Post updated on 20 May 2013

I am pleased to announce preliminary dates and details for our next Sydney Vocal Toning course.

July course – Scheduled to commence on Tuesdays for five weeks running from the first week through to the last week of July 2013.

Course Overview

Vocal Toning is an opportunity to develop a healthier and happier relationship with your own voice and with the voices of others in your life. When toning we principally use our voice to produce extended vowel sounds, outside the constraints of words, pitch and rhythm. In each session We will explore together through vocal sound, how our voices can consciously be engaged as powerful instruments of love, healing and harmony. Just as Yoga relaxes and opens the body, vocal toning relaxes and opens up the human voice.

Each session includes explanatory information which supports a range of experiential group toning activities.

Over the course of five sessions, we will explore and experience the fundamentals of Vocal Toning for meditation, health and harmony. As the sessions progress more advanced toning techniques will be covered, providing you with a variety of voice-based meditative techniques for relaxation and self-healing. In each session, one or two circle participants will be the focal point of the group, providing an opportunity for everyone to experience focused sound healing toning from other circle members.

Audio Demonstration of Toning and Brief Vocal Toning Explanation

Additional Benefits and Outcomes

In addition to learning voice and sound techniques for health and meditation, you will:

• Develop a richer, healthier and happier relationship with your own voice;
• Become more conscious of your own sound and the sound of others;
• Open up your capacity to speak from the heart, with more warmth, expressiveness and authenticity;
• Find yourself listening to and understanding others and your environment with more depth, compassion and understanding;
• Understand the differences and merrits of vocal toning, spoken affirmations and mantra;
• Have available a range of easy vocal techniques which you can use anywhere to shift your mood, raise your level of alertness, or to release stress.

Expressions of Interest

If you are interested in the July course, and haven’t attended an introductory voice workshop with Tim previously, we will either be running a free intro session prior to course commencement or you will need to speak with Tim by phone ahead of time. Please email Tim at tim@vocalbranding.com.au if you would like to find out more. .

Registrations are taken on a first come first serve basis. Each toning circle course is limited to a maximum of 7 participants, to ensure group harmony and cohesion.

The course cost is $225, payable in full prior to session 1.

The toning circle course includes:

• Attendance at five 75-90 minute group vocal toning sessions (each followed by refreshments);
• The opportunity to receive a sound healing session from the group and
• Access to online links and course materials .

Where and When

The toning sessions will be held in Cooper Street, Surry Hills, just a few minutes walk from Central Station, starting at 7:15 and finishing by 9pm.

The Toning course runs for five evenings in total, occurring weekly.

Preliminary session dates for the July 2013 Toning Course

Note these dates are subject to change, and are dependent on sufficient course numbers.

• Session 1: Tuesday 2 July
• Session 2: Tuesday 9 July
• Session 3: Tuesday 16 July
• Session 4: Tuesday 23 July
• Session 5: Tuesday 30 July

If you are interested in the July toning course, please email me tim@vocalbranding.com.au to let me know, or to find out more, you can call me on 0419 779 669.

Toning Circle Participation Requirements

The toning circle sessions are sequential, and new information and techniques are covered in each session.

As we learn, share and use our voices together, we develop group trust and create a combined harmonic sound. When participants miss more than one session, this continuity as well as group harmony and cohesion can be disrupted.

to ensure all toning circle participants get the greatest benefit from the course, please carefully review the following requirements for participation:

1. You need to have attended either an introductory session or had a phone discussion with Tim, prior to attending a toning circle.

2. It is essential that you can attend and are present at the first toning circle session. If you don’t attend the first session, you may be able to transfer your registration to a future toning circle group, but no-one can attend later sessions of a toning circle unless they were present at the initial session for that circle.

3. You must attend three of the first four sessions, in order to participate in the final session.

4. You are encouraged to stay for tea and refreshments at the end of each session. Around 8:45 we have herbal tea and refreshments, so you can get grounded before going on your way. It is also an opportunity to informally connect and network with the other circle participants. We are usually done a little after 9pm.

5. To confirm your place in the course, a deposit of $90 is payable two weeks before course commencement, or if your course application is less than two weeks away from session one, the deposit needs to be paid in 24 hours to secure your place.

6. Full course Payment must be received , prior to the commencement of session 1.

A Note about Vocal Toning

Vocal Toning is the elongation of a sound using the breath and voice no matter the quality or pitch of the sound. Unlike singing and speaking, vocal toning frees us of judgment or assessment of the sound, instead focusing our attention on the quality of our intention. When toning we principally use our voice to produce extended vowel sounds, outside the constraints of words, pitch and rhythm. Toning works to bridge the gap between speaking and singing, releasing both the intellectual and the performance associations we tend to hold with the voice.

Vocal toning isn’t reliant on any particular religious beliefs, though it does draw upon ancient wisdom regarding sound across cultures and sacred texts.

About Tim Noonan

Tim Noonan is a voice counsellor, sound consultant , inspirational speaker , and the founder of Vocal Branding Australia.

Tim has a degree in Cognitive Psychology and Education, with a particular focus on how people process and comprehend auditory information.

A lifelong student, Tim’s formal studies also include a Diploma of Remedial Massage Therapy, a Certificate in Relaxation Hypnosis and extensive studies in energetic & sound healing.

Tim has been studying and working with voice for more than two decades and is a professional listener. He is the creator of the Vocal Consciousness approach – strategies and techniques which promote vocal understanding; foster expressive speaking and nurture insightful listening. As a person blind from birth, Tim has learnt to listen for countless vocal cues that reveal so much more than the casual listener is aware of; and once enlightened, your way of speaking and listening will change forever.

Tim conducts personalised voice counselling and presentation skills sessions as well as providing a variety of self development and corporate voice strategy services to business.

I was recently interviewed by the great folks over at Executive Assistant Network for their member newsletter, about the power of voice in business.

You can read the text of the interview below.

Article by Jason Jelicich

Blind since birth, Tim Noonan developed an extra ordinary sense of voice perception to help him better understand both people’s intent and the world around him.

He has since become an acclaimed voice consultant, pioneering the emerging field of Vocal Branding, where his focus is on building brands that sound as great as they look.

Jason Jelicich, the GM here at EAN, met up with Tim at his Surry Hills studio to find out more about the importance of voice in business.

What follows is the first of a 2-part interview series with part 1 looking at voice of the EA in business and part 2 looking at the voice of the Executive in business.

Q: When did you first start seriously thinking about the importance of voice in business?

When I think back on it, it was actually at school – how some teachers and authority figures used their voices to manage students and classes, imposing fear or respect.

But after school, before Uni, I worked for a year as a telephonist/receptionist for a building engineering company and quickly realised that the person answering the phone needed to be the one managing and leading the conversation – or corporate priorities and policies may be at risk.

While there I couldn’t help but overhear how many males would try to dominate females in sales and other situations. I began to realise that it took a real art and skill to be successful and respected in business conversations – this skill is principally expressed through how people engage and empower their voices.

As a blind person growing up in a seeing world, I sidestepped all the body language and posturing people use to try to give an impression. As a result I heard behind the posturing and gained deep insights into people from their largely unguarded and un-trained speaking. I read body language with my ears, and I’ve learnt that the voice tells much more about a person and their intentions than the way they stand or the way they look.

Q. From a voice perspective, what do you think are some of the key challenges for EAs & PA’s today?

Hmmm, it is a complex role – accountability is very high but formal authority is often lower. Skills of influence are key and voice is undoubtedly the most effective tool for influencing others. There is an art in exerting one’s will (or the will of one’s exec) without the other person resenting or reacting negatively. The Vocal Consciousness strategies which I’ve developed, give professionals in business more effective skills to handle such situations.

Also, sometimes you are speaking for your executive, other times, for yourself – how do you maintain a cohesive persona and sense of self when you have to move through and between these two states? Do you mirror the persona of your boss or do you complement it with a differing style? These are the kinds of things I urge EAs and others in business to be very clear on, or at least to start thinking more about.

Another challenge is that in this role you are often subject to displeasure or pressure from others, mainly coming through their voice. It’s important to be able to protect yourself from negative residue from these encounters – while responding optimally to the situation. The voice can be a very harsh weapon when wielded in anger or carelessly by others.

Most of us have been dominated through tone of voice as a child, and there are times when someone’s voice can trigger these kinds of past experiences. I sometimes work with people one-on-one to release that old negative voice domination – so they can maintain their personal and professional power as an adult. I show people ways to hear effectively and respectfully, while not being adversely impacted by others who show less respect when they speak.

Q: What are some tips you can suggest for our EAs to be more effective as communicators – over the phone or face-to-face?

V O I C E

I created the following acronym – you can read about these five elements of authentic speaking at vocalbranding.com.au/v-o-i-c-e.

V – Vibrant

O – Open

I – Intentional

C – Conversational

E – Emotionally expressive.

By employing these five elements of vocal authenticity, you can be more effective and more likeable in the workplace and elsewhere.

What we resist usually persists!

The benefits of likeability are under-rated in business! Often we are trained to push back (resist) in response to aggressive or dominant requests. If we can develop greater likeability, respect and clarity of message through a warm and clear tone of voice, we can stave off the pressure without losing energy through resistance. We also then retain our negotiating power – and our interactions are far more pleasant and less costly to our en

Buy Time

When you have a tricky negotiation or you know you are frazzled, try to buy (ask for) some time and space so you can better prepare and plan for the upcoming conversation. If you verbally acknowledge the person’s request and tell them you will check and get back to them, you have immediately eased the tension and pressure to make a decision or deny the request. When you initiate the ‘get back’ you hold more of the power. Warmly but firmly asking them to give you some time to look into a situation can trigger a subtle sense of helping and loyalty. This power comes from using Your Own Voice to make the request rather than sending an email.

Talk Rather than Type

When we send emails they carry much of the ‘information’ of a communication, but less of the personalization and intention. One reason for this is that email is a ‘Telling’ mode of communication, whereas the telephone is a ‘Conversational’ mode of communication. Conversation suggests greater equality and respect for the other party.

Explaining sincerely over the phone “I really wish I could get you in to see him sooner, but he is totally booked!” is much more powerful and builds better relationships than an email saying “I’m sorry, Mr. Smith is booked all day.” As well, voice enables us to convey a limitless number of feelings, emotions and intentions which add weight and authenticity to the information we need to share. Finally, spoken conversation gives us the opportunity to engage our voice and also to hear and sense the reactions of the other party immediately, this gives us the best chance of influencing a mutually satisfying outcome.

Q: How can people find out more about you and your voice consulting services or get in touch with you?

My website vocalbranding.com.au has info about the diverse voice services we offer – including business communication coaching for management and executives; corporate voice audits; designing world class telephone services and inspirational conference speaking on vocal authenticity and insightful listening.

Q: Thanks Tim, it’s always a pleasure speaking with you – now tell me how does MY voice come across to you?

Well Jason there is no doubt that your voice conveys a great sense of confidence, showmanship and of course flair, but are you really sure that your readers are ready to hear everything else that your voice subtly reveals to me about you…??

You can read the second interview, Voice and the Executive here.

About Tim

Tim Noonan is a voice and usability consultant, business Communication coach, inspirational conference speaker and the founder of Vocal Branding Australia. Tim has a degree in Cognitive Psychology and Education, with a particular focus on how people process and comprehend auditory information. Some of his clients include Westpac, Telstra, St.George Bank, The NSW Electoral Commission, Weber Shandwick PR, NSW Ministry of Health and the ATO.

Tim can be reached on 0419 779 669

This post has been prepared for attendees of AMP’s Amplify Festival presentation by Tim Noonan
Your Voice, Your Business, Your Brand!

“The way a brand sounds is extremely important. After all, as a consumer, we want to know if that brand sounds like elements of us and holds our values. Is it an auditory brand that we trust because it sounds like someone we relate to? We buy from people we trust, so hearing someone’s voice representing a company or selling to us is just the same. It’s one of the most important and overlooked areas of marketing. Get it right, and your turnover will multiply.” - Sara Mendes da Costa, the current voice of the BT Speaking Clock

Vocal Branding is the strategic and purposeful use of voice to amplify brand values, focus brand positioning and increase brand engagement. It realizes the intrinsic capacity of the human voice to transmit emotion, and its extraordinary potential to create compelling, durable and trusted brand relationships with clients, colleagues and customers.

Introduction

“Whether you are representing yourself, or are part of a major corporation, you are expressing and defining your brand every single time you speak.”

The human voice is the most overlooked and underused resource in business. Every company knows how it’s supposed to look, but do you know how your company should sound? Corporations invest billions on visual branding but it is the voice of your organisation – and every one of its representatives – which is the key to building and maintaining trusted relationships.

Hear why the techniques for vocal branding are as applicable to multinationals as they are to contact centres and face-to-face sales teams.

Our presenter, Tim Noonan, will make the case that there is no better way to build trust than the intimacy of the human voice. To create brand consistency and loyalty, be strategic and purposeful with how you use voice in every conversation throughout your organisation.

During this one-hour Samplify session you will find out how to:

• Deepen the emotional engagement with your brand
• Boost the power and impact of your message by as much as 38 per cent
• Captivate, engage and retain more people, authentically and in more ways
• Forge respectful, resilient and long-lasting telephone and face-to-face relationships between employees, clients and customers

In this presentation I refer to a variety of audio examples and case studies to demonstrate concepts and show how tightly voice and brands are inter-connected. Some are of clients we have been engaged to work with, and are linked below.

Please email us tim@vocalbranding.com.au to inquire about our corporate voice workshops and conference presentations.

What Is Vocal Branding

Vocal Branding is the strategic and purposeful use of voice to amplify brand values, focus brand positioning and increase brand engagement. It realizes the intrinsic capacity of the human voice to transmit emotion, and its extraordinary potential to create compelling, durable and trusted brand relationships with clients, colleagues and customers.

current Research into sound and emotion confirms that human vocalisations have the strongest emotional response in humans.

“sounds that evoke the strongest emotional response tend to be those from living things, especially other humans. Mechanical or environmental sounds tend to grab your attention, but are usually limited in how far they will take your emotional response, unless they tell you of specific dangers you want to confirm visually … Sounds deliberately made by living things are almost always communicative – the dog’s growl, the frogs croak, the baby’s cry – and are almost always harmonic (with variations from harmonicity bringing their own emotional response, such as cringing when someone screams)”
– Seth Horowitz, The Universal Sense: How Hearing Shapes the Mind

“Every brand should be clear about its voice, and consistent in the way it is heard... its power, its attributes and the ways in which it affects listeners….” - Julian Treasure Sound Business

On-brand voices harmoniously resonate with the values of the brand and imbue the brand with more personable properties that clients and customers can trust and relate to. They efficiently convey ideas, impressions and feelings from speaker to listener. In short, on-brand voices breathe life into the brand.

Voices that don’t reflect the brand – Off-brand voices – diminish and distort your brand’s power and integrity. They can either make the brand fall flat, or sound too sharp. An off-brand voice damages the overall brand image in the same way that an off-key singer or musician can spoil the harmony and aesthetic of a musical performance.

Vocal Branding strengthens brand experiences by carefully matching a brand’s values and personality with a voice able to express the vocal equivalents of those values and personality.

We are increasingly living in a ‘Seeing is believing’ world, and are losing sight of the enduring power of the human voice to touch, influence and ‘move’ people. This is a key reason why Vocal Branding is so relevant and necessary for leading-edge companies focused on building an on-going relationship with their clients and customers.

Contemporary Vocal Branding approaches result in more spoken messages in the marketplace that are inviting, suggest possibility, are engaging and compelling. They literally lay down the sound foundations on which an authentic conversation can build between the consumer and your brand.

Voices and Brands: Past Present Future

Past

Jingles, over annunciated speech

Present day

Better audio production, audio compression (loudness), silence and breaths minimised, hip voices, prominant music. More Mood-based than true emotionally-alive voice. Still strong echos of old DJ voice-over tone

The future

More subtle aesthetics in vocal, natural open expression, evocative questions

Greater linguistic equality and decline of superior speaking style.

Warmth

Breathing and pauses

Voice in foreground not so deeply submerged in background music bed

Evocative word choice, in place of power words.

Realisation of the human voice’s innate capacity (rightly guided) to express and transmit authentic emotion to the listener.

Vocal Branding is about moving from indiscriminate pushing messages and ideas out, to engaging and conversing. In essence its about having an authentic conversation with our customers, clients and buyers.

Mod ern voice approaches such as those described above offer promise and potential, and respectfully invite people into true connection and conversation with the brand and its community members.

When a baby is born, we know it is alive because it uses its voice to announce its arrival to the world. So, it isn’t much of a stretch to consider that the way to bring a brand to life, is to give it a clearer more declaratory voice.

Each time we speak, we are metaphorically giving birth to idea and to possibility, crystalising our intention into a more tangible form.

Other Presentation Themes and Ideas

The Relationship Between Voice and Trust

Our voice can invite trust, develop trust and we can also learn to listen at a more insightful level to assess or ‘feel’ trust based on the sound of another.

“The human voice forces its way into us. It is really inside ourselves that we hear it. To hear it properly we must allow it to vibrate in our heads and our chests, in our throats as if, for the moment, it really belonged to us. That is surely the reason why voices never deceive us.” – Jacques Lusseyran

I talk in more detail about Jacques Lusseyran and the importance of voice for assessing trust in my Voices, Relationships and Trust Video

“The voice is the gateway to our intuition and intuition is key to assessing trust.”

In my talk I argued that it is by restoring greater honour to our often overlooked sense of hearing, and through re-establishing a harmonious balance between the twin communications senses of Seeing and Hearing, that we are in a position to understand the world (people, things and situations) both from the perspective of its surfaces (through seeing) and its interiors (through listening).

“We have forgotten how to listen. Through the practice of deep listening, you will encounter your voice as your very self, with an acceptance and compassion that inspires a deeply felt process of self-enquiry.” - Chloe Goodchild

Many earlier cultures recognised that there is an inextricable association between the human voice and trust that is revealed through exercising our largely un-remembered skills of insightful “heart-felt” listening.

Our health, trust and our integrity is understood by others to be greater when our voice reflects healthy states of balance, for example:

• Balance between our thoughts and our feelings (head and heart)

• Balance between our inner world and our interpretation of our outer world experience;

• Balance between our Past and our Future (are we mostly in the present, the ‘Now’?

Trust can be assessed in the following ways:

• Being open to the possibility that human speech and human hearing/listening can read the emotions and assess the trust of another within a specific context;
• Rich speech which isn’t missing key emotional and personal information – I call head speaking empty speech;
• The congruency of our words and of our sound and body language is the key to trust;
• Deeper listening which involves dimming our visual processing (such as closing your eyes at the start of a telephone call);
• Allowing a voice to resonate inside us, to feel how it makes us feel, rather than limiting our focus to just the words;
• When questions or doubts arise, probing or seeking more information.

“Brand trust comes when the sound of your brand and its look and its values are all congruent. This trust is often undermined when we place insufficient attention on what voice to match with the rest of our brand.”

Why is the human voice being demoted and marginalised?

Why does our voice focus seem to be declining?

• Drop in interest and concern about Vocal fidelity and audio fidelity;
• Digital phones and low-quality voice codecs;
• Photos and videos are easier to take than capturing quality voice recordings;
• Facebook and Twitter and SMS are short form communications, often done in noisy places, on the quiet and by typing alone;
• Voicemail largely failed in ease of use and efficiency, interactivity was too timing dependent;
• We’ve got out of practice in the art of conversation and storytelling round the fire or singing round the piano – now we largely consume audio visual materials;
• Language and a lexicon around voice has been stolen by marketers and others. e.g. “write using a clear tone of voice” and giving someone a voice on social media;
• A continual move forward with visual art and design, but our use of voice has largely stayed still in comparison;
• Too much empty speech – really just the words converted to sound;
• Excessively disrespectful, plastic, patronising and superior use of voice in media and advertising. AM radio broadcasters, politicians, advertisers – so many of these use a telling mode of communication – using the voice to tell us how to act and what to think;
• People – particularly social media promoters – demoting the significance of speech by Equating speaking with provision of information;
• Technology’s current inability to reverse engineer and truly understand the richness of human spoken communications suggests to us that what we don’t understand or remember, doesn’t matter or doesn’t exist. Meaning is frequently equated and limited to machine-readability of data.

How is our use of voice changing over time?

The way we communicate and use our voices has changed dramatically, as have the expectations of listeners. So whether you are conducting a performance appraisal, leading a team or launching a new initiative for your organisation, using more of the contemporary approaches below will maximize interest, enthusiasm and engagement.

Free eBook and Vocal Essence Newsletter

During this talk I mention my presentation skills eBook ‘Your Voice is Your Business: Seven Voice Strategies for Vocal Brilliance’. Read or download my Your Voice is Your Business eBook.

You may also wish to subscribe to Vocal Essence our occasional Voice and Vocal Branding Newsletter.

What is Vocal Consciousness?

Tim Noonan’s Vocal Consciousness approach is a set of principles and strategies which:

• promote vocal understanding;
• nurture expressive speaking; and
• foster insightful listening.

Vocal Consciousness is the journey of becoming more consciously aware of our own voice, and how we engage it, as well as becoming increasingly more conscious of the voices around us. Indeed, Vocal Consciousness is a journey from self consciousness, through to an increased consciousness of the self.

All of us, to a lesser or greater degree, unconsciously read and understand vocal language (tone of voice). After all, vocal language is the first kind of language communication we ever encounter, from inside the womb, and of course, when we are infants.

As we grow up, however, we are taught to restrict our own honest uncultivated vocal expressiveness; we are taught to behave, to suppress, and how to conform. In fact, we are rewarded for exercising a socially acceptable form of emotional repression, even dishonesty. We learn that it is often a bad thing to honestly express how we feel.

This teaching – by parents, siblings, school-mates, teachers, employers and the media – comes under many labels: “appropriateness” “stoicism”, “self restraint”, “professionalism” or “maturity”. But, no matter how it is labelled, it robs us of comfort in the natural act of expressing ourselves, truly expressing who we are and sharing our true feelings. It trains us to become more wedded to our intellect at the cost of becoming more disconnected from our emotions.

Over time this socialisation can lead to us giving less conscious attention and intentionality to our own speech, and bringing less respect and attention to others when they speak.

The result is that more often than not, when we hear someone speak, we dismiss or partially close ourselves off to what we hear and what we feel. We have been taught to give disproportionate importance to the words people say and to the body language people convey. We learn to dismiss and mistrust what we often describe as our ‘gut reactions’ to the sound of a speaker’s voice. That is, we gradually lose connectedness with the innate gift we are all born with – our in-built sense of vocal intuition about others.

Read the full article on Vocal Consciousness here

Case Studies and Discussion of Vocal Branding and Contemporary Applications of Voice

Following is a selection of case studies and projects we’ve worked on at Vocal Branding Australia which demonstrate the scope and diversity of voice,technology and brand interactions.

• Contact Centre agent Presentations ‘Transforming Customer Experiences’ for Westpac & St George Bank
• Vocal Branding Audit, Voice Selection, Script Review and Vocal Direction for Red Energy
• Voice Design Presentation/Workshop for Stamford Interactive
• Audio Logo Development and Brand Consulting for Media Access Australia
• Telephone IVR and After Hours Call Centre Recordings for Mode Facilities Management
• NSW Electoral Commission’s iVote Telephone and Online Voting Initiative
• NSW Department of Health
• Australian Electoral Commission Telephone Voting Standard
• Leading Property Auctioneering Company
• Solotel Hotel Group Staff-Training Video
• Community Service Announcement for Royal Far West Children’s Charity
• Vocal Branding Audit of the Leading Telephone Dating Service in Australia

About Tim Noonan

Tim Noonan is a voice consultant and lecturer, telephony consultant, inspirational conference speaker and the founder of Vocal Branding Australia.

Tim has a degree in Cognitive Psychology and Education, with a particular focus on how people process and comprehend auditory information. A lifelong student, his formal studies also include a Diploma of Remedial Massage Therapy, a Certificate in Relaxation Hypnosis and extensive studies in energetic & sound healing.

Tim Noonan is a professional listener and the creator of the Vocal Consciousness approach – strategies and techniques which promote vocal understanding; foster expressive speaking and nurture insightful listening. As a person blind from birth, Tim has learnt to listen for countless vocal cues that reveal so much more than the casual listener is aware of; and once enlightened, your way of speaking and listening will change forever.

Some of Tim’s voice clients include: St.George and Westpac Banks; the NSW Electoral Commission; the NSW Ministry of Health; Red Energy; Optus; Webber Shandwick PR; the Advertising Federation of Australia and the Australian Bankers’ Association.

Tim conducts personalised voice and presentation skills sessions as well as providing a variety of corporate voice strategy services to business.

“The human voice allows us to literally Touch others from a distance; but the quality of that touching relies on the quality of our intention” - Tim Noonan

Introduction

This post has been prepared for attendees of the 2013 AMP National Conference Plenary Session.

‘Vocal Branding’ – Main Plenary

“The human voice is the most influential sound on the planet”.

As a professional listener and creator of the Vocal Consciousness approach, Tim Noonan knows better than most the incredible power of the human voice.

Tim’s fascinating and informative presentation will explore the importance of voice in developing open and sincere trust-based relationships in addition to the intrinsic relationships between voice and likeability, voice and authenticity, and voice and trust.

From speaking with clarity and confidence to listening with a greater depth and understanding – you’ll be amazed at Tim’s insightful strategies and practical techniques to creating a richer, more meaningful connections in both your personal and professional life.

Please email us tim@vocalbranding.com.au to inquire about our corporate voice workshops and conference presentations.

• Learn how to use your own voice to create more meaningful and trusting customer connections face to face and over the phone!
• Learn strategies and techniques which promote vocal understanding; foster expressive speaking and nurture insightful listening.
• Learn a range of strategies and practical techniques for speaking with more clarity, confidence and compassion, and skills for listening to others with greater recall, depth and understanding.
• Exploration of the inevitable and essential relationships that exist between Voice and Likeability; Voice and Authenticity; and most important of all, Voice and Trust.

Presentation Intro

The human voice is the most influential sound on the planet. this is because of its unique capacity to harmonise thoughts, feelings and intension into a single unified sound.

In the nex 35 minutes we will explore a range of ways you can start to connect more consciously with your voice and engage your listening to tune up and even transform your client relationships, as well as your family connections and friendships.

The human voice is the most influential sound on the planet, and yet -

it is one of the most under-utilised and overlooked resources in Australian business.

Fortunately, such as with AMP, this situation is starting to change …

Free eBook and Vocal Essence Newsletter

During this talk I mention my eBook ‘Your Voice is Your Business: Seven Voice Strategies for Vocal Brilliance’. Read or download my Your Voice is Your Business eBook.

You may also wish to subscribe to Vocal Essence our occasional Voice and Vocal Branding Newsletter.

Some themes covered in this talk include

Humming, Ahhhhhh (Vocal Valium) and Eeeeeeeee (Sonic Caffeine)

Vocal Toning – using the voice to produce sustained sound and elongated vowels – can rapidly shift our emotional state, release stress or even raise our level of alertness.

• Quiet humming is a great way to wake and warm up your voice, and prepare for an upcoming conversation. Humming brings you more into present moment and out of your head.

• The descending Ahhhhhhh sound, in addition to releasing tension, can also bring your voice down from your head into your chest, leading to increased vocal warmth and emotional connection with others. I call this Vocal Valium

• A minute or two of producing prolonged Eeeeeeee sounds – sounded at a mid note, a mid-high note and a high note – will wake up your intellect and prepare you for the day or task ahead. Don Campbell calls this Sonic Caffeine.

5 Qualities of a Vocally Conscious (Authentic) Voice

If you start applying some or all of the following V-O-I-C-E techniques, you will be more effective as a communicator, more interesting to engage with, and your likeability factor will almost certainly increase.

• V – Vibrant
• O – Open
• I – Intentional
• C – Conversational
• E – Emotionally Expressive

You can read the full V-O-I-C-E article here.

Voice, Relationship and Speaker Attitude

“I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel!” - Maya Angelou

Deeper More Insightful Listening

Research has found that closing the eyes can lead to the listener hearing more detail in sounds. In yoga we sometimes say Close the eyes; open the heart. When we close our eyes we increase the amount of cognitive processing available to interpret and understand what we hear, such as the emotional state of the speaker.

“As communication and service industries displace manufacturing ones,and social mobility increases, along with the number of divorced parents whose main contact with their children is by phone, the ability to interpret voices becomes an increasingly prized skill - too often unacknowledged. It atrophies with disuse, but can be regained with practice.
A mixture of concentration and relaxation is involved: You have to direct and focus the ear while allowing it to remain loose and receptive.” - Anne Karpf

The Likeability Factor

Tim Sanders has written an entire book and recorded a great lecture on The Likability Factor – Our level of Emotional Attractiveness.

Your likeability factor reflects your personal capacity to consistently produce positive emotional experiences in other people. You have this capacity in good and bad times. You are natural and authentic, smart when it comes to your emotions and more importantly, the emotions of other people.

We’ve learned that in the case of humans, you can make a bet on the “law of reciprocity”. This law states that people will reciprocate emotional experiences. Sometimes they reciprocate in a direct reflection (back at you) and other times they reciprocate in an indirect deflection (at the next Customer, a coworker or family member).

A conscious intention to be more vocally generous when you speak, and more compassionate as you listen, is the key to increasing your likeability Factor.

The Relationship Between Voice and Trust

Our voice can invite trust, develop trust and we can also learn to listen at a more insightful level to assess or ‘feel’ trust based on the sound of another.

“The human voice forces its way into us. It is really inside ourselves that we hear it. To hear it properly we must allow it to vibrate in our heads and our chests, in our throats as if, for the moment, it really belonged to us. That is surely the reason why voices never deceive us.” – Jacques Lusseyran

I talk in more detail about Jacques Lusseyran and the importance of voice for assessing trust in my Voices, Relationships and Trust Video

“The voice is the gateway to our intuition and intuition is key to assessing trust.”

Trust can be assessed in the following ways:

• Being open to the possibility that human speech and human hearing/listening can read the emotions and assess the trust of another within a specific context;
• Rich speech which isn’t missing key emotional and personal information – I call head speaking empty speech;
• The congruency of our words and of our sound and body language is the key to trust;
• Deeper listening which involves dimming our visual processing (such as closing your eyes at the start of a telephone call);
• Allowing a voice to resonate inside us, to feel how it makes us feel, rather than limiting our focus to just the words;
• When questions or doubts arise, probing or seeking more information.

“Brand trust comes when the sound of your brand and its look and its values are all congruent. This trust is often undermined when we place insufficient attention on what voice to match with the rest of our brand.”

Voice Readings by Tim

In March Tim will be launching his confidential voice readings and voice counseling service. For a sneak preview or to find out more please go to Confidential Voice Readings by Tim at www.voicereadings.com

Presentation Close

So how can you make Your Voice one of the most influential sounds on our planet?

Step 1, Make a conscious choice to be more vocally generous and more compassionate as a listener. this is by far the number one approach for building respect, creating success and increasing your likeability.

Step 2: work on being more Vibrant, Open, Intentional, Conversational and Emotionally Expressive, whenever you speak

When you connect to others with your heart as well as your mind and consciously apply V O I C E, you can truely transform your client relationships as well as tuning and enhancing your family connections and friendships.

So Love your voice, be kind to your voice, treat it as you would your very best friend.

And In return it will lovingly serve and support you, as well as being more kind and vocally generous to others, every single time you speak.

when we connect to our voices with heart, and open ourselves to more compassionate listening, we are well on the way to making our clients and everyone we care about, once again,
start to feel truely
Safe – And – Sound.

Quotes and information about voices heard in the womb and during infancy

“"Primordial Sounds" awaken our Organic/Biological Intelligence. Our first sensory experience in life as a fetus in the womb is of sound and vibration.

• We float in body temperature amniotic fluid - weight-less.


• We have fluid in our nose and mouth, which eliminates the senses of smell and taste.


• We have our eyes closed and are in the dark - no sense of sight.


• We have fluid in our ears pressed right up against the eardrum - but sound travels through water fives times more effectively than through air, therefore our sense of hearing is actually amplified.

The symphony of sound patterns we experience at this time will be deeply embedded in our subconscious mind for the rest of our lives - the sound of water swishing, arterial pulse sounds and voices. These are our first experiences of "Primordial Sounds."” - Dr. Jeffrey D. Thompson, D.C., B.F.A. -- Center for Neuroacoustic Research

The Heart Sound and partial inspiration for the opening of my presentation (sound of the mothers bloodflow, from within the womb)

Layne Redmond, Heart Chakra Meditations. From Sounds True

Research on onset of hearing by babies before birth

Baby in the Womb, What Do You Hear?

Sequence of Development of the Senses and “deliberate foetal acoustic stimulation”

What’s It Like in the Womb?

“If you ask me what I came into this world to do, I will tell you that I came to live out loud.” - Emil Zola

Babies learn Vocal language such as the vocal melody inflection patterns of their mother’s mother-tongue in the womb

Research of Cry Melody of French and German new-borns 3-5 days after birth

More mothers carry their baby with head resting on their left arm – freeing baby’s left ear (feeding right brain) for greater vocal/emotional interpretation of the mother’s voice

Noted by Anne Karpf, author of “The Human Voice: How This Extraordinary Instrument Reveals Essential Clues About Who We Are”

“After birth babies smile when they hear their mother's voice (but not when they see her face).” - Anne Karpf

“There's an emotional aspect to babytalk. One feature of it that especially enthrals babies is the amount of emotion it expresses. Compared with speech addressed to other adults, where politeness and restraint are usually de rigueur, babytalk is a much better guide to the feelings of the speaker.” - Anne Karpf

Discussion of Vocal Branding and Contemporary Applications of Voice

Vocal branding is the strategic and purposeful use of voice to convey ideas, impressions and feelings from speaker to listener. It realizes the intrinsic capacity of the human voice to transmit emotion, and its extraordinary potential to create compelling, durable and trusted brand relationships with clients, colleagues and customers.

Following are a range of case studies and projects we’ve worked on at Vocal Branding Australia:

• Vocal Branding Audit, Voice Selection, Script Review and Vocal Direction for Red Energy
• Voice Design Presentation/Workshop for Stamford Interactive
• Audio Logo Development and Brand Consulting for Media Access Australia
• Telephone IVR and After Hours Call Centre Recordings for Mode Facilities Management
• NSW Electoral Commission’s iVote Telephone and Online Voting Initiative
• NSW Department of Health
• Australian Electoral Commission Telephone Voting Standard
• Leading Property Auctioneering Company
• Solotel Hotel Group Staff-Training Video
• Community Service Announcement for Royal Far West Children’s Charity
• Vocal Branding Audit of the Leading Telephone Dating Service in Australia

About Tim Noonan

Tim Noonan is a voice consultant and lecturer, telephony consultant, inspirational conference speaker and the founder of Vocal Branding Australia.

Tim has a degree in Cognitive Psychology and Education, with a particular focus on how people process and comprehend auditory information. A lifelong student, his formal studies also include a Diploma of Remedial Massage Therapy, a Certificate in Relaxation Hypnosis and extensive studies in energetic & sound healing.

Tim Noonan is a professional listener and the creator of the Vocal Consciousness approach – strategies and techniques which promote vocal understanding; foster expressive speaking and nurture insightful listening. As a person blind from birth, Tim has learnt to listen for countless vocal cues that reveal so much more than the casual listener is aware of; and once enlightened, your way of speaking and listening will change forever.

Tim conducts personalised voice and presentation skills sessions as well as providing a variety of corporate voice strategy services to business.

About This Talk

“A HUGE thankyou @TimNoonan your presentation last night was wonderful, feedback from attendees has been true soul food!!” - Nancy Georges Social Media Women Conveiner

Authentically, engagingly and consistently express your true self and identity in social media.

On the evening of Tuesday, 13 November 2012, Voice philosopher and technologist Tim Noonan will take us on an enchanting journey of self-discovery into both our virtual and our physical voices.

• How can we best express our essential self (our voice) online through social media channels while also endeavoring to keep true to who we are and how we present face-to-face?

• What are some of the implications of voice, gender and identity, particularly when we connect and communicate online, predominantly through text-based channels?

The physical human voice has the natural capacity to convey a blend of our thoughts and our feelings. Tim will explore and demonstrate some strategies for introducing more ‘heart’ to our social media communications.

Tim will conclude by mentioning some emerging technologies which have the capacity to create deeper and more authentic connections.

Guys also welcome!

Event Page: Social Media Women: Eventbrite

Presentation Themes and Tweets

In the spirit of vocal social media, we did a live @audioboo recording of an on-stage voice reading with Katy. You can listen to the segment below.

“Thank you for your riveting talk tonight Tim on Voice and Social Media, really loved it, still buzzing! Cheers Anna” - Anna Kellerman Twitter

“By bringing voice back into social media, our humanity is also brought back ~ @TimNoonan #smwomen” - Lorelei Feathery Twitter

“Before posting anything to social media - READ IT OUT LOUD before hitting send!! @TimNoonan #smwomen” - Tim Noonan Social Media Women Tweet

“When we hear someone, we're hearing what's going on inside not just an external reflection like sight ~ @timnoonan #smwomen” - Tim Noonan Judith Cantor Tweet

“TOLD - Thinking Out Loud Device: RT @SocialMediaWomn: If you have an idea, talk it out with yourself - great advice from @TimNoonan #smwomen” - Tim Noonan Social Media Women Tweet

“'Sound is social' so #socialmedia should not be silent #smwomen @timnoonan” - Tim Noonan Paula O'Sullivan Tweet

This page is progressively being updated to include notes and references covered in the talk.

Tools and Resources Mentioned by Tim

Audioboo – Because sound is social. Audioboo Site

Heytell – Private and small group, push to talk voice messaging mobile app. Heytell Site

Voxer – Private and small group, longer message push to talk mobile app. Voxer Site

SoundCloud – Share your sound, voice or music. SoundCloud Site

Zello – Live multi-user voice chat app. Zello Site

About Tim and Vocal Branding Australia

Inspiring, insightful, entertaining and charming. Tim Noonan breathes life and joy into his workshops and presentations. He will take you on an enchanting journey of rediscovery into the untapped power and magic inherent in your own voice, and the voices around you.

Tim Noonan is a Voice, Usability and Accessibility Consultant, inspirational conference speaker and the founder of Vocal Branding Australia.

A professional listener, Tim’s work and passion centres around how we can best use our voices to engage, inspire and influence – leading to more open, sincere and trust-based relationships.

An innovator in voice-based communication, Tim coaches executives, speakers, voice artists and contact centres in presentation skills, insightful listening and authentic vocal self-expression, as well as consulting to teams and organisations to assist them develop natural and memorable vocal brands.

Tim has been communicating and socially connecting online since 1984, where he has examined and experienced how technology can profoundly enable or disable people who experience diverse real life capabilities and limitations.

Through his interest and participation with numerous online communities, dating services and emerging social media platforms, Tim has a rich and diverse perspective on issues of gender, orientation, persona and identity online.

Along-side this technological emersion, Tim has also been studying the complex interplay between our physical voice, our life experiences of socialisation & conformity and how these can affect or hinder our capacity to authentically express who we really are both in real life and online.

Or you can go to the direct Youtube link

“We may live in a post trust era but this man speaks to us in a manner that invites trust and reliance and in doing so he helps us to understand much more about the human voice=the most influential sound on the planet. Respectful, invitational speach.Harmonizing thoughts, feeling and intensions. No other human capability that uses more parts of the brain at one time. This is an informative talk.
Trust through human voice. I am going to Vocalbranding.com/video to learn more.” - Debra Smith YouTube comment

Background

Back in August I talked about the influential power of the human voice at TEDx Macquarie University 2012

I’ve been contacted by several people with questions about this talk so I thought I would provide my preparation notes covering the key points and some of my reasoning, which I planned to cover on the day.

“I wish I had had the opportunity to tell you on the day how much I enjoyed your TEDx talk so you could hear the sincerity in my voice!
Since your talk I've noticed a real difference in the way people respond to me, and how I respond to myself. This is clearly a result of how I've started to speak in a more positive, calm and sincere manner.” - Chloé Braithwaite TEDx Communications Coordinator

TEDx Talk Notes

The theme for TEDx Macquarie University 2012 was No Boundaries.

The Human Voice is the most influential sound on the planet! Harmonising thought, feeling and intention – our voices can transcend almost any boundary.

The Voice is all about relationship and connection.

Our voice connects:

• Mind and Body;
• Thoughts and Feelings;
• our Inner world and the Outer representation of self;
• our most intimate through to the public domain.

The human voice is our most human of qualities.

And yet – for all these capabilities – the voice is one of the most overlooked and under-utilised resources in business today.

“Our voice is our identity, whether we are expressing it, repressing it or creating it”

Every time we speak we broadcast who we are and what we believe – in particular what we believe another is capable of, or incapable of, or their perceived relevance or value to us or to society.

As we grow up we are bounded by the beliefs and expectations of others – through their speaking; quite separate from our true potential. I believe that the way we sound can literally grant or deny another their true potential or free-will to succeed or fail.

“To me, the most attractive voices are natural and open voices – those which reflect a speaker possessing an open heart and an open mind.”

Why is the human voice being demoted and marginalised?

Why does our voice focus seem to be declining?

• Drop in interest and concern about Vocal fidelity and audio fidelity;
• Digital phones and low-quality voice codecs;
• Photos and videos are easier to take than capturing quality voice recordings;
• Facebook and Twitter and SMS are short form communications, often done in noisy places, on the quiet and by typing alone;
• Voicemail largely failed in ease of use and efficiency, interactivity was too timing dependent;
• We’ve got out of practice in the art of conversation and storytelling round the fire or singing round the piano – now we largely consume audio visual materials;
• Language and a lexicon around voice has been stolen by marketers and others. e.g. “write using a clear tone of voice” and giving someone a voice on social media;
• A continual move forward with visual art and design, but our use of voice has largely stayed still in comparison;
• Too much empty speech – really just the words converted to sound;
• Excessively disrespectful, plastic, patronising and superior use of voice in media and advertising. AM radio broadcasters, politicians, advertisers – so many of these use a telling mode of communication – using the voice to tell us how to act and what to think;
• People – particularly social media promoters – demoting the significance of speech by Equating speaking with provision of information;
• Overall, We don’t get a lot of good examples of respectful use of speaking in our culture, perhaps with the exception of babies and puppies;
• Technology’s inability to reverse engineer and truly understand the richness of human spoken communications suggests to us that what we don’t understand or remember, doesn’t matter or doesn’t exist. Meaning is frequently equated and limited to machine-readability of data.

The voice is so very much more than a mouthpiece for the mind!

How many ways can you say the simple phrase “I didn’t say he stole the money”?

We’ve come to a place where we frequently equate speaking with just the conveying of information;

But the reality is, the voice is biologically designed to seamlessly express thoughts, ideas, feelings, values and attitudes.

So it isn’t really all that surprising that we have started to let go of voice as a principle contemporary communication tool – this is very worrying and even dangerous.

So why is a greater emphasis and revival of voice important?

• Voice is our identity;
• Voice keeps us connected with our humanity – the cry of a baby, the scream of someone in danger – these are primal sounds which remind us of our humanness and trigger a desire to comfort or help;
• Healing: when we make loving or caring sound we are massaging our body from the inside out;
• We can literally energise or support someone through our voice. Our voice allows us to touch another from a distance – we can literally transmit love, support and encouragement just by how we sound;
• We need to curate and pass on vocal wisdom to this and following generations.

We live in a post trust era

Our voice can invite trust, develop trust and we can also learn to listen at a more insightful level to assess or ‘feel’ trust based on the sound of another.

“The human voice forces its way into us. It is really inside ourselves that we hear it. To hear it properly we must allow it to vibrate in our heads and our chests, in our throats as if, for the moment, it really belonged to us. That is surely the reason why voices never deceive us.” – Jacques Lusseyran

I talk in more detail about Jacques Lusseyran and the importance of voice for assessing trust in my Voices, Relationships and Trust Video

“The voice is the gateway to our intuition and intuition is key to assessing trust.”

Trust can be assessed in the following ways:

• Belief in the possibility that human speech and human hearing/listening can read the emotions and assess the trust of another within a specific context;
• Rich speech which isn’t missing key emotional and personal information – I call head speaking empty speech;
• The congruency of our words and of our sound and body language is the key to trust;
• Deeper listening which involves dimming our visual processing;
• Allowing a voice to resonate inside us, to feel how it makes us feel, rather than limiting our focus to just the words;
• When questions or doubts arise, probing or seeking more information.

“Brand trust comes when the sound of a brand and the look and values of a brand are all congruent. Too often this fails when we place so little interest on what voice best marries with a brand.”

Close

Our voices are incredibly influential, they have the power to create or to dissolve all manner of boundaries in our families, schools, workplaces, communities and nations.

Our voices can either:

• Give – or they can Take;
• Support – or Undermine;
• Create – or Destroy;
• Heal – or Harm;
• Unite – or Divide.

It is up to every single one of us to decide – to choose – how we will use our voice from this point onwards.

What kind of relationship do you want to have with your voice?

• Love your voice;
• Be kind to your voice;
• Thank your voice …

And in return,

Your voice will lovingly work for you, heal you and effortlessly bestow countless acts of kindness – every single time you speak.

So next time you have something important to say:

Think about what it is you want to say;
Feel the emotions you want to convey;
and then, Say it with Feeling.

To Find Out More about Tim’s Conference Speaking

Go to Tim’s Inspirational Conference Speaking page to find out more about booking Tim to inform and inspire your next conference or corporate event.

About Tim Noonan

As a person blind from birth, I’ve been exploring the magic and mystery of voice all my life, by necessity and in the last decade or so out of a passion to better understand and appreciate some of its half-forgotten potential and secrets. My voice interests touch on the following areas:

• Vocal toning for Health, Happiness and Harmony;
• Trust, authenticity, realness;
• Insightful listening and redeveloping our natural sense of intuition around voice and sound;
• What is the sound and what are the properties of a contemporary voice?
• The applications and ethics of voice in a digital world;
• moving from self-consciousness about our voice, through to greater consciousness of self.

Tim Noonan is a voice and usability consultant, lecturer, inspirational conference speaker and the founder of Vocal Branding Australia. A professional listener, Tim’s work and passion centres around how we can best use our voices to engage, inspire and influence – leading to more open, sincere and trust-based relationships.

Tim is currently pioneering the emerging field of Vocal Branding – an expertise that arose from his extensive research and study of spoken communication, deep listening and emerging technologies. Tim has a degree in Cognitive Psychology and Education, with a particular focus on how people process and comprehend auditory information.

I was recently invited to be on the panel for an IFTalks evening IF-Talks Forum of Dangerous Ideas .

In this brief talk I put forward the idea that our voices – our most human of capabilities – are coming to be greatly under-utilised, in part due to the text-orientation of most social media platforms.

I propose that the next logical step and a partial solution to this problem is for recorded voice to be integrated into more social media applications and services, allowing for a person’s feelings, as well as their thoughts to be conveyed in their posts.

Listen to this short talk by Tim Noonan

TEDx Talk

You may also like to view and listen to a talk I recently gave – The Human Voice is the Most Influential Sound on the Planet, where I expand on the ideas in this dangerous ideas recording. Go to TEDx Talk and Notes

To Find Out More

You can go to Tim’s Inspirational Conference Speaking page to learn more about his speaking topics.

This is the second of two interviews with Jason Jelicich from Executive Assistant Network. This time we talked about some speaking and listening approaches that executives can employ to maximize both their influence and their effectiveness in the workplace.

You can read the first interview about Voice Strategies for EAs and PAs here.

Article by Jason Jelicich

Last time we talked about how EAs and PAs can utilise their voices and adopt some deeper listening strategies to improve their communication and foster relationships.

This month Tim Noonan, Inspirational Speaker and Voice Communication expert, shares some speaking and listening approaches that executives can employ to maximize both their influence and their effectiveness in the workplace. He talks with EAN General Manager, Jason Jelicich, about the way voice is changing in business, the relationship between voice and trust and finishes with his top 7 strategies for vocal brilliance when presenting.

Q: Welcome back Tim, A lot has changed in business over the last 20 or so years, so I thought we might start with what you feel are some of the key challenges for Executives today and what communication suggestions do you have to overcome or minimise these?

The way we communicate and use our voices has changed dramatically, as have the expectations of listeners. So whether you are conducting a performance appraisal, leading a team or launching a new initiative for your organisation, using more of the contemporary approaches below will maximize interest, enthusiasm and engagement.

Q: We are currently rolling out a series of conferences around the importance of ‘Trust’ in dealings between an EA and their Executive. Tell us more about the role trust plays in voice and communication.

In his book The Language of Trust, Michael Maslansky opens by saying “We live in a Post Trust Era”

While his book hardly touches on the topic of tone of voice and vocal authenticity, it is actually our shift away from a focus on sound and authentic speaking which (in large part) has led to this worrying state of affairs.

In a ‘Big Thinking’ presentation to the Communications Council, I tell the story of Jacques Lusseyran a 16 year-old French man and how he used voice alone to determine which ones, out of over 1000 people, should be admitted into their French Resistance Movement, and how the one man he had suspicions about betrayed the entire organisation a year later. www.vocalbranding.com.au/video

Here are some ideas to think about around the voice and trust, which I expand on in my Executive Communication Coaching and our workshops on Vocal Authenticity and Insightful Listening.

• Belief in the possibility that human speech and human hearing/listening can read the emotions and assess the trust of another within a specific context;

• Employing rich heart-felt speech that isn’t missing key emotional and personal information – I call head-only speaking Empty Speech;

• The congruency of our words, our sound and our body language is key;

• Listening with the ears more than the eyes.

My company Vocal Branding Australia also applies these trust principles to corporate and personal branding. Brand trust only exists when the sound of a brand, the visuals of the brand and the values of the brand are harmonious and congruent.

Q: That’s fascinating. What about giving us some practical tips that Executives (and EAs) can use when presenting to small or large groups?

The traditional ways we were taught to present information years ago sometimes fall short in the time-poor competitive business world of 2012. Information and ideas are no longer enough to engage many audiences, so we need to raise the level of personal engagement and inject some more of “us” when we present.

If you are delivering a presentation to a meeting, a board or any group, following some or all of the following vocal strategies will transform your words into an engaging and compelling message.

1. Record Every Speech You Give

2. Review With Eyes Closed!

3. Build Trust and Understanding through Sincere Delivery

4. Speak WITH, not TO, the Audience

5. Warm Up Your Voice

6. Smile as you Speak!

7. Play your Instrument and Express your Passion!

These ideas are explained in full in Tim’s eBook Your Voice is Your Business: 7 Voice Strategies for Vocal Brilliance

Thanks Tim. It’s always a pleasure to explore the intricacies of voice with you and we look forward to working with you more in the future.

About Tim

Tim Noonan is a voice and usability consultant, business communication coach, inspirational conference speaker and the founder of Vocal Branding Australia. Tim has a degree in Cognitive Psychology and Education, with a particular focus on how people process and comprehend auditory information. Some of his clients include Westpac, Telstra, St.George Bank, The NSW Electoral Commission, Weber Shandwick PR, NSW Ministry of Health and the ATO.

Tim can be reached on 0419 779 669.

“The human voice allows us to literally Touch others from a distance; but the quality of that touching relies on the quality of our intention” - Tim Noonan

Introduction

This post has been prepared for attendees of my “Transform your Business and Customer Experience through Vocal Authenticity and Insightful Listening” Presentations delivered to the NSW Customer Contact Management Association (CCMA) and approximately 1000 St.George & Westpac Bank Contact Centre agents.

“Can I just say this.. "Tim ...you're awesome!"
Tim's intellect really shone through, he's a marvelous communicator. And judging by the attendees reaction, they all took something valuable away from the experience.” - Brendon Walker - Director NSW, Customer Contact Management Association (CCMA)

Please email us tim@vocalbranding.com.au to inquire about corporate voice workshops and conference presentations.

• Learn how to use your own voice to create more meaningful and trusting customer connections face to face and over the phone!
• Learn strategies and techniques which promote vocal understanding; foster expressive speaking and nurture insightful listening.
• Learn a range of strategies and practical techniques for speaking with more clarity, confidence and compassion, and skills for listening to others with greater recall, depth and understanding.
• Exploration of the inevitable and essential relationships that exist between Voice and Likeability; Voice and Authenticity; and most important of all, Voice and Trust.

“The voice emerges literally from the body as a representation of our inner world. It carries our experience from the past, our hopes and fears for the future, and the emotional resonance of the moment. If it carries none of these, it must be a masked voice, and having muted the voice, anyone listening knows intuitively we are not all there.” - David Whyte, The Heart Aroused

Free eBook and Vocal Essence Newsletter

During this talk I mention my eBook ‘Your Voice is Your Business: Seven Voice Strategies for Vocal Brilliance’. Read or download my Your Voice is Your Business eBook.

You may also wish to subscribe to Vocal Essence our occasional Voice and Vocal Branding Newsletter.

Some themes covered in this talk include

Humming, Ahhhhhh (Vocal Valium) and Eeeeeeeee (Sonic Caffeine)

Vocal Toning – using the voice to produce sustained sound and elongated vowels – can rapidly shift our emotional state, release stress or even raise our level of alertness.

• Quiet humming is a great way to wake and warm up your voice, and prepare for an upcoming conversation. Humming brings you more into present moment and out of your head.

• The descending Ahhhhhhh sound, in addition to releasing tension, can also bring your voice down from your head into your chest, leading to increased vocal warmth and emotional connection with others. I call this Vocal Valium

• A minute or two of producing prolonged Eeeeeeee sounds – sounded at a mid note, a mid-high note and a high note – will wake up your intellect and prepare you for the day or task ahead. Don Campbell calls this Sonic Caffeine.

5 Qualities of a Vocally Conscious (Authentic) Voice

If you start applying some or all of the following V-O-I-C-E techniques, you will be more effective as a communicator, more interesting to engage with, and your likeability factor will almost certainly increase.

• V – Vibrant
• O – Open
• I – Intentional
• C – Conversational
• E – Emotionally Expressive

“thank you regarding Tim the guest speaker. Everything he said made so much sense & I am now implementing what he discussed ... making a conscious effort to put more compassion in my voice & talk more from the heart. thank you for Tim as he made so much sense to me.” - Narelle - St.George Telephone Banker

You can read the full V-O-I-C-E article here.

The Intrinsic Relationship between Voice and Trust

You can hear me talk in more depth about this topic in my Voice, Relationships and Trust Video.

Voice, Relationship and Speaker Attitude

“I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel!” - Maya Angelou

Resonance and Entrainment

I discussed the importance of entrainment for managing call speed and energy. You can read more about the principle of entrainment here.

Deeper More Insightful Listening

Research has found that closing the eyes can lead to the listener hearing more detail in sounds. In yoga we sometimes say Close the eyes; open the heart. When we close our eyes we increase the amount of cognitive processing available to interpret and understand what we hear, such as the emotional state of the speaker.

“As communication and service industries displace manufacturing ones,and social mobility increases, along with the number of divorced parents whose main contact with their children is by phone, the ability to interpret voices becomes an increasingly prized skill - too often unacknowledged. It atrophies with disuse, but can be regained with practice.
A mixture of concentration and relaxation is involved: You have to direct and focus the ear while allowing it to remain loose and receptive.” - Anne Karpf

The Likeability Factor

Tim Sanders has written an entire book and recorded a great lecture on The Likability Factor – Our level of Emotional Attractiveness.

Your likeability factor reflects your personal capacity to consistently produce positive emotional experiences in other people. You have this capacity in good and bad times. You are natural and authentic, smart when it comes to your emotions and more importantly, the emotions of other people.

We’ve learned that in the case of humans, you can make a bet on the “law of reciprocity”. This law states that people will reciprocate emotional experiences. Sometimes they reciprocate in a direct reflection (back at you) and other times they reciprocate in an indirect defection (at the next Customer, a coworker or family member).

IVR Standards and Voice User Interface Design

Tim Noonan was a principal researcher and contributing author for all of the Standards mentioned below.

All IVR and ACD systems in Australia should comply with the Australian IVR Standard – AS/NZS 4263 Interactive voice response systems – User-interface – Dual tone multi frequency (DTMF) signalling.

Banks and other financial service providers should additionally comply with the Accessible Telephone Banking Industry Standard published by the Australian Bankers’ Association.

If your telephone service incorporates speech recognition the user experience may be improved by consulting the Australian Standard – (AS 5061-2008) Interactive voice response systems user interface – speech recognition

These Standards represent world’s best practice in customer centred and consistent telephony design.

You may also wish to read a paper I wrote sometime back, but is still relevant today, Designing User Friendly Voice Systems which is a great primer on good IVR design.

Discussion of Vocal Branding and Contemporary Applications of Voice

Vocal branding is the strategic and purposeful use of voice to convey ideas, impressions and feelings from speaker to listener. It realizes the intrinsic capacity of the human voice to transmit emotion, and its extraordinary potential to create compelling, durable and trusted brand relationships with clients, colleagues and customers.

Following are a range of case studies and projects we’ve worked on at Vocal Branding Australia:

• Vocal Branding Audit, Voice Selection, Script Review and Vocal Direction for Red Energy
• Voice Design Presentation/Workshop for Stamford Interactive
• Audio Logo Development and Brand Consulting for Media Access Australia
• Telephone IVR and After Hours Call Centre Recordings for Mode Facilities Management
• NSW Electoral Commission’s iVote Telephone and Online Voting Initiative
• NSW Department of Health
• Australian Electoral Commission Telephone Voting Standard
• Leading Property Auctioneering Company
• Solotel Hotel Group Staff-Training Video
• Community Service Announcement for Royal Far West Children’s Charity
• Vocal Branding Audit of the Leading Telephone Dating Service in Australia

About Tim Noonan

Tim Noonan is a voice consultant and lecturer, human factors & voice user interface designer, inspirational conference speaker and the founder of Vocal Branding Australia.

Tim has been designing, scripting and enhancing IVRs for nearly two decades and is one of the principal authors of the Australian IVR Standard as well as authoring the Australian Telephone Banking Standard and the Australian Telephone Voting Standard.

Tim has a degree in Cognitive Psychology and Education, with a particular focus on how people process and comprehend auditory information. A lifelong student, his formal studies also include a Diploma of Remedial Massage Therapy, a Certificate in Relaxation Hypnosis and extensive studies in energetic & sound healing.

Over the last 20 years he has blended his interests in technology and speech, to bring printed and online information to life for people who are blind or print disabled. Tim also works as an auditory user interface consultant, designing and enhancing automated telephone services and directing voice-over artists in the studio.

Tim Noonan is a professional listener and the creator of the Vocal Consciousness approach – strategies and techniques which promote vocal understanding; foster expressive speaking and nurture insightful listening. As a person blind from birth, Tim has learnt to listen for countless vocal cues that reveal so much more than the casual listener is aware of; and once enlightened, your way of speaking and listening will change forever.

Tim conducts personalised voice and presentation skills sessions as well as providing a variety of corporate voice strategy services to business.

Introduction

These notes have been prepared for a presentation I delivered at the Mashable Sydney Social Media Day: Diversity in Innovation, exploring the theme of diversity and social innovation. Throughout the day Kate Carruthers and others were live tweeting some key ideas from each presentation.

All too often technology innovators as well as many folks in the LGBTIQ community overlook the fact that people with disabilities are part of their users and community. Through firsthand experiences and real life examples, this presentation informs, entertains and positively challenges participants to think differently about innovation, diversity, social media, access and inclusion in Australia.

Talk Concepts, Mentions and Ideas

Diversity, Disability, Innovation and Bullying

Lots of good info I drew upon in my talk was covered in this article I was commissioned to write for Cut-Up Media Magazine : Netporn, Sexuality and the Politics of Disability: A Catalyst for Access, Inclusion and Acceptance? (revised 2007).

AnferneeC Tweeted: Diversity is more than sexual attraction, gender or race. It’s about a unique situation that each one of us finds ourselves in … Its our difference, our uniqueness, that makes us who we are @TimNoonan

I made reference to Helen Keller’s letter to Mark Twain on the plight of the blind; Twain called it “a classic”. How far we’ve come since then, though still some way to go…

I emphasised my view that “Social Innovation needs to support and enable Social Integration – by all.”

Kate Carruthers Tweeted: @TimNoonan notes how important it is that there are now resources for minority kids suffering bullying

Nancy Georges Tweeted: “Wise words from @TimNoonan “Social media is not just 4 selling, it’s a tool 4 social integration for broader community innovation”

Finding and Using our Voices

I argued that the next phase of Social/technology Innovation will incorporate human voice along-side text, images and sound, recognising that our voices allow for trusted heart-to-heart connections, above and beyond intellect and idea.

Kate Carruthers Tweeted: Advocating for a voice based app @TimNoonan says “the voice tells you that person’s heart” #smday @sibsyd

• I briefly explain the ‘heart-nature’ of the human voice in my article Voice, Identity, Vibration and Entrainment;
• I also explore the influential power of voice in this audio interview with Robyn Dickenson.

Accessibility and Inclusive Design

My company’s approach to accessibility is that it is inseparable from good user experience design. We provide innovative and creative solutions in collaboration with the sponsor and developer; recognising that compliance testing after the fact is difficult, often expensive, and painful for all concerned.

In the disability domain we often say “Nothing About Us Without Us!”

Reasons why social media access is important as identified by Media Access Australia include:

• Personal: examples include creating online commentary of personal thoughts, sharing photos and discussing social events;
• Work: examples include creating a résumé, creating professional connections and discussing job opportunities;
• Entertainment: examples include sharing videos, following discussion from celebrities, discussing strategies in online games;
• Provision of goods and services: examples include sharing information about a product, responding to user feedback about a product, accessing government services;
• Education: examples include participation in online classes and sharing learning resources.

Kate Carruthers posted: @TimNoonan: No excuses for apps to be non inclusive & non accessible these days

Why Should You Make Your Applications Accessible?

Here is Apple’s answer:

• It increases your user base. You’ve worked hard to create a great application; don’t miss the opportunity to make it available to even more users;
• It allows people to use your application without seeing the screen. Users with visual impairments can use your application with the help of VoiceOver;
• It helps you address accessibility guidelines. Various governing bodies create guidelines for accessibility and making your iPhone application accessible to VoiceOver users can help you [or your client] meet them.

Some interesting examples I mentioned of tech innovation benefiting people with disabilities

Here’s a video of Syntellia’s Fleksy Virtual Keyboard (innovative typing on iOS devices using VoiceOver) to developers for integration into third-party applications;

Nuance combines keyboard, handwriting recognition and voice for Android data input;

Aftershokz bone-conduction headphones (AS301-1 for iDevices) Allow hearing ambient sound as well as iPhone audio or GPS instructions.

Some Accessibility Articles, Guidelines and Resources

Jobs’s legacy includes accessible software for disabled people. Source: Canberra Times;

Accessible Apple iOS iPhone and iPad App Development: Presentation Delivered at Mobile Monday Sydney;

These Are a Few of my Favourite Themes (and Accessible WordPress Plugins);

An article with some great things to consider for website accessibility: 25 Ways To Make Your Website Accessible (2011);

Social Media For People With A Disability.

About Tim

Tim Noonan is a voice, Usability and Accessibility consultant, inspirational conference speaker and the founder of Vocal Branding Australia. Over the last 25 years Tim has blended his interests in technology, speech, telephony and accessibility, to bring printed and online information to life for people who are blind or print disabled.

In 2011 Tim was engaged by the NSW Electoral Commission as the lead Voice Usability Designer and accessibility expert for iVote – regarded as the most advanced and successful telephone and online voting implementation in the world.

Please connect with me to discuss a tailored presentation for your next conference and to talk about us assisting you to implement world class accessibility for your upcoming products, services and mobile apps.

• Twitter http://www.twitter.com/timnoonan
• Facebook http://www.facebook.com/timnoonan
• Mobile: +61 419 779 669
• Email tim@timnoonan.com.au
• Web: vocalbranding.com.au