Hey Reader,
So glad you're here! I was afraid you were going to miss out on the paella.
Just kidding. (I don't make food I can barely spell!)
I hate to tell you, but your voice is lying to you.
Your habits are running the show — and they don't even know it.
The way you talk right now? It's not really "you."
It's just a collection of patterns your brain decided were safe a long time ago. Speak fast enough, and nobody notices you're nervous.
Stay quiet enough, and nobody judges how you sound.
Smart strategy, terrible results.
Here's the thing about habits, though… they're not “permanent”.
They're just practiced. Which means you can un-practice them.
Two of the biggest vocal habits that kill credibility for most people are:
Speaking “too fast” and not “projecting” enough.
Both scream, "I'm not sure I should be talking right now."
Two things that sneak up on you the moment nerves kick in.
To tackle “Speed”, try this:
Record yourself talking for one minute about something you know cold.
Your pitch, your intro, whatever.
Then record it again and STRETCH it to two full minutes.
Yes, it'll feel painfully slow. Almost cartoonishly slow. That's the point.
You're training your brain that “slow” is safe.
Your brain needs to learn that “slowing down” won't actually kill you.
Now for volume:
Grab a book and read it out loud through a closed door.
Seriously. Read like someone on the other side needs to hear every single word.
(Your phone on the other side can be your judge.) Set up "record" and make sure you can understand what you're saying.
If that feels dramatic, good. That's exactly the kind of projection that fills a room or commands a virtual stage.
Bonus: This is a great time for changing your "pitch"!
I would purposely read through a closed door two octaves lower than my natural voice. Within weeks, my natural voice had “dropped”!
Neither of these exercises costs anything.
But both of them, when done consistently, start rewiring the way your brain approaches “speaking”.
The magic is “repetition”.
Send voice messages instead of texts. Read your grocery list out loud.
Talk to your brain like it's in training, because it is.
When these new habits click, your whole “presence” shifts.
If you want a real set of ears on your specific challenges, let's talk.
Book a free “One on One with Royce” and get actual feedback you can use before we even hang up.
(Book your spot below.)
Stellar Quotes
“You don’t have to be great to start, but you have to start to be great.”
Zig Ziglar
“The thing that is really hard, and really amazing, is giving up on being perfect and beginning the work of becoming yourself.”
Anna Quindlen
I've messed up WAY bigger things than THIS!
There's a phrase hanging above my desk on a sign that's honestly bigger than it needs to be.
Every single day, it stares back at me... like a dare.
It came from a short, stubby man with a cigar, a confused general manager, and a Radio tower that was basically a giant “ice guillotine”.
Let me explain…
Back in Kansas City (KCMO), I was working late in the production studio when the door swung open. In walked our GM alongside this stocky guy, cigar smoke trailing behind him like a cartoon villain.
Smoking in the building was a super no-no, but clearly nobody told this guy. Or they did, and he just didn't care.
Turns out, he was there about our AM station's massive downtown Radio tower. Every winter, sheets of ice the size of small swimming pools would peel off and crash through nearby rooftops like frozen wrecking balls.
The engineer's solution was brilliantly simple: move the tower just 10 feet.
No more ice. No more lawsuits. No more chaos.
The GM, visibly sweating, asked if moving a “live” broadcast tower was actually possible.
The cigar man barely blinked. He launched into a story about a plumbing job he did on a 447,000-square-foot Air Force hangar.
They poured the concrete, finished the pipes, and every single one landed EXACTLY 6 inches off!
Every. Single. One.
Then, cigar in hand, he looked the GM dead in the eye, completely unbothered, and delivered the line that changed everything… “So, you see Gentlemen, I've F**ked up WAY bigger things than THIS!"
The GM looked horrified.
I nearly fell out of my chair laughing.
And I immediately knew I was “stealing” that line forever, Reader!
That phrase is the ultimate 'antidote' to “imposter syndrome”.
Because when you stack your "screw-ups" against everything you've survived and kept going, suddenly hitting “send” or “speaking up” doesn't feel so terrifying.
Diversions
Your Thoughts
I’m trying to get smarter about what I send you…
Which of these sounds most like you these days?
| How serious are you about improving your speaking skills this year? |
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Free Coaching!
Your voice has been with you your entire life, but odds are nobody ever taught you how to "use it". Let's fix that. Grab a free discovery call and let's see what's possible. No push, no pressure.
We can do it by Zoom or phone, whichever you prefer. https://calendly.com/roycethewriter/royce-coaching-call
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