.
RH: But it is amazing—
PM: Mm.
RH: – that there are people, that’s no. You know, I was gonna say there are people like Priscilla. There isn’t. There’s Priscilla, and there are people who similar to what Priscilla does, but I would urge you, if you are that person, or you are in a business where you’re asking your people to speak, don’t ignore that poor [indiscernible 22:31] who is petrified.
PM: Mm.
RH: Support them. Let them find their voice—
PM: Mm-hmm.
RH: – with somebody like a Priscilla, or a Priscilla because the value that it brings to the business—
PM: Yeah. I mean, it, it, it’s been really interesting in some of the companies I’ve worked with, particularly when they do a lot of work on the phones—
RH: Yes.
PM: – because, obviously, where the, the voice is totally representing the company.
RH: Yep.
PM: So, i-, i-, if, if the people who are on the phones know how to do it well, how to come across as a friendly person, as an educated person, as a—somebody in control, immediately, the company has—er, is, is given a boost.
RH: Yeah.
PM: Er, and it’s so simple. I mean, I’m not saying it’s simple to change habits. Of course, it isn’t. It’s the same as anything else but focus and understanding is at the start of it.
RH: Yes.
PM: So understanding the fact that your voice—
RH: It is hard.
PM: – is not set in stone.
RH: No.
PM: You can do loads of things to it that will make it more effective.
RH: Well, we have a lady sitting on the sofa later today, Katie Neeves, who, who is absolutely going to be proof of that—
PM: Yeah.
RH: – because you’re going to be working with her—
PM: I am, indeed.
RH: – at a point in the future—
PM: Yes.
RH: – to help her to, to find her voice.
PM: Yes.
RH: Very much so.
PM: Yes.
RH: And that’s amazing. I’m sure she’ll talk about that in her vlog as well.
PM: Yes. Mm.
RH: But, erm, yeah. It is not set in stone. Changing your voice, adapting your voice does not mean that you’re becoming somebody that you’re not.
PM: No.
RH: It is very much about that finding—
PM: Finding your own way. Yes. Yes.
RH: Yeah. Yeah.
PM: But using science as a guide—
RH: Yeah.
PM: – because we know so much about, about the way that the voice impacts on people, the subconscious thing that’s going along. That little gremlin in the back of the brain—
RH: Mm.
PM: – which as soon as you meet somebody is saying, “Oh, I know what you’re like.” You don’t, but the voice is saying something about the individual which is affecting the listener.
RH: Yep.
PM: So, if you get that right fr-, from the beginning, you have m-, a much stronger, erm, ability to actually convert that into something which may result in sales or with, with that person or whatever.
RH: Might I ask a silly question, Priscilla? Forgive me if it is, but the difference between the male voice and female voice.
PM: Mm.
RH: I have noticed, er, when I am networking in a mixed group—
PM: Mm.
RH: – that there is always a hubbub and a level. You come into that room, and it’s vibrant.
PM: Yes.
RH: People are chatting.
PM: Yes.
RH: Sometimes when I walk into a women’s-only networking group, it’s right up here.
PM: Yes.
RH: And I’m thinking, “Whoa.” That’s actually almost hurt-, hurting my eardrum.
PM: Yes.
RH: But then when you’re in a—and it might only be there’s a, a boardroom table just over to my right. I’m just looking at that and thinking. It could be that there’s a group of women sitting around that table—
PM: Mm.
RH: – but quite often I’d be struggling to hear, and, and they might be sitting quite close.
PM: Yes.
RH: And then somebody asks a question in a conference, and the voices—is that about women not thinking it’s their place to be heard?
PM: Right.
RH: And I hate to gen—I know—
PM: No, no, no, no, no. Absolutely.
RH: But the difference between the male and the female voice—
PM: Yes. I mean, the—it—the male and female voice, basically, it’s about kilohertz. So, technically, it’s actually the, erm, number of times your vocal chords in your voice box vibrate together in order to produce sound.
RH: Ooh.
PM: So, erm, erm, t-, the physicality of the body and the physicality of the make-up of the vocal chords and, and the chemicals in the body, you know, the, the testosterone, etc., erm—
RH: Yeah.
PM: – affects what we hear. So, erm, for example, somebody who’s transgender, therefore, erm, when they’re on, when they’re on the hormone replacement, it’ll start slowly to make a difference to the voice—
RH: Ah.
PM: – but only to a certain extent.
RH: Mm-hmm.
PM: So, you sometimes have to help it a little bit more. Erm, but what, what we’re aiming to do is to—for women it’s very important that they try not to join in with the general hubbub because what you’re talking about is that when women get very excited, they all go up there. And then everybody’s up there, and it sounds like a huge load of birds all chirping in the trees. Erm, and, erm, obviously, the male voice has been, being intrinsically lower means that they tend to cut through the ambient sound more.
RH: Oh.
PM: So, you hear the male voices. In a, in a—where a woman works in a male environment, it’s very important that she thinks about a) her power. Erm, the issue with the not being heard is because we feel our own voices internally within the, the head.
RH: Yes. Yeah.
PM: And externally, we don’t quite understand what that is because it doesn’t make sense to our brains.
RH: Mm.
PM: We don’t—we can’t feel it out there.
RH: No.
PM: It’s in here.
RH: Mm.
PM: And for everybody, I would say, they probably think, “Oh, it’s fine.” I can feel it inside my head. It’s there. It’s big. But the problem is that is very often doesn’t carry through the air in that way, and it’s what the other person hears that matters.
RH: Wow.
PM: So, you-, you’ve almost got to—the best thing is to record your own voice.
RH: Yep.
PM: Play it back. What can you hear? Do you hear power, or do you hear this little voice that’s sort of just carrying a little way through the air and isn’t really making an impact?
RH: Yeah.
PM: And you can see it all the time when, as you say, sitting round a table, people will not be using enough power to be heard—
RH: Mm.
PM: – but they have no idea.
RH: And it’s not about shouting.
PM: No.
RH: It’s not about shouting.
PM: No. It’s not. It’s, it’s about the physical presence of the breath pushing the sound forward, but, actually, it’s not just physical because your brain has to also say, “It’s okay.” So, your brain—
RH: Wow.
PM: – has to join in and go, “Yes. I actually do want to reach you over there.” So, it-, it-, it’s that sense of it too.
RH: Sometimes I read about very famous, well-known, powerful, perceived powerful women like Margaret Thatcher—
PM: Mm.
RH: – and people will say that they have their voice trained to drop to—
PM: Yes.
RH: – be, to be on a similar level to a fellow’s—
PM: Yes.
RH: – in order to do what you’ve just said. I wonder if that’s true.
PM: Yes. She did have extensive voice coaching—
RH: Ooh.
PM: – er, and that was—if you think about the times, not only was she one of the few women in Parliament at the time, there had never been a female leader of a party, never, never mind a, you know, a female Prime Minister.
RH: Yeah.
PM: And science tells us that there—the males tend to listen for male voices more.
RH: Mm.
PM: It-, it’s sort of common sense.
RH: Mm.
PM: You, you, you tune into something that you understand—
RH: And know. Yeah.
PM: – and that you know. Yes. And that you’re comfortable with. So, obviously, you-, you-, you’re listening, your, your ears are picking up on that frequency more than they tend to pick up on the high frequencies.
RH: Mm.
PM: Er, and so it’s true that bringing her voice down, which she did substantially, made her more effective—
RH: Wow.
PM: – in a, in a male environment. I think nowadays, I think there was some recent, erm, survey that said that women’s voices, ambient, sort of, the ambient pitch of women’s voices seems to have dropped a little bit in the last, sort of, 20 years.
RH: Oh. That’s very interesting.
PM: And it may have something to do with the fact that women feel they have more power now. So, in other words, we’ve, we’ve been given by all the things that have been going on, I suppose, in the world, there’s more of a sense of, of women actually now are there. They’re in a position where they’re ready to take on these, these roles, and, therefore, the voices are, are coming into that middle zone between the two sexes where they’re almost non-gender.
RH: Wow.
PM: So, so, there is, there is a, erm, i-, it—ideally, I think it’s meant to, to suggest that there’s more likelihood that you’ll be heard and understood and listened to, but only time will tell.
RH: Is that fascinating?
PM: Mm.
RH: That’s absolutely blooming fascinating.
PM: Mm. And there’s new research coming out all the time. I mean, it’s—loads of books around. Erm, I’m reading a book at the moment called Now You’re Talking by a man called Trevor Cox.
RH: Mm.
PM: And he is a scientist, and it’s absolutely fascinating. He brings in everything from how did humans first start to talk?
RH: [Gasps]
PM: What do we think were the—was the beginning of speech?
RH: Wow.
PM: Erm, and then right up to, erm, the electronic enhancement of voice—
RH: Mm.
PM: – you know, what effect does that have on, on us? Er, what’s going to happen with the robotic voice? Are we going to react to it in the same as human voices or, you know?
RH: Yeah, because, er, back in the day, erm—Stephen Hawking’s no longer with us, sadly, but can you remember when you first started—
PM: Yes.
RH: – hearing that voice.
PM: Yes.
RH: That was “duh-duh-duh” and you’re thinking that’s really quite difficult to listen to.
PM: Mm.
RH: And he did, it did change—
PM: Mm.
RH: – over the time—
PM: Mm.
RH: – but also when you—it, it just—it explains some—well, it highlights some of the problems around inflection—
PM: Yes. Yes.
RH: – and accents, and—
PM: Because really, ideally, what we need is a lot of movement in the voice.
RH: Mm.
PM: Er, again, some American, erm, research said—suggested quite strongly that a charismatic voice needs extreme movement.
RH: And I’m just thinking about some of the really charismatic people I know. Boy, yes, they do.
PM: Mm.
RH: Yes, they do.
PM: So, really high, really low, and everything in-between. Loads of tunes. Lots of stuff going on, and that’s what keeps us listening.
RH: I had a teacher at school, Mrs. Hill, and, er, she’d read very loudly. She’d drop her v—and you—
PM: Mm.
RH: – to the point where you’re straining to listen. Like, “Lady, that is not helping.”
PM: Mm.
RH: Well, it was because it was—
PM: Making you listen.
RH: – making sure you didn’t nod off—
PM: Yes, the very end.
RH: You wouldn’t on many levels—
PM: No.
RH: – with Mrs. Hill, believe me. That was not a class you ever fell asleep because you’d wake up dead. Erm—
PM: Mm-hmm.
RH: – but she, she—looking back on it—
PM: Yeah.
RH: – and I’ve thought about it over the years. Er, she was doing it to make sure her class kept with her—
PM: Yeah, the variation is key.
RH: – whereas, the more drone-y teachers—
PM: Yes. Yes.
RH: And you’re like—
PM: You tend to switch off.
RH: Oh, well again. It’s a struggle.
PM: Yeah. You know, I’ve sat in many a conference where, you know—
RH: Oof. Terrible.
PM: – the speakers are all there because they know their subjects.
RH: Yeah.
PM: Some of them are riveting—
RH: Yeah. [Indiscernible 32:35].
PM: – and you, you think, “Oh, where did that 45 minutes go?”
RH: Yeah.
PM: And—
RH: But of quite a lot—
PM: – you’re thinking about your dinner ten minutes in.
RH: Yeah. Yes. So true.
PM: [Laughs]
RH: And the worst thing with me, the older I get, now particularly, jelly neck, rabbit eyes 32:51—
PM: Yes. Yes.
RH: Jelly neck, rabbit eyes.
PM: Yeah.
RH: So, I’m thinking, “Oh, this is really—”
PM: [Laughs]
RH: And, and but I can’t help it.
PM: No.
RH: I’m really, kind of, beating myself up internally—
PM: Yeah.
RH: – thinking, “Rach, come on.”
PM: Yeah.
RH: This is not encouraging the speaker, but I—Give me the pillar to sit behind just in case.
PM: That is human nature.
RH: Oh, it’s oh, terrible though.
PM: [Laughs]
RH: I feel terrible, but I think the big lesson that I’m hearing from this is you do not need to struggle. I have no idea what a session with you would, would charge, and I’m not suggesting we discuss money, but I’m quite sure it’s—especially when you look at it and the value over your career—
PM: Yeah.
RH: – it ain’t gonna be a huge investment—
PM: Mm-hmm.
RH: – but you can do something about that whether you are a, a more timid fellow or a more timid, er, lady, er—perhaps timid isn’t even the word—
PM: Mm.
RH: – but you do not have to struggle. Just because you’ve been promoted to manager does not mean that you are gonna be star excellence on the presentation scene.
PM: Mm-hmm.
RH: It-, it’s—it is a skill. If you’ve got it naturally, bloody hell, well done, you.
PM: Yes.
RH: But how many of those have you—
PM: Yeah, there’s not that many.
RH: – that’s in your career. I know that I’ve probably met two, maybe three—
PM: Mm.
RH: – in all the conference work and all the [indiscernible 34:00] work I’ve done, in your field with the acting—
PM: Mm.
RH: – work as well that you’ve done.
PM: Mm-hmm.
RH: You’re probably—well, you’re definitely more, er, able to comment on that. But there are few people, in my opinion, that are born with it. It’s a skill. It’s a gift. And so is the presentation—
PM: Mm.
RH: – skills with the voice. You don’t have to struggle.
PM: Mm.
RH: There are people out there who can help. Priscilla’s contact details, as ever, will flash up at the end of this video so you can get into contact with her. Have a look at the website. I, I believe there’s a whole load of tips and hints and downloads.
PM: Mm, lots of stuff you can, you can download.
RH: Yeah. Over a, a career of, of, of excellence.
PM: Mm.
RH: Erm, so, you know, even if you don’t get to book or talk to Priscilla herself, there’s a whole load of stuff there, and that book sounds fascinating.
PM: Mm. It’s a really good read.
RH: That book sounds fascinating.
PM: And it’s, it’s not at all—well, yeah. There’s some technical stuff in it, but I think the ordinary layperson could get a lot from it.
RH: Yeah. Baggins me 34:52 could read it and, kind of, go, “Ooh.” It sounds like it.
PM: Mm.
RH: It sounds like it.
PM: Mm.
RH: Ah, I’ve just such a blast. Thank you so much for making time and coming to speak.
PM: Mm. Thank you for asking me.
RH: Oh, it’s an absolute pleasure. Now, before we let you go, we have three highly-questionable questions—
PM: Okay.
RH: – that we always ask everybody who sits on the Sofa of Success, erm, quick fire. So, er, let’s say that Priscilla is sitting at an awards ceremony. You’re a finalist. You know you’re a finalist. And somebody stands on the stage and says, “And the winner is Priscilla Morris.”
PM: Mm.
RH: Do you celebrate with your team, family around you, high five or bear hug?
PM: Ooh. I think I’d hug everybody. Yes.
RH: Well, marvellous. I do like a hug. Erm, you go up on to the stage. Would you just take yourself, or would you take your team with you?
PM: Oh, I’d take myself because I’m an extrovert, and I like to have the spotlight. [Laughs]
RH: Oh, marvellous. Brilliant. Love it. Erm, I’m at the bar. “Hey, Priscilla. You’re a winner. Do you want Champagne or Prosecco?”
PM: I want Champagne, thank you very much.
RH: It’s been a Champagne morning. Pam Marr, Superstar, who works with me at The Awards People is a Prosecco person, so I’m hoping she’s watching this from her holiday going—
PM: [Laughs]
RH: She’s gonna be filling the next calendar with Prosecco drinkers, I’ll tell you that for free, er, but Champagne is in the lead. It’s—no. There are no right or wrong answers, Rach.
PM: [Laughs]
RH: [Whispers] Champagne. It’s a celebration. You just won.
PM: Absolutely. Yes.
RH: But there’s room for everybody, of course. We had a lady on the sofa, Sandra Pollock, do you know Sandra?
PM: Yes, I do.
RH: Yeah?
PM: Yes.
RH: It’s pint of Guinness.
PM: Oh, there you go.
RH: I was like, “Really?”
PM: Yeah.
RH: Awesome. [Laughs]
PM: Yeah.
RH: Thank you so much for taking part—
PM: My pleasure.
RH: – and having a bit of a giggle with us. Thank you for imparting some of your wisdom. I have learned so much, as I always do when I talk to Priscilla, if I’m honest—or listen to Priscilla.
PM: [Laughs]
RH: Erm, I hope we get to hear you again. I hope we get to hear you speak or lead an event. Good god, Leicestershire businesses, perhaps we ought to see whether we can skimmy 36:52 in to, to Priscilla’s diary for next year and do something—
PM: Mm.
RH: – ’cause this is just valuable.
PM: Mm.
RH: It’s life-enhancing.
PM: Yeah. And it can help anybody.
RH: Yeah. In any part of their—
PM: Yes.
RH: – their life, their career, their stage in development. And if you can just let that, “I don’t like public speaking. I don’t like presenting,” go, can you imagine what it can do to your life and your career?
PM: Mm.
RH: It’s freeing.
PM: Mm-hmm. Yes, it is.
RH: Thank you so much for coming—
PM: You’re welcome. Thank you.
RH: – and speaking. I’m thrilled to see you. Good luck with all your next lot of travels.
PM: Thank you.
RH: I can’t wait to hear more about it.
PM: [Laughs]
RH: Wow. We’re gonna have to raise the bar for the next guest, aren’t we? So, erm, that’s Rach and Priscilla Morris, er, talking to you from the Sofa of Success. We will see you next week, friends. Er, until then, it’s over and out.
[ENDS]