Open Jar Studios is the Choice Venue for Business Training
Plus 4 Steps On Coaching A Great TED Talk
Casey Erin Clark and Julie Fogh from Vital Voice Training
Open Jar Studios is not only used for singing, dancing and acting rehearsals, classes and auditions, but it is also home to the country's foremost speaking and communication experts.
Vital Voice Training offers public speaking and communication coaching for leaders to express themselves with confidence, clarity, and charisma — without imitating someone else’s idea of what leaders are “supposed” to sound like.
If you’ve done any sort of google search on best speaking / communication practices, you probably landed in a quagmire of “simple”, trying-to-be-helpful, ultimately impossible to execute advice. What does “vary the tone of your voice” even mean? Does saying “just” really undermine your leadership presence? Should you go into hiding if you said “um” too many times during that presentation? It’s contradictory and confusing.
Enter Julie Fogh and Casey Erin Clark, founders of Vital Voice Training. Their years of training as both actors and voice and speech coaches give them a deep knowledge of human behavior, and of the voice and body as a physical, mental, emotional, and social instrument. Theater is a training ground for action — stepping into the spotlight with bravery, releasing perfectionism to give a present performance (instead of a boring "perfect" performance — theater people know there's no such thing).
“Your voice is so much more than just what you say, sing and how you sound” say Vital Voice Training’s founders Julie and Casey. “It’s the way you show up. It’s how your ideas get transferred from your brain to other people. It’s putting your values visibly, audibly, and deliberately in the world.”
Their work ranges to meet their client’s needs, including crafting (and perfecting) TEDx or SXSW talks, pitching a company for funding, and nailing upcoming interviews or negotiations. They also specialize in working with clients on their presence and charisma as they prepare for new roles, new visibility, and bigger stages (literal or figurative), with a supply of new tools for the journey.
When clients come to Vital Voice Training seeking their talents on crafting and perfecting a TED or SXSW Talk, Vital recommends a 4 step process:
Reflect, Amplify—from idea to outline.
Vital Voice will sift through a client’s ideas to create a core idea for a signature talk — an external perspective can help them get clarity and see the bigger picture and context. Then they’ll collaborate with the client to create a through-line for the talk to bring it to outline form.
Structure, Strategize—from outline to first draft.
With this clarity in place and with VVT’s guidance, the client can fill out the outline (so their voice is forefront!) with a clear story-telling structure that can be easily tweaked for different circumstances (including audiences and time limits).
Write, Refine—from first draft to finished script/first rehearsal
Once the structure is defined, it’s time to polish, refine, and tweak the language - then rehearse the client presenting their speech, clarifying objectives, obstacles, and tactics: to give the audience wants and needs.
Rehearse, Reveal—from rehearsal to opening night
Vital teaches their clients how to rehearse, including breaking down given circumstances, refining your unique stage presence, and memorization. Work on blocking and body language. Plan the nuts and bolts for the day of, and craft the client’s pre- and post-speech success routine.
VItal Voice’s Julie and Casey both say that strong speaking and communication skills are essential in every profession. “Whether you have an upcoming talk for 500 people or an appearance on CNN, are stepping into a new leadership role at work, want to up your Tik Tok game, or just want to find the voice that feels like “you”, we help our clients find and use their communication superpowers!”
To learn more about Vital Voice Training, visit www.vitalvoicetraining.com. To learn about Open Jar Studios and how one of their 22 studios might fit your needs, visit www.OpenJarStudios.com
