JILL ABUSCH

Speaking

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There are so many ways that a voice which works in everyday conversation can get lost in a larger setting - and if your voice is lost, your message is lost. Sloppy diction, vocal grinding, trailing off at the ends of sentences - these are everyday vocal habits that don't matter much around the office, but they can bring your speech to a grinding halt when you are at the podium. 

Jill provides customized vocal and diction coaching to help get clients "on their voice," maximizing their own natural voice for the public arena. You want to sound like you...but pumped up for the realities of the bigger venue. Healthy vocal technique is important, especially if clients will be delivering a long speech or speaking frequently over several days. Jill works with clients to ensure that they are using their voices in a healthy, sustainable way, while resonating powerfully and effectively with the audience.

Habits

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We all have physical and vocal habits that creep into our every day lives - we might cross our arms, twist a wedding ring, put our hands in our pockets, scratch our forehead. These habits are part of what make us, well, us - the individuals we are. You could probably do an impression of your friends, colleagues, or spouse and replicate their habits - and you would look and sound just like them! As a public speaker, some of these habits could be useful to you, while others could interfere with your message.

Jill works with clients to become aware of all physical, vocal, and idiosyncratic habits (because while we could do impressions of everyone we know, we are often strangely unaware of our own habits!), eliminating those that are hampering the delivery of the speech and harnessing those that can be used advantageously in a public speaking context.

Content

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A good public speech starts with a well constructed message. The best speaker on the planet can easily lose their audience if the content of the speech is disjointed, too dry, or crafted for the wrong target audience.

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Jill has helped clients organize their thoughts into the most cohesive thought patterns. She has advised which jokes might land best with which audience (and which ones to save for the dinner table). She has reviewed visual presentations to make sure they align with speech content. Jill has helped clients remember who they are targeting in their audience, and what language might best help deliver their ideas to those particular people. She has reviewed possible anecdotes, introductions, and closings and has tightened up the script to ensure the speaker is delivering exactly the idea that was intended.

Jill has helped clients segue smoothly from one idea to the next, keeping the momentum going while also giving time for reflection when needed.

Jill's 20+ year career in the theatre, reading hundreds of scripts and bringing them to life on stage, gives her a distinctive point of view when it comes to what will, and will not, generate a response from an audience.

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Technique

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There is no trick to successful public speaking. There are people who will tell you that they can make you a great public speaker if you follow these simple tricks....all you have to do is: make eye contact with the audience. Or, alternatively, someone else will tell you don't make eye contact with the audience - look over their heads! Someone else will tell you don't put your hands in your pocket. And then another guy will tell you: definitely put your hands in your pocket. Or this one: just be yourself!  But what if being yourself means being very shy? Or very sarcastic? Or speaking very softly? Or feeling uncomfortable in front of a large group of people? "Just be yourself" might just be the worst advice ever! There is no one-size-fits-all approach to speaking publicly. Tricks do not address the reality of public speaking. 

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Yet, there are techniques to public speaking that can be learned and put into practice. Your best work will come from a collaborative, individualized working process in which you develop a practical understanding of your strengths and challenges. From there, working through a personalized and guided course of practice can result in a confident, present, and prepared speaker.

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Getting to know each client individually, Jill provides techniques for speakers to be authentically themselves while rising to the performative style of public speaking.