The transformative power of voice
Meryl Streep has done it again! She has given us a compellingly human portrayal of a larger-than-life character. As Margaret Thatcher in The Iron Lady, Streep works her magic the same way she did as Julia Child in Julie and Julia: she offers the audience a glimpse of the life hidden inside a very public persona. Such a task might daunt lesser talents, but Streep has the discipline, talent, and courage to dive headlong into her character.
What always interests me about Streep's work is her willingness to embody her character to the point of transformation. And a very large reason we so readily see her as Sophie Zawistowski or Julia Child or Margaret Thatcher is that we so strongly hear her as these women.
Getting rid of "shrill"
Streep places great emphasis on voice as an integral part of any role she plays. So I found it very "meta-theatrical" that The Iron Lady includes a scene where Mrs. Thatcher learns to pitch her voice to sound less "shrill." Her male colleagues in Parliament accused her of being "screechy" and said they couldn't listen to her. In an interview on NPR in December, Streep explained this necessary step on Thatcher's road to leadership: "first Thatcher worked on losing her Lincolnshire accent; then she had to lose the light, airy voice she had acquired at Oxford - a voice that tended to screech when raised. To accomplish all that, Thatcher started seeing a vocal coach."
Apparently the great Laurence Olivier suggested to Thatcher's advisor Gordon Reece that she work with a theatrical vocal coach. Olivier, as a classically-trained actor, understood the importance of using voice to convey authority and power. This week it was revealed that Kate Fleming, a Hollywood vocal coach (who worked with Olivier and other stars, and was the voice coach at the National Theatre of Britain in the 1970s) worked with Thatcher over a four-year period.
It's you, but better
In her February 6th interview with Terry Gross on NPR's Fresh Air Streep said "I think that voice lessons bring out a voice you already possess...." and that in Thatcher's case, "...what the voice coach did was enable her to deepen her voice, bring it to a place where men could listen to it."
To be a leader you need to make sure potential followers will actually listen. You have to convince them that you know what you're talking about. They need to be able to trust you to do your job, a job, perhaps, far bigger than theirs. So you need to convey authority and clarity. Therefore, you must never neglect your delivery. Don't give them any excuse to tune you out!
If you do not have a naturally deep, resonant voice, don't worry. A good voice coach can help. I have worked with many clients to develop their authentic leadership sounds. The strategies and exercises I share with my clients may be the same ones that vocally transformed Mrs. Thatcher (after all, I learned many of them at London's Central School of Speech and Drama, Olivier's alma mater). Such coaching helped Margaret Thatcher (MP, Finchley) become The Iron Lady. Powerful stuff!
Tips you can use!
Preview your space
Get into your space before you speak. Stand where you will stand. Do a sound check if you can, and make sure the podium is not too tall for you, and that the light is strong enough for you to read, but not so bright it blinds you!
Stand firmly on both feet
You need a strong base to stay centered and energized. And a balanced stance will cut down on that annoying and distracting swaying.
Read your speeches out loud
A speech is meant to connect with an audience that is listening to it, not reading it. Simplify sentence structure. Use active verbs, metaphor that is evocative (yet not too convoluted), and striking imagery.
