The Listenary

Oh, yes, this last voice care tip is the best. It turns heads when you walk into a room and certainly when you sound your voice. It makes even your telephone voice more "connectable."

Voice Care Tip #8 says Keep a Smile in Your Eyes.

Telemarketers are taught to smile because it makes them sound better. So why shouldn't I include smiling in my voice care tips?

However, the smile I mean is not just a pasted-on lip and cheek thing. That smile can drain your energy, while the smile as I do it may increase your energy. Some of us who have lived with depression for years may think we smile when our face crinkles, but I, for one, had forgotten to put the smile in my eyes.

So, first find a mirror so you can see what you're doing.

Think of someone you love, like alot, or admire. Try to put that liking in your eyes. My friend does it when she looks at her children. You can do it looking at yourself or simply staring off into space.

Or think of how you would feel if you had a wonderful secret. Then try to put that feeling in your eyes. The middle school children in my youth group do it when they're excitedly talking together. Again, you can have your secret while looking anywhere.

This has to do somehow with the physiology of the eye. It exercises the tiniest muscles, tendons, ligaments, and blood vessels. It brings circulation, cleansing, and healing to places nothing else can reach.

You can choose to make it happen. You can choose to put this smile in your eyes even when you're having a bad day. I probably did this naturally as a child, and I think I probably do it automatically when I'm speaking in public. Since I have become conscious of the phenomenon, I notice that a smile that doesn't first involve my eyes seems empty and energy-draining.

Upon learning this exercies, right away I noticed that when I put the smile in my eyes, any stomach discomfort from anxiety or worry or other indigestion would dramatically lessen, sometimes totally dissipate, within ten seconds of starting the eye-smile. Feeling better in the middle part of my body lets me have better posture and more energy.

So Voice Care Tip #8 is Keep a Smile in Your Eyes. Please experiment. I'd love to hear your stories about this phenomenon.