Just Because You May Soon Be a Senior Citizen Does Not Mean You Must Sound Like One!

When I first started my business in 1989, one of the comments I would make as a guest speaker was that, although I wish I could still look 20, I was glad I didn't sound that age! 21 years later, it is difficult to say I wish I could still look 20 when I would be thrilled to still look 40! But what is fascinating about the physical aging of the body (which becomes most noticeable after 40) is that nothing is getting better with age. We wrinkle; we sag; our eyes go bad; and, we don't heal or bounce back as quickly we did in our younger days.

What is happening in my case, however, is that the sound of my speaking voice is continuing to improve even though nothing else on my body is. When I am 85, I may look it, but my voice will never give away my age. Because I have taken the pressure off my vocal folds and throat by using my chest cavity as my primary sounding board, I will never sound old. Anyone who has had good voice training knows what I am talking about. Voices like that of Lauren Bacall and Joanne Woodward do not sound 'elderly.' Both women, who are well over 70, sound fantastic because of the training they had in their early years in acting.

You do not have to be an actor to improve that part of the image you project however. If you are fighting the ravages of getting older, you can easily stop the aging to your vocal folds if you change the placement of your voice. In doing so, you will discover a richer, warmer, deeper, resonant sound that is ageless - not too old - not too young. If you were to phone me and you hadn't seen my picture, you would not be able to place an age on me. I could be 25 or 75.

What is fascinating about the voice that has had training is that it continues to improve as you age, much like a bottle of fine red wine!

You don't have to be a senior citizen, however, to sound old. While premature aging of the voice is more common among women than men, I have met many, many people who sound much older than their years and that shouldn't be. If your voice wobbles, shakes, quivers, or cracks, learn to power your sound from your chest and your voice will suddenly sound ageless, no matter how old you are or aren't!

The Voice Lady Nancy Daniels offers private, corporate and group workshops in voice and presentation skills as well as Voicing It!, the only video training program on voice improvement. Visit Voice Dynamic or watch Nancy in a brief video as she describes The Power of Your Voice.