A reviewer of mine recently told a colleague that Adam Eason (which is me) “likes the sound of his own voice.” Damn!
So I want to tell you how and why I say that answer.
If I were about to take you into hypnosis and then yell at you “Ok, relax, go into hypnosis” in a squeaky, hard-to-understand voice, do you think you would respond by relaxing and going into hypnosis? in hypnosis? I guess my voice is unlikely to be like this to aid the hypnotic process.
Our voice is a tool that can be used in many aspects of our life; at work, at home, with friends, family and colleagues and more. The way we use our voice influences how people react and behave with us.
To be a good hypnotist, it is important that you practice your hypnotic voice before working on a topic. Some hypnotists use a soft, monotonous tone that bores me, others use a singing voice, and others use a natural but slower and lower tone of voice to induce a hypnotic trance. We hypnotists even suggest when speaking to our hypnotic subjects that “My voice is very soft and relaxing for you.” In reality, we don’t always say those words; rather we hint at it with the way we use our voice.
The way you use your voice creates a reaction for everyone you communicate with and can be used to your advantage with surprising results. Imagine if you had a hypnotic voice, how would that affect the different circumstances and events that you find yourself in?
Before writing about how to develop that voice, I recommend that you maintain consistency. It is good to model a successful hypnotist or other hypnotists and listen to good quality hypnotists and how they use their voice, however it is important that you keep the essence of who you are. You must be true to who you are. It can also be relaxing and calming, in its own way. You are not Paul Mckenna, you are not Adam Eason, so don’t try to be them. Learn how we use our voices, but stay true to your own style.
Tune in the shade that you are comfortable with and that will give you the best results. This often means speaking in a soothing and reassuring way: slowly, with pauses, in a low and gentle voice. You don’t have to be Barry White, but you know what I mean here, right? Barry White wasn’t exactly magazine cover material, yet you know he was extremely sultry, attractive, and alluring thanks to the way he used his voice.
Not only was he deep and rich, he was often slow, thoughtful, and deliberate. It was helpful and easy to listen to. Former James Bond actor Roger Moore had a voice with very similar qualities. We can see how actors, speakers, and singers use their voices and we can use our own voices accordingly. These people speak from the belly, they speak from the abdomen, not from the throat, nose or chest.
I remember being shown an exercise once in a hypnosis training course with Richard Bandler and we pointed at our noses, then our throats, our chests, and abs as we spoke from each of those places: The difference was staggering and how everyone reacted to the sounds. fact was even more surprising.
In previous articles, I have been writing about how to use language to communicate with someone else’s unconscious mind. Using good vocal tonality is of utmost importance when communicating with the unconscious part of someone’s mind. Good hypnotists often have the same quality of voice control as good actors and public speakers. It is important that you can extract as much meaning and feeling from your words as possible. Even think about making the words sound like what they mean.
A great way to improve your tonality is to do this fairly simple exercise:
First, position your body with your back straight and the crown pointing upward. Take a deep breath from that area just below your belly button and push that area out when you inhale.
Second, when looking at the words that I am going to ask you to say shortly, consider what each of the words really means to you and what feelings you associate with each word. Think about which sound best represents that feeling.
Third, say each of these words out loud with a feeling of attachment to them, squeeze as much meaning out of these words as possible, and say them hypnotically as if you want it to resonate with a deep meaning within another person:
Love, relax, peace, joy, harmony, calm, wonderful, soften.
Then practice reading books aloud and getting your key and words correct and have each word convey a message of meaning and feeling. Think about how this would work wonders when speaking in front of others, in meetings, on a date, or when you want others to accept your idea or message.
A good communicator will have clear distinctions in the tones of his voice to communicate with other people at different levels. To master hypnotic communication, you must develop at least two distinct tones or “voices” for your interactions.
Your first “voice” is your usual voice, which you speak every day. This will anchor people to stay wide awake when you talk like this. Therefore, use this only when you are awake and alert. The moment you start to be influential, start changing your voice to your hypnotic voice.
By constantly using only your waking voice while your subject is alert, and your hypnotic voice when you are being influential or persuasive, your two voices are naturally anchored to those states. Then when you’re really anchored, you can start using a voice to create that state.
Your posture affects your voice:
Posture and movement are an integral part of any use of the voice. Part of being able to use your voice well includes the ability to be mindful of your body, identify and correct problems that arise due to incorrect posture.
This does not mean that your posture has to be perfect! Standing naturally and making sure your head, neck, and shoulders are relaxed is the correct posture to use your voice to maximum effect.
While most people do this automatically, there are others whose posture has become lazy or who have developed bad habits that can inhibit their voice.
Here are some dos and don’ts to help you use your voice:
Make…..
– Be relaxed and natural
– Keep your movements fluid
– Keep your chin level
– Keep your knees loose
– Keep your head up
– Keep your shoulders bent and relaxed.
– Keep your toes pointed forward with your weight on your heels and soles
– Keep the front of the neck loose, do not stretch it
– Keep your abdominal muscles relaxed
– Keep your back muscles relaxed.
– Smile!
Whose…..
– Drop or hunch your shoulders
– Move stiffly or jerkily
– Drop or bend your chin when trying to sing low notes
– Stretch your head up when trying to sing high notes
– Tense or push the abdominal muscles.
Try this exercise to improve your posture and make your voice work for you:
Place a mirror in a position at the end of the hall or room where you can see the whole (or at least the upper half) of your body.
Stand at the end of the walking space and walk naturally towards the mirror observing your movements and posture as you walk.
Compare to the dos and don’ts above and adjust your posture if necessary.
When walking, your weight should be primarily on the balls of your feet, so that your heels lightly touch the floor, with most of the movement from your hips and legs. The upper body should remain straight, relaxed, and not “rock” from side to side.
Breathing life into your voice:
One of the cornerstones of learning to use your voice is knowing how to breathe properly and learning to control your breathing so that it is optimally used when you speak.
When we are born, our breathing is naturally correct, babies can breathe, scream and scream with optimal effect because they use their lungs without conscious thought. As we age, some people become lazy in their habits using only the upper part of the lungs, taking a shallow breath instead of normal breathing.
Breathe from your belly. Hold a finger close to your lips and breathe out slowly, your breath should be warm and moist and you should feel the action of the diaphragm as you breathe out.
The stomach area should naturally move inward towards the end of the breath, the stomach should not be ‘sucked in’ as it prevents the diaphragm from working effectively. Instead, the abdominal area should remain expanded to the level it was when you inhaled and allow it to gradually taper off naturally at the end of the breath.
Good respiratory support when using your voice for maximum effect requires good posture and abdominal breathing and adding qualities that you think are desirable, attractive, resonant, and congruent with how you naturally communicate. We use our voice so much, why not use it to its full potential, huh?
So today, have fun using your voice to see how you can get people to respond to you differently, more progressively and positively, and maybe you like the sound of your own voice too!