Sir Keir Starmer
Recently the Times Radio phoned me asked to do an interview on Sir Keir Starmer and his success due to his female voice coach.
An interesting idea, but I don’t agree.
Personally, having never voted Labour in my life, despite having voted for nearly every other party at one time or another, even I was ready to vote for him which I promise you was very little to do with him.
Like many Conservatives, or Liberal Democrats and Greens, I was simply sickened by Rishi Sunak’s government.
Apart from the lack of conversation between the Conservative party and the NHS medics, I was truly disgusted that Rishi left the 90 year old veterans who saved our country from being overrun by Nazis, on the beaches of Normandy during the D-Day Remembrance Event.
He had to rush off, he said, to do a promo event, on himself…
He had always prioritised self promotion but finally it was clear for all to see. He did not deserve to be Prime Minister of this country.
Unsurprisingly, Sir Keir Starmer Won The Election.
I do not believe ‘she’ got Starmer in.
And, going by his immensely dull, formulaic and totally inauthentic delivery, his unattractive nasal voice, which is worse by the way, than it used to be, she single handedly illustrated why not to bother employ a voice coach.
I listened to the voice coach the Times managed to get to do the interview – I couldn’t do it because I was working – and I heard some more strange ideas.
She called Starmer’s voice ‘sharp’, which to me is a weird and in the context, a very nebulous term.
Voice Sound Is The Result of Internal Engineering
I would have said: he is holding his tongue in an arched, convex shaped position, held slightly too far back into the throat, which partially fills the cavity that should be empty above his tongue, a space in which his breath can resonate and pass through.
If the tongue is arched you will make s a nasal passage way sound (sound nasal) because the breath has no where to go.
The breath cannot woosh over the flat or convex tongue and out through the parted teeth: its passage is hindered or at worst blocked and so it must travel through the nasal cavities.
This also creates a high pitched sound, because the root of the tongue is too full in the phariynx, thus making the aperture through which the breath should travel through from your lungs, up your trachea very small.
A small hole makes your vocal sound come out at a very high pitch. Try screaming 🙂
Fast Practical Results
I am far too practical for vague abstract terms and I like results that can be measured, felt, experienced, observed immediately by others and practical techniques that have guaranteed results.
I did a bit of research on Starmer’s lady voice and performance coach and my conclusion was I’m not interested in telling anyone to be their ‘authentic self’.
Rather than focusing on whether they sound honest or not I teach that a good speaker focuses on their message and WHY they are telling others about it.. what’s important and why they feel they must share the information.
If you mean what you are saying and truly believe it’s important to convey that message, we will know on a visceral level.
You can learn certain vocal techniques to high light words or encourage an audience to ponder on a point, or timing or editing for comedy if you want to make them laugh, but finding what you are fascinated by, or really care about in your speech, goes a long way.
If Sir Keir Starmer Had Called Me…
If Kier had called my number, his tongue wouldn’t be permanently arched and domed up to the vault of his mouth.
Nor would he use such artificial sounding, ‘minor’ notes in his voice.
Naturally, we all use ‘major’ notes when we speak… unless were are very depressed .. or ill ..
I would have also encouraged him to speak in a much more natural rhythm and ditch the court room pacing which is brilliant of course, in the right setting.
Court cases can be extremely complicated and pacing your voice to be understood by everyone in the court room is a skill in itself.
A Sir Keir Starmer Song
