All the tutors and course managers at NIDA Corporate have first-hand, professional experience in dramatic skills. One of the key and intense areas of actor training is vocal skills, learning how to extend and control the voice.
As an experienced theatre and screen actor, the very best moments I have at NIDA Corporate are seeing the light go on in people’s eyes when they understand how the dramatic skills we teach can help them in their working lives. I’ve seen this happen to everyone, from CEOs to young graduates entering their first employment.
I’ve always been so grateful for learning the principles of speaking Shakespearean text. Oh sure, I can hear you groaning! Before you dismiss me, try these few lines below. There’s a simple solution to something I know most people find incredible daunting.
The key to it all is the punctuation. (Yes, the commas and the colons and the full stops.) Here is the road map to help you know when to breathe and therefore, be able to speak.
Full stop/ Question / Exclamation mark= stop, pause and breathe
Colon / Semi colon = stop and breathe
Comma = take a little top up breath only.
That’s all you need to know to make sense of this verse. Go on!
Juliet. O Romeo, Romeo! Wherefore art thou Romeo?
Deny thy father and refuse thy name;
Or, if thou wilt not, be but sworn my love,
And I’ll no longer be a Capulet.
I’m willing to bet that felt and sounded better than you have ever read verse before!
And using this type of punctuation, to remind yourself about the stops and breathing, may forever change the way you address the work presentations you write for yourself or for others. Knowing how to write a speech that is easy to say means that you need to speak it out loud to know whether it works or not. It may seem obvious, but I know from my teaching experience that it is a brand new concept for some.
All the tutors and course managers at NIDA Corporate have first-hand, professional experience in dramatic skills. One of the key and intense areas of actor training is vocal skills, learning how to extend and control the voice.
After all, it is one of the most powerful tools when we communicate � we can all cite examples of clever, capable people we work with who are let down by the way they sound , the tone or the pitch or the rhythm of their speech patterns , the filler words they use (um, ah, like etc). To effect a change in your voice takes practice, which is why our course is calledHarnessing the Power of your Voice.
This course had been designed around basic vocal principles and is suitable for anyone wanting to understand their voice and enhance it. It’s a skill you can apply across any industry � including retail sales. Even UK retail chainJohn Lewis recently hired actors from The National Theatre to work with their sales representatives on their voice.
And if you enjoyed that experience,herearesome of the best jokes around. Seriously.
Diane Smith, Course Manager
