I Love Broadway Theater

...and I want to enjoy it as much as the next person.  Last night, I was in good company, attending a fabulous show, with great seats (Row F, center). "The Cripple of Inishmaan" http://www.crippleofinishmaan.com is not a musical but a play, with LOTS of dialogue.  The dialogue is almost in English.  The play is set on an island off of Ireland and the dialect is particular to the area- full of lilts and colloquialisms the American ear is not accustomed to and the actors, as far as I could tell, were not mic'd.  My role as a a member of the theatre triumvirate (show-audience-space) is to pay attention! The gentleman next to me thought he was discreetly texting throughout Act One.  THOUGHT.  Every time his bright light popped on, I was distracted.  I was further distracted by 1. irritation 2. my inner dilemma of what to say, how to say it (and still be polite!- yes, I'm a southerner) and 3. curiosity/amazement.  These orchestra seats are not cheap! Really? casual texting can be so important that the $100+ seat and amazing talent before you (hello? Daniel Ratcliff?) plays second banana to a text?
       This texting fool (yes, I would categorize him as foolish) was not a teenager, nor in his 20s.  I would say late 30s maybe.  Old enough to know better.
       I doubt that anyone reading this blog is a serial theater texter but I do hope that somehow the message is spread- no matter HOW discreet you THINK you are being, texting during a show is distracting to at least 4 - 5, maybe more, theater goers around you.  That light is like a beacon in a darkened theater.  If you are so disinterested in the play before you (and believe me, last night, that was not possible - the show is terrific) or not willing to participate in a great experience, stay home.  Go to Starbucks.  No one cares if you text there.
     The end of the story is that to my delight, this person and his friend did not return after Intermission.  Was it something I said? I hope so.

The Great Impression

I was fortunate to be a guest at last night’s fund raiser for BMCC (Borough of Manhattan Community College) held at 4 World Trade Center. (http://www.wtc.com/about/office-tower-4)   Last night was more than a fund raiser – at least for me- it was an emotional journey from college to 9/11 and back to the present.

Our elevator zoomed to the 54^th floor.  My emotional journey started with the panoramic view which was breath-taking.  It literally embraces you and sweeps you across the water. This massive, open space  (later to be divvied into offices) is unfinished.  The floors are cement; the walls are bare.  It seemed we filled the entire floor, which over-flowed with beautiful well-dressed people.  I loved seeing the diversity and hearing all the accents. It was truly a lovely representation that which is New York. 

            Robert De Niro, the evening’s guest of honor, walked past me to his seat.  Wow! It was like the parting of the Red Sea.  You could hear as well as see the effect his presence had on the room.  There was a beautifully edited video of his film clips and I remembered my own awe at seeing “Raging Bull” for the first time.  I was in college studying acting and I had never seen anything like the performance on that screen.  That began my life long admiration for this actor. 

Mr. De Niro was being honored, not for his acting, but his post 9-11 work to revitalize this area of the city. Ever hear of the Tribeca Film Festival?  His acceptance speech was gracious and really quite humorous.  He referred to BMCC as a wonderful neighbor and seemed quite humble and appreciative for the honor and partnership.   

            Later in the evening, four exemplary students were chosen to read personal essays about their experiences at BMCC.  While Robert De Niro made an excellent honoree, the food and wine were delicious, the view was spectacular… I believe it was the students who made the most impressive contribution to the evening.  Immediately following their highly spirited stories, a call to action was made.  In one of the many ways mobile devices can be used for the good, we were supplied a phone number to which we could text messages and pledges.  These were displayed on video screens around the room.  The response was overwhelming and the majority of these messages were directed towards the students and faculty- thanking them for jobs well done and supporting future efforts.

             A great movie is not just one scene, but one scene can leave the greatest impression.  For me, that moment in “Raging Bull” was De Niro’s transformation to the overweight club owner who destroys his own middleweight championship belt.  The success of last night was an accumulation of all the sights, tastes, and sounds, but in my humble opinion it was the students who provided the turning point- the perfect motivation for opening one’s heart and check book.  I know it was for me.    

Learn from the Pause

I had the pleasure of dining at the Princeton Club recently in the company of some wonderful business students from William Paterson University.  As part of their class assignment in "Best Business Practices" they are invited to dine with various business professionals in order to practice social etiquette and interaction skills.  I commend Dr. Sprayberry for this innovative experience and was thrilled to see my table of six students showing maturity and poise.  They also used their powers of observation to see them through some "tricky" situations.  When confused about what utensil to use or similar codes of contact, I felt their eyes on me and I hope I rose to the occasion.  I was reminded of this very simple and useful tool.  When in doubt, pause, observe before acting.  This is one of those times a pause is not to be thought of as a painful lull in conversation, but a powerful choice.

WHAT’S A WOMAN TO DO?

So, how does a woman convey vocal power and passion when she wants to be heard?  I have a few suggestions and it starts with taking volume off the table. Imagine you are a blank slate, like this female right here and you get to fill her in the way you would like to create the impression you want. Let’s pretend that in order to be heard, you are unable to raise your voice- volume is not an option- what are your choices?  Here in no particular order are options to consider.

Emphasis             Inflection            Enunciation              Pacing              Facial Expressions         

The factor that all five of these characteristics have in common is AWARENESS.  How would you judge your performance in these areas?  Let’s start with Enunciation and Pacing.  Literally, do people understand you?  (I always think of Chris Tucker yelling at Jackie Chan in RUSH HOUR, “Can you understand the words that are coming out of my mouth?”)   It’s not a bad idea to pretend that someone speaks a foreign language if it prompts you to hit your consonants and slow down.  Conversing in the business world means having an awareness of how you want to be perceived and speeding through your thoughts with only soft consonants and commas sprinkled  throughout can leave people scratching their heads. 

Inflection.  Does everything sound like a question? Like, you know what I mean?  Or are you hitting the right tone and stressing the important thoughts? Pay attention to inflecting upward at the ends of sentences or even being too sing-songy in an effort to make something sound important.  

I can’t stress enough, the importance of having your physical dynamics, most importantly facial expressions (but let’s not forget body language and gestures!) match the emotional tone of the message.  Smiling too broadly, tilting your head, shifting your body weight from side to side are small but significant signals that discount the messenger.

The very basis of my coaching philosophy is to empower my clients to think for themselves, make choices, experiment, try it out and decide: does this work for me?  While I am often put in the position of offering suggestions: “try this, try that,” I believe changes with the greatest impact come when the speaker decides for him or herself.  It starts with awareness. How do you sound? 

WOMEN AND VOCAL AUTHORITY

 After blogging about Vocal Fry, I had a few requests to write about the role of the voice in a women's desire to be taken seriously.  Being that I am a HUGE proponent of how you say something being more impactful than what you say, it starts with the voice.   My female clients consistently approach me with a familiar challenge: how to sound authoritative and powerful, without coming off like a ‘you-know-what.’ 

I’m going to speak in some generalities here, so let me say right off the bat I don’t mean to say that ALL men do this and ALL women do that.  But I have seen consistent behaviors in both sexes.  Today let’s look at VOLUME.

            Whether working shoulder to shoulder with men or not, women often make the mistake of “competing” – especially vocally.  And most often they will lose.     

The male voice may naturally deepen or resonate with added volume.  On the other hand, women who push vocally most likely pitch higher.  They may sound shrill and screechy.  This has to do with the amount of air being pushed through the throat and vocal coaching may be necessary to learn techniques for maintaining consistent pitch, while adding power.  Just take my word for it: volume is not always a girl’s best friend.    

The best illustration I can offer are news anchors.  I have coached in the broadcast industry for 15 years.  The idea is to sound conversational, warm, and approachable, yet, even while wearing highly sensitive microphones, anchors tend to throw their vocal energy to the camera, which may be anywhere from 12 - 30 feet away, depending on the shot.  The Viewer perception is more like 3 - 7 feet.  It definitely requires a certain mind set to keep the voice conversational regardless of camera distance.  Those microphones are capable of picking up whispers, but one of the biggest challenges, for men and women, is finding power through other means, besides volume. 

Typically men speak louder than women.  Period.  This is not necessarily true for me as I have been told my voice can be heard two New York avenues away.  Ahem!  But it is challenging to sit next to a booming male voice, night after night and NOT want to compete or imitate.  This does not happen only with Anchors.  Women in corporate board rooms all over the country may feel like screaming, believing they must yell to be heard, but in truth, very different techniques should be employed for channeling the power within. 

I'll be back next week. Stay tuned for more on women and vocal power.  

Vocal Fry 2

When last we met, my topic was “Vocal Fry” - that low energy, guttural sound that resembles the puttering emitted by a dying lawn mower.  I’ve heard it for years, but ever since reading that this phenomenon, craze, habit, whatever you want to call it has a name, I’ve become hyper aware of its prevalence in young women AND men. I was standing in a movie line recently and heard what I thought was four young women behind me, who to my surprise, turned out to be male!  What was really disheartening was how interchangeable the “personalities” were.  I found it difficult to distinguish one from the other. Nor did I detect much enthusiasm, although the topic was fairly interesting. 

            Individuality, especially in young people, has always seemed like a badge of honor: to stand apart from our families, have a voice, a presence, be heard… all the while, balanced with a desire to fit in and belong with one’s own age and social group.  I think of high school and how we struggle to fit in.  It is simply human nature to want a sense of community- to belong.  In my coaching work, I find that everyone wants to believe that he or she is seen and heard- recognized for who they are or what they have to offer. 

            This desire gets muddied when the voice sounds blasé and wimpy… weak.  I am a broken record when it comes to Intention.  What is the intention behind the words?  What do you really hope to accomplish?  What is the message behind the message? 

            Vocal Fry destroys more than vocal cords.  It diminishes the intention, muddies the message and confuses the listener.  I found myself thinking as I listened in on the movie line conversation, “Do you really believe what you are saying?”  It sounded like something being regurgitated in more ways than one.  

Vocal Fry fries more than your vocal cords

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hWTLdXj0aAg

It is less than gratifying to know that a vocal challenge I have noticed for years has now become a full blown “trend.”  If you haven’t seen the “Vocal Fry” report by Faith Salie (a PBS host, sometime actress and contributor to CBS Sunday Morning) please click on the YouTube link.  You might have read about this “trend” in the New York Times or seen it discussed on television morning shows. Google “Vocal Fry” and you can zip through over 6 million hits.  Google “vocal fry celebrities” and names like Kim Kardashian, Katy Perry and Britney Spears pop up.  And like, uh, if you don’t know what vocal fry IS, then stay tuned. 

Briefly, Vocal Fry is a particular style of speaking, heard mostly in young women- very little air supports the sound - so that the voice has a puttering or rattling sound like a dying lawn mower (my description).  It can even lead to vocal cord damage.  I first came across this occasionally in the late 1990's, when working with broadcast news anchors, but in the past few years, I’ve noticed a definite upturn in the number of women with this particular challenge.  Now it seems that it may not be a challenge at all, but the result of simple mimicry.  I mean, if a multi-millionaire celebrity does it, it must be right.  Right? 

The tendency to imitate what one is exposed to is profound, especially when the exposure is frequent and from multiple sources.  Add that some of these sources are popular celebrities and stir in the internet and super phones and you have an epidemic.  The “Valley Girl” sound, more recently known as “Up Talk,” took decades to take hold.  While it is now firmly entrenched in women of all age groups, (yes, and some young men) it still gets a bit of a bad rap, as offenders sound unsure or you know, like confused?

The reviews of Vocal Fry (who knew it had a name?) are mixed, but some researchers say the Fry is being associated with “educated, urban oriented, and upwardly mobile” young women. 

This is disheartening news for someone who coaches women still working to find their voice in the business world.  Young women seeking credibility and authority should not fall prey to mindless imitation in hopes of sounding cool.  In my opinion the Vocal Fry sound suggests a nonchalant, apathetic attitude and is not particularly pleasing or compelling.  There are ways to sound dynamic, interesting, and interested, and isn’t that a better objective?  I will explore vocal dynamics for women in future blogs but in the meantime, beware of the Fry!