🎧 Weekly Insight #40: Small Practices, Big Shifts — Building Vocal Presence in Daily Life

I recently had the opportunity to speak at BA & Beyond 2025—a gathering of professionals, facilitators, and change-makers from across Europe. The sessions followed a creative theme based on coffee—something close to my heart and perfectly aligned with the #NoBox spirit of the event. My keynote in Copenhagen was a lungo, meant to steep slowly and linger. A few days later, I led a ristretto session in Utrecht—a short, strong burst meant to spark awareness.

Later on, I read a comment that got me thinking.
It said, “I’ve never really paid attention to my voice—it’s just something that’s always been there. But now I realize how much it influences how people understand me, how I guide a room, and how I’m perceived when things get complex.”

That moment captured exactly what I aim to share:
Voice isn’t always about putting on a show.
It’s about showing up.
It’s how you hold space in a conversation, a meeting, or even a text message.

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Why Voice Awareness Matters—Even in Everyday Life

We tend to think of voice as automatic.
But like any skill—like writing, listening, or focusing—it improves when we bring attention to it.

In the sessions I led, we didn’t do voice drills or public speaking exercises.
We tuned in.
We explored how breath shapes sound.
We asked: Where in the body do you feel your breath?
Is it high in your chest?
Low and wide across your back?
Are your shoulders lifting? Is your throat tightening?

These were small, practical checks—not dramatic techniques.
But they reveal patterns.

And when we understand our own patterns, we start to hear them in others too.
That’s where communication shifts.
Not because we sound more polished—but because we sound more present.

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Try This: Selective Awareness for Voice

In my keynote, I shared a short video experiment called the “Selective Attention Test” (watch it here).
It shows how easily we miss what’s right in front of us when we’re focused on something else.
Voice is similar. We often don’t notice it until it breaks down or gets misunderstood.

But focused attention changes everything.

You don’t need a formal routine or hours of structured training.
You just need small, regular touchpoints—like a 12-minute practice.

Margaret Harshaw was my voice teacher, and I’ve mentioned her before as one of my biggest influences. One thing she taught has stuck with me: she believed it was better to do 12 minutes of focused practice than spend hours just going through the motions.

Over the years, I’ve put that 12-minute practice idea to use. What she taught was simple but powerful: start your day by waking up the body with a short 11- or 12-minute session. That might mean getting your breath involved, gently warming up the voice, or practicing something specific you plan to revisit later. Her approach went against the grain—back then, people would spend hours in practice rooms, repeating things endlessly without clear focus. I’ve done that too. It felt like work, but often it wasn’t productive. Her method taught me to practice with intention, not just time.

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Practical Tools You Can Use Today

Here are three small ways to bring that idea into your daily life—whether or not you ever plan to step on a stage:

1. Record yourself speaking.
   Try sending a short unscripted voice message to a friend. Then play it back.
   Ask: Is this what I meant to convey? Did my tone match my intent?

2. Check in with your breath.
   Take 30 seconds before a meeting to feel your breath.
   Where is it? Shallow or deep? Can you ground it just a little more?

3. Accept the awkwardness.
   Listening to yourself can feel cringey. I get it.
   I made an audio recording of my keynote and only got 10 minutes in before I wanted to turn it off.
   But I learned something useful. And that helped me grow.

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It’s Not About Perfection

There’s a myth that good communication means no filler words, no pauses, no stumbles.
But the truth is—your voice doesn’t have to be flawless. It has to be you.

Filler words aren’t the enemy. They’re just signs you’re thinking.
If they take over your message, it’s worth adjusting.
But if they’re part of your natural rhythm, that’s okay too.

Voice isn’t something you perform—it’s something you bring with you.
It reflects where you are, what you care about, and how you're showing up in the moment.

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When breath, tone, and intention align—even briefly—people notice.

They may not know exactly what changed, but something lands.
That’s the shift we’re looking for.

Like a good cup of coffee, the impact may seem subtle at first. ☕

But it lingers. It wakes something up.

#DevelopingYourAuthenticVoice
#VocalPresence #LeadershipCommunication #EmotionalIntelligence #VoiceTraining #Resonance #Authenticity #Clarity #Confidence #VoiceMatters