Listen to Voices That Move You

Improve the quality of your own voice by listening to a library of other voices that you admire or move you. That is the advice of speech coach Lilyan Wilder.

Listen to voices you like, that draw you to them. For speech coach Lilyan Wilder it was singer/actor, Paul Robeson whose voice had an "aliveness, vibrance, trueness and honesty of tone; singer/actor Yves Montrand who to her had (among other qualities)  "the sexiest sound ...ever heard"; actress Ruby Dee, whose voice has "a musical quality, a perky insinuating "listen to me' quality ...a pleasantness and authority that command and invite, a warm humanness about her sound."

If you listen attentively and repeatedly to such voices you like you'll pick up desirable qualities without effort -- by osmosis --  and gradually many of these qualities will become part of your own vocal characteristics  -- without any need to try and imitate the speakers or other vocal artists you listen to -- which would be disastrous.

Vocal qualities developed in this way will reinforce or enhance your natural deep feelings for your subject -- and your audience.