Self-help Programs - Getting Better Educated

Written by Emi Varutti
Excerpted from INBUSINESS Windsor Magazine.

Diana Yampolsky also gives people direction. But in her case, she gives singers and orators "a map of how sound travels." The Russian native has been a voice coach for 23 years. She came to Canada in 1980 and opened the Royans School for the Musical Performing Arts in 1984 in Willowdale, Ont. About one in four clients comes to improve his or her speaking. The rest come for speaking lessons.

Yampolsky helps students use the proper intonation, speed and pace when talking, depending on the situation. People may need to speak differently at a business dinner than when talking on the phone, for example.

"Voice is a tool," she says. And improving that tool can help people become more confident and reduce stress. Actually, she says, confidence and vocal skills are intertwined, so that they help each other improve. "The voice is the spirit. The voice is a reflection of the state of your being. The voice is a reflection of who you are."

She uses herself as an example. People can hear the confidence in her voice when she talks about the program, she says. And, she adds, there is also the subliminal message that if they choose not to take her course, it's their loss.

Yampolsky likes to ask businesspeople a question: "You may have the formula for success but do you have the machinery?" She's close to signing a deal to work with one business school and has held seminars for some companies. Many professionals, especially lawyers, also take her singing lessons to relax and reduce stress, she says.

But she deals with more than just mental and emotional aspects. There's also the physical side, for both speaking and singing.

How people position and move their bodies is essential, says Yampolsky, because a good performance depends on proper distribution of weight. Good posture and the proper use of abdominal and facial muscles (or a higher head placement) help lift and project sound.

She believes relying solely on the vocal cords is a common mistake for many singers, which is why she shows them how facial and abdominal muscles can ease stress on vocal cords. Strain on a voice can also be eased by support from the diaphragm. She focuses on developing a singer's abdominal muscles, not giving instructions on breathing. She encourages students to do strengthening excercises, such as situps and even yoga.

Chatham choir singer Charlene Roy took the Royans Method in March. She quickly noticed a difference in her singing. Her breathing isn't as strained, and the 10-hour lesson has extended her vocal range, creating a "nicer sound... It's just beautiful. The second day I was there, it just came right out."

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