Update: I remember Yolanda, my voice instructor back in college, explaining the importance of breathing from the diaphragm. The gut is where a singer gets the power for punching and sustaining her notes. It's important to breathe from the gut.

Yet another important element is the sound of the notes. You can actually enhance and expand your voice to sound richer and fuller. We'll cover that today in the...

Feature Article: Secret for a Robust Speaking Voice

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And a one, and a two, and a one...

Little GTO, you're really lookin' fine
Three deuces and a four-speed and a 389
Listen to her tachin' up now, listen to her why-ee-eye-ine
C'mon and turn it on, wind it up, blow it out GTO

Wa-wa, (mixed with "Yeah, yeah, little GTO") wa, wa, wa, wa, wa, wa
(mixed with "Yeah, yeah, little GTO")
Wa-wa, (mixed with "Yeah, yeah, little GTO") wa, wa, wa, wa, wa, wa
(mixed with "Yeah, yeah, little GTO")
Wa-wa (mixed with "Ahhh, little GTO") wa, wa, wa, wa, wa, wa

You oughta see her on a road course or a quarter mile
This little modified Pon-Pon has got plenty of style
She beats the gassers and the rail jobs, really drives 'em why-eye-ild
C'mon and turn it on, wind it up, blow it out GTO

Ronnie and the Daytonas

Today we say goodbye to Pontiac. And maybe to GM as well, as the government, who are experts at taxing and spending, try their hand in the automobile business. One has to wonder how running a country into the ground with debt qualifies them to run General Motors.

It was in the early seventies when dad brought home a Pontiac Firebird. It was Fire Engine Red with a 350, four barrel and black interior. It didn't have too much room in the backseat, but it was a good looker.

Yes, those were the days when we didn't have a care in the world about leaded gas, obesity or global warming. You could eat out and leaving a quarter tip for the waitress was respectable. And you could actually tune up your own car for under $25.

I miss those days. There's an old adage that went like this, "What is good for General Motors is good for America." Today Mr. Goodwrench is out of a job.

Secret for a Robust Speaking Voice

Dear Associate,

Have you ever wondered why you sound like your favorite vocalist when you're singing in the shower? And then you scold yourself for not auditioning for American Idol. But then you do a 180° turn after hearing your voice once again outside your bathroom.

That's because your bathroom acts like a resonating chamber. It enhances your normal voice and makes you sound richer and fuller. It's similar to speaking into a mic with a soundman on the other end tweaking your voice so you'd sound bigger than life.

Why is this important?

If you are a speaker, a coach, a teacher, a leader or anyone who communicates — the sound of your voice determines how successful you become. The more dynamic, authentic and powerful your voice is, the more credibility you have and the more favorable results you will get. Really.

And this is not only limited to professionals...

Your voice says a lot about you in social settings. A solid, strong voice makes you appear powerful, confident and vigorous. A squeaky, scrawny voice makes you seem weak, timid and lacking mojo.

So you ask, "How can I bring that shower voice outside the shower? Will it require years of training? Isn't there a shortcut?"

Well... yes. And no.

After decades of being an introvert, never speaking up and sounding like the low man on the totem pole — I decided I needed to make some changes. This was something I had to do if I was ever going to be successful at casual conversation. So I began searching for a way to tweak my voice to resonate like it does when singing in the shower.

Here's what I found...

The sound waves from your vocal cords travel via resonance as it leaves your body. The better the resonance, the better the sound quality. The secret is incorporating your body's natural resonators to create a natural, attractive and appealing voice.

Two of the most important resonators are located within your facial circle. Picture a circle in the area just below your forehead circling to your larynx. The sound from your larynx can be amplified through your oral and nasal resonators in this circle.

Do this exercise with me:

Take a deep breath and hum out loud, "Hmmm..."

Do you feel the buzz throughout your nose, lips and sinuses? If yes, you are tapping into the amplified power of your body's natural resonators. You are directing your sound through your facial circle.

Now practice this exercise with a twist. Say this slowly, "Hmmm, that cake looks delicious." Practice this some more until you can feel that slight buzz throughout the sentence.

Remember how this feels when you're speaking through your facial circle. It's important to duplicate this same buzz through your natural resonators when you're engaging in daily conversation. When speaking like this becomes routine, you will have a robust speaking voice.

Warm regards,