Own your Voice - Methodology

Researched by Akhshay Gandhi

Own your “Voice”

Course methodology

Voice | Text | Presence
The art in the practice of speaking

We are all drawn by Voice which resonates; by Words which makes us think & feel; by Presence which captures attention. We all have experienced the impact of connecting deeply, communicating freely and inspiring someone and yet at times we struggle and we don’t know what to do about it.

"Encircled Speaking" is an active practice of integrating Body, Mind and Energy for mastering the art of speaking which is authentic, purposeful and compelling. The practice transforms the inexperienced speakers with real breakthroughs and empowers the experienced ones to step up, for impactful vocal performance.

"There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you."

- Maya Angelou (American Poet)

Act of Speaking:

Act of Speaking has evolved into a complex phenomenon beyond sound based survival communication to exchange ideas, stories, knowledge and experiences. The phenomenon is an intricate working of various interrelated subsystems (Respiratory, nervous, neurological, brain’s faculties, physical system etc), each plays a unique role in making the communication through speaking a rich experience.

In a public speaking context, the complexity increases multiple folds, with environment, stress, more sensory information to process and other external factors affecting each internal component and their relationship.

Speaking becomes powerful when all these components work together fluidly and at enhanced states to create an impactful presence to sustain this intricate phenomenon.

A Note on workshop:

The workshop brings together some of the finest techniques, practical exercises and creative processes from theatre pedagogies, social science & Psycho-Neurological research. Sessions are facilitated with keen emphasis on going beyond “understanding” of Speaking process to “embodying” the inter-connected and multi-dimensional nature of communication. Driven by curiosity, exploration and guided discovery, facilitation encourages individual breakthroughs and collective enrichment.

Discovering your Voice

1. Impulse
From external environments like Need to speak, situation, conversation, sensorial input etc. OR from inside, a thought, muscular tensions, psychological & emotional flow, imagination etc.

2. Breath & Energy
A specific quality of breath is inhaled to match the impulse and a certain amount of energy is generated to accommodate the process.

3. Body-Mind Preparation
Entire body prepares to support production of sound including diaphragm, vocal system, muscular body, skeletal response etc. Brain & nervous system clarifies the response and a reorganization of tensions in the body takes place to be in line with the essence of expression.

4. Production of Sound
On the exhale of breath, sound is produced by creation of vibrations with calibrated force.

5. Creation of Voice
The vibrations occupy the resonating chambers (including muscular tensions) encapsulating the energy, sound, thought and intention. Which then leaves the body into the space to be received by the listener.

From Voice to Text:

“Text" comes from proto-indo European root "*teks", which means 'to weave'. And so the Latin origin Text means 'things woven'.

We speak because we want something to happen in the world, something to shift, something to change. Speaking is an Action and like any action it alters the existing state of the environment.

But what are our thoughts? How do we frame them? How do we speak to them?

These questions are explored through,

Meaning & beyond: What do we do to create meaning and let the audience perceive the content?
Speaking principles & techniques: What are the speaking elements? What keeps them in an interplay? How do speakers use these elements to speak with authenticity and intricacies ?
Architecture of text: How a perceptible argument builds up? What allows us to follow someone’s thoughts?
Listening & Storytelling: Listening & telling goes all the way back to our early evolution. Let's explore both these aspects to become a storyteller.

The Process:

The session integrates three primary focuses for multi-dimensional learning:

Awareness 2. Cultivation 3. Articulation

The facilitation is designed to heighten the awareness towards multiple capacities, which informs the speaking process, like voice, breath, thought flow, internal working of body-mind connection etc,, cultivating these capacities with practical and advanced techniques and integrating capacities and sensibilities to deliver an influential speech.

1. Exercises to enhance various aspects of voice, like resonance, depth, openness etc.
2. Breathing techniques and their use for the speaking process.
3. Cultivating the mind's capacity to engage with in depth working of thoughts, ideas and subject matter.
4. Connecting body, breath, thought, voice and speaking.
5. Techniques to develop grasp on architecture of text and it's larger story.
6. Exercises to enhance stage presence.
7. Delving into deeper communication processes beyond the literal with aspects of communication like energy, connection, compositions etc.
8. Working on a well crafted speech from the past to analyze the author's mind.
9. Experiencing what makes an act of speaking influential.

Upcoming online training:

Group sessions: 11 | Individual sessions: 2

28th Mar - 20th April ‘22 | 7-8:30 PM IST
Every Mon, Wed, Fri Online (Google meet)

https://stillspacetheatre.co.in/own-your-voice

Send us your enquiry here:
https://forms.gle/JCRw4wwt5RjBRVih7

Contact: +91-9986994836 | office@stillspacetheatre.co.in