Using your voice requires something you may not have considered: courage. Here is a list of questions to help you determine your level of courage.

Are you brave enough to:

1. ...commit to the connection to your audience?

This means you would actually "look em in the eye" so to speak -- not just go through the motions or hold back in an insecure, guarded stance -- but actually focus your communication like an icepick to MOVE them emotionally.

2. ...allow a real part of yourself to become known?

To effectively connect, your audience needs to be able to tell that you are really with them. This requires that you truly give them a glimpse of at least part of who you are. There is a time to guard yourself... being onstage is not one of those times. A consultation with a media expert or performance coach will help you determine what you will and will not expose about yourself to your audience. And a side note... you can keep part of "YOU" to yourself. The public does not own you or access to you at all times. They just deserve an honest part of you while you perform, if you want to reach them.

3. ...to let someone know you're having trouble?

If you are having vocal strain, stage fright, difficulty connecting or numbing out in performance, trouble hitting notes or controlling your voice, substance abuse or eating issues, there is help. In this competitive music business world, there is a temptation to hide all weaknesses, and indeed in some quarters you should do so. But you need to have safe places to get real, and friends/professionals to whom you can confide problems. Oh if only Elvis, Michael Jackson, Kurt Cobain et al had known this, we would still have them with us. And many other singers and speakers would not have fallen silent.

Real singing and public speaking is not for the squeamish.
But when you gather your courage, get problems fixed, commit, reveal and connect- it's a blast, believe me... and bungee jumping can't compare with that rush:)

Labels: courage, Judy Rodman, public speaking, singing