FAQ

Yes. This is one of the many ways we could work together. To find out more about my 1-1 coaching, you can book a free 20 mins consultation to ascertain the best voice training program for your needs. https://elisajames.com/make-a-booking/

Yes. I have several online courses that may suit your needs. Starting with mini-courses to more in-depth advanced courses, there is something for every voice need! You can find my online courses on the Programs page. www.elisajames.com/programs/

The first step is to know what you don’t like, and then get advice from a qualified voice trainer. If you are wanting a stronger, reliable, resilient speaking voice for life then voice training with a professional coach is the best first step. As a holistic voice coach with over 20 years experience, I design exercises especially for your needs. Have a look at the programs page (www.elisajames.com/programs/ ) and if you need further guidance, please book in for a free consultation: www.hapsvoicepro.com/book-a-session/

The voice can sometimes sound and feel shaky or instable when speaking or singing and that is usually from tension. The main reason people experience this is because of nerves when auditioning or speaking in public or becoming emotional during a time of conflict or unease. When the fight or flight system kicks in, the body and muscles are primed for movement, not standing still and speaking calmly!

So the tension in all the muscles around the neck are not optimal for singing or speaking. Other reasons for tension in the neck and throat area will also cause instability in the larynx and cause shakiness, and this is due to bad habits of tension, pushing and trying too hard to be heard, or to speak up when feeling uncomfortable. All these issues can be resolved by voice coaching and take a multi-faceted approach.

As a Holistic Voice Coach, I deal with similar issues in my clients every week and have seen great results from training and practice. The best program to fix this voice issue is Save My Voice

The voice can be weak for a few reasons, one of the most common being “use it or lose it”.

As simple as that sounds, if you are not activating the correct muscles for speech ( and believe me some people just don’t!) then the voice will feel and sound ‘weak’, and inconsistent. The correct muscles for the lower register MUST be activated and grounded so that the voice can sound strong and clear during speaking.

If there is no pathological reason ( illness, or accident) for the vocal weakness, then voice training and specific exercises for the problem can help strengthen the voice and more stability and volume. Many people as they age experience muscle atrophy and the vocal folds are a muscle that can be affected by this. If you use your voice regularly with speaking exercises and singing you won’t necessarily experience muscle atrophy in the vocal folds.

I have seen musical theatre stars in the USA perform well into their 80s, and they still sang with strong, clear, projected sound. So that to me is a sign that we are responsible for the health and strength of our muscles as we age! So go ahead and keep making noise!

If you are interested in making your voice stronger, then this course will answer all your questions and more, and help you develop a stronger, healthy voice : Save My Voice.

Many people suffer from vocal fatigue at the end of a busy speaking day, whether at work on the phones all day, on stage, or with clients in the consulting room.

Not all busy voice-users are necessarily famous public speakers! Teachers, coaches and fitness instructors especially can suffer from severe vocal fatigue from yelling and projecting all day. But mostly when we feel our voice getting tired from a normal days usage, it’s because we are not using our speaking voice mindfully or using the correct muscles.

The best way to really be mindful when speaking is A: Use brevity – speak concisely using the least amount of words necessary to get your point across. B: Speak clearly and articulate at all times, even when your voice is tired. C: If you are too tired to speak clearly and properly, then don’t, shut your mouth and rest!

My Save My Voice Program; Vocal health and Maintenance for all speakers, is the perfect home study program to help you learn how to use your speaking muscles correctly and protect your voice from harm.

It covers the psychology behind the sound, voice branding, breath control, phonation patterns for speech, vocal health and nutrition, projection and vocal exercises for rehabilitation, strength and resilience. Check it out here.

A quiet speaking voice is usually directly related to our personality, our belief systems, and our cultural upbringing.

Chances are if a parent was a quiet speaker (or shy and inhibited) you may have picked up the habit as well. Monkey see monkey do as they say.

On the other hand, it can be a sign that you have suffered from being yelled at, criticized or bullied at some stage in your early life, and that the quiet voice has developed as a survival technique due to these types of scenarios.

Anxiety, inhibition, trauma, and panic attacks are common in many of my students and they usually suffer from a lack of confidence due to life circumstances that they have not yet healed from. The voice can reveal SO many things to us, its really quite amazing.

If any of this resonates with you, then my mini course “Change Your Voice, Change Your Life” will give you some very quick and actionable steps to implement to help you feel more confident and be able to speak up and out for yourself.

Voice Training is also a great way to learn better speaking skills and will help you build your confidence in yourself too. Have a look at the programs page and see what program feels right for you.

Normally your voice will feel scratchy and not clear when you are unwell or coming down with a cold or illness of some sort. It is usually due to inflammation around the vocal process and airways and sometimes swelling and mucous can interfere with the action of the vocal folds.

The best thing you can do is steam, rest and do sirens to clear the mucus. Sirens are sound you make on an “NG” and start from high to low coming gently down the range. The vocal folds will come gently together to make the sound and the mucous will loosen and eventually clear away from the area.

Another reason you may feel your voice is scratchy is from damage, vocal abuse or extreme fatigue. You may need to take a good look at your vocal or speaking technique as ask yourself if you are using your voice correctly. Your voice should always sound clear and strong.

If it doesn’t you may be using the wrong muscles when speaking, or not activating some muscles enough! The best program to help with this issue is Save My Voice.

This is a really interesting topic and can be quite complex. The issue can be habit, pathological or simply psychological in nature. Let’s look at the first – Habit.

If you have had a blocked nose or allergy issues much of your life, you will easily get into the habit of sounding nasal even though you may not longer be blocked up!

I find this often in my students who have had adenoids and tonsils removed and also sinus and allergy problems throughout their life. This habit can be broken with specific exercises which I designed for this purpose and have been very effective.

It just takes attention and practice. The second reason: pathological, can be adenoids in the nasal cavity making the nasal passage blocked permanently, or blocked sinuses due to infection or illness.

There are plenty of natural cures on the market for blocked nasal passages and I highly recommend you take action immediately so it does not become chronic or a bad habit to continually speak with a nasal sound.

Check out my YouTube Channel HERE for videos on Voice Issues, or learn how to use your voice more effectively with my online course Save My Voice.

Many people like Real Estate Auctioneers really use their voice to the maximum during a work day! If you are speaking, and projecting all day long, you had better learn proper voice technique FAST, or you are in danger of losing your best asset in business: YOUR VOICE.

By learning how your voice works, how to care for it, and not activate the wrong muscles when speaking you can have a healthy strong voice for life!

The goal is always Clear, Strong and Projected at all times and if you are pushing, squeezing or forcing your voice too hard daily, you will lose it.

My online program Save My Voice is designed for people just like you who need to protect their voice and have it healthy and strong every day for work.

The best way forward is to sign up for the online program then book in a 90 min follow up session with me for any questions, or extra help you need implementing the exercises and getting them right!

If you are in a hurry and need help FAST – Book a free consult with me HERE and ask about my tailor-made 1:1 Private training program for professional speakers.

Confidence is truly a learned and practiced skill and I use voice training to reverse engineer confidence by teaching you the right biomechanics for speaking, which gives you more confidence in your ability to control your voice!

Speaker training and voice coaching helps build confidence in all my students, you can just see from the testimonials what a difference it can make in someone’s life. It’s truly remarkable. I love working with my students and seeing them begin to blossom, it’s so rewarding.

If you are looking to develop confidence for your personal life, then my short course Change Your Voice, Change Your Life, is a great way to start.

However, if you are an aspiring speaker and need to dive more deeply into voice presentations and build confidence for stage or camera, then my book “Find Your Voice ; The 10 Steps from Anxiety to Confidence for Aspiring Speakers ”is a great place to start. It is a handy kindle book with 12 bonus MP3 tracks on special HERE.

This is an interesting question that I get asked from time to time. Ok, tell me this: If you changed your hair color, would you stop being YOU? If you had to get your leg amputated, would ‘you’ no longer be YOU?

When you are speaking romantically to your partner, is that a part of you or is that YOU as a whole? You see, we as humans use different vocal sounds at all times of the day. With our partner, we might speak quietly and lovingly one minute and snap the next if we are angry or annoyed.

We change our sound from mood to mood and moment to moment, depending on the task at hand. The question really is: Are you using your BEST vocal brand (your best sounding spoken communication) in business with your clients and your customers? If the answer is NO, then you are not being effective in your career and your voice could be holding you back.

Voice training for business owners and entrepreneurs is the key to being effective in the corporate world. It is a learned skill and when you are a leader in business, you need to SOUND like a leader. If you don’t then voice training is a great solution.

My virtual group class and live workshop called The Voice of a Leader is a great step in the right direction.

Contact info@hapsvoicepro.com to apply for a position in the next class.

The short answer is: YES, I can help you get over both these issues and its imperative that you step up and feel more confident in life for your own satisfaction.

After all a life lived in fear is a life half lived! The first step is to jump into my short course Change Your Voice, Change Your Life and start to implement those changes daily and immediately!

There are 10 actionable steps to take that really help you break through your anxiety and I also outline those in my book FIND YOUR VOICE.

Have a look at those, and if you feel you need more accountability and private coaching, I can help you there too. You can book a FREE consult with me HERE if you are interested in more intensive 1:1 training.