My name is Roger Love and I have spent most of my adult life in pursuit of just the right 'sounds.' I am a voice coach, and my job is to help each person find his or her own perfect voice ... sounds that lead to successful communications, financial security, sustained relationships, wish-fulfillment, and personal satisfaction and happiness. You might think that's a lot to ask from a voice, but I certainly do not.

Now I have some good news for YOU. Each and every one of you reading my words, regardless of talent or ability, can learn to create a voice that will dramatically improve the quality of your life. How would you like to control the way people perceive you? Would you like to come across as the smartest, the funniest, the most qualified, and the right person for the job or situation? Because I already know that it's possible. It's simple, you just need to know what sounds to make and when.

Let me explain a bit more. We live in a world that is dominated by words. People mistakenly think that those words are the most important part of every successful communication. However, those people happen to be wrong. Statistics actually say that the words we use only count for about 7 percent, and that the tonality of the voice, the sounds we make aside from the words, counts for more than 38 percent. Let me put that another way: I'm saying that you are pretty much wasting your time figuring out what words to say to someone. Instead, you need to concentrate on the tonality of your voice -- the pitch, the pace, the melody, the volume and the tone. By understanding those key elements, which I call 'The Building Blocks of Voice,' you will have the ability to manipulate people's perceptions about you and achieve your desired outcomes.

When you were very little, and desperately wanting that chocolate chip cookie before dinner, you shyly reached into the jar, and then recoiled as your mother sternly called out, "No way!" Your response, "I waaaaaant it," fell on deaf ears, as your dreams of an immediate sugar rush fell hopelessly away. Do you know why you didn't end up with that cookie? I do. You didn't use the right tone of voice. And that's still one of your biggest problems today. There are so many sweet things that you are missing out of in life because of the sounds that are coming out of your mouth. Have you listened to the message on your voice mail lately? Do you like the sound of your own voice? Usually when people hear their own voices recorded, they cringe in disbelief. But think about it, if you don’t like the way your voice sounds, why don't you give yourself a present you deserve ... a vocal makeover.

Here are a couple of tips to get you started in the right direction:

Tip 1: Learn to use Diaphragmatic Breathing

Great speaking can only happen when the right amount of air meets the right amount of vocal cord. In order to make that happen, you need to breathe in through your nose and pretend that you have a balloon in your stomach. As you inhale, fill up the balloon and let your stomach area come out. As you you speak, simply let your stomach come back in slowly and release the air. Make sure you do this without raising your chest and shoulders. The only part of your body that's supposed to move during breathing is your stomach. You should only ever speak while your stomach is coming back in to its normal position. That sends a solid stream of air to the cords and allows the words to ride out of your mouth evenly and powerfully.

Tip 2: More Melody

Most people speak as if they were a piano with only one or two working keys. They speak in a monotone way that bores people to tears. One important way to be presentational and hold your listener's attention is to use a great deal of melody. Let's look at the song, Happy Birthday. Go ahead and sing now (it's ok, nobody but me is listening). You'll notice that the melody goes up and down, like any interesting song. Now let's do a simple exercise. First sing a line of the song below the way it was originally written. Then sing the next set of words written afterward with the exact same melody. Do so with each line.

Happy birthday to you ... I'm glad that you called
Happy birthday to you ... There's so much to say
Happy birthday dear friend ... You sound very happy
Happy birthday to you ... It's a beautiful day

Now just sing the new lyrics with the Happy Birthday melody.

I'm glad that you called
There's so much to say
You sound very happy
It's a beautiful day

You might be thinking, "Why should I sing, I just want to learn to speak better." My answer is, as far as your body knows, singing and speaking is basically the same thing. I think it would be great if you could have a more sing-song-like voice, one filled with melody, one that makes listeners feel you are not just speaking, but also entertaining them.

When you sang the new words to the Happy Birthday song, you had to use a lot of melody to go up and down to hit the specific notes. That's what I want you to do when you speak. I want to get you out of the monotone patterns you use and venture up and down the melodic scale like a good singer who wants to please his or her audience with a beautiful song.

Before I let you go, let me say that none of you need to be trapped in the voice you currently have. If you want to truly change your life for the better, start by listening to the way you sound, and be willing to create a new and better you. A better life is waiting for you ... right on the tip of your tongue.

Roger Love is one of the world's leading authorities on voice. He coaches stars like Reese Witherspoon, Jeff Bridges, Colin Farrell, Tyra Banks and Will Farrell, as well as speakers such as Anthony Robbins, John Gray, Dr. Laura Schlessinger, Suze Orman, and Glenn Beck. Roger has written three top selling books, been a regular in three major network television shows, produced the vocals for the Academy Award winning film Walk The Line, as well as created the amazing audio program The Perfect Voice. For more information and vocal help, please go to www.rogerlove.com.

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