The human voice is a wonderful instrument, and it obviously plays a critical role in communication. The more clearly and expressively we speak, the more effectively we convey our messages. What we say is often less important than the way we say it.

The voice is also a badge of identity, and an infallible indicator of mood and attitude. In a very real sense, we are what we speak, and others make judgements based on the way we sound. If we are uncertain of ourselves, our voices will ‘tell on’ us. If we are tired, our voices will betray that fact. If we are in a bad mood, our voices will let it be known!

We can, however, work on our voices to strengthen them and to make them more sensitive instruments of communication. Voicework can help build confidence in our ability to express ourselves in a clear, vibrant, natural voice. And this is surely an important part of being able to use a foreign language (or even our own) well.

Some people are fortunate in having a naturally good voice, but for most of us, it can only be acquired through hard work. The good news for language learners is that they get a double benefit: acquiring good voice habits while acquiring the foreign language.

The activities in this chapter apply to language learning some of the very wide range of techniques which actors use.