Clients and students are always asking me for the simplest, most effective warm-up for the voice, something they can do getting ready for and even while driving to work. It’s HUMMING! But not just any humming; forward placed, relaxed & open jaw humming. It will clear and vibrate your vocal cords and allow you to…

Are women speakers finally opening up and using their full, natural, body voice to sound more grounded, authentic and powerful? Are you? In my coaching, I often find that speakers attempting to do this as a choice without voice training may be using way too much stress for poor results, perhaps dropping into the dreaded…

How we speak our language is always in flux. Did you know that the NCVS dialect (which includes MN!) is causing a veritable movement, a vowel shift in America? As long as a speaker has great vocal tone & support (no fry or nasality), pronunciation can have more play. Vocabulary and pronunciation are, after all,…

Does your company or employer focus on money and product more than developing their greatest resource: People? In this wonderful McKinsey interview, one CEO who gets it explains. Companies who mentor and coach their people to connect and lead will survive more successfully through changes. Coaching Personal Performance Assets like Presence, Voice & Speech can…

Every business has a story and for a micro business, that story is wildly varied, individual, and personal. I’ve been featured in this fun article in the Spring, 2017 issue of MB2MB.

Is one of your biggest fears having to speak publicly? Give a report at a meeting? Pitch a design or a project? Network with new people? Win a job interview or promotion? One of the major ideas I share is: In the moment you feel nervous, you’re too self-centered. Harsh? I find this to be…

If you speak accented English, wish you were better understood, and have wondered about getting accent modification coaching or training, here’s a great little article with 10 questions to help you decide. BVocal can help with all of these points, especially the physical how-to of creating the specific sounds of American English. Read more here…

Speech coach, Gary Genard does it again with this terrific article about 10 Causes of Speech Anxiety.  And his blog article includes free downloads that I heartily recommend.  My BVocal Presence Coaching is also theatre-based performance coaching, agrees with Gary’s work, AND I have a few more tips and exercises for shifting your perception of…

Gary Genard offers this great article on speaking with a richer, warmer tone for more effective, leadership communication.  I heartily agree and can help you with exercises and guidance to grow each of these 5 areas of vocal production.

I’m very excited to be invited to present and the 2016, annual VASTA (Voice & Speech Trainers Assoc.) conference in Chicago this week.  If you can’t make an appointment, that’s why!  Hope to see you after 8/15.  I always return from our conferences with new methods, exercises and even more enthusiasm, and I can’t wait…

Upping your game, raising your profile, demonstrating leadership, sharing your passion… TED Talks has increased awareness that great public speaking is often a big component of an essential skill set for success.  Your body (voice, speech, breath, energy, gesture, expression, movement) is a primary piece of business equipment. Have you learned to really use it?…

It’s that time of year in the northern latitudes, when many suffer from colds, viruses, and the stresses of breathing dry, heated indoor air, and I’m often asked for tips about how to care for the voice.  Of course, the first thing is to learn to play your vocal instrument without undue stress and strain…

BVocal clients are shown how to aspire to dialect/accent free, Standard American Pronunciation.  But language constantly changes.  And is talking about standards in communication somehow classist?  As your personal coach, I’ll always offer you the range of possible pronunciations and tell you honestly how some pronunciations might be judged.  You make informed choices according to…

About 1/3 of BVocal clients are ESL speakers from all over the world.  You are valued, respected and welcomed. BVocal LLC, a member of MetroIBA (Buy Local Twin Cities), proudly posts this sign, created by fellow member, Common Roots Cafe. Feel free to download and post.

Helping business professionals improve voice, speech, communication presence and delivery is the service and passion that drew Cheryl Moore Brinkley from the stage to create BVocal.  An alum of Ithaca College, she was recently interviewed by the Ithaca College (IC) View, about how following one’s path can lead to previously unimagined career change and success.

How will you celebrate WORLD VOICE DAY today, April 16, 2015?  Be vocal any way you can.  Sing, speak, shout!  As a client said in today’s coaching, “This work is ‘pan-relevant’!”  Healthy voice, expression, and effective communication connectedness is holistic and joyous.  Here are some great resources.

Younger speakers are being described as “bleating” and “grunting” when conversing.  SO unattractive and ineffective.  Is that how you’d like your voice & speech style described?  Probably not.  Break free from the herd and try these tips.

According to this new study from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, the sound of a job applicant’s voice is a key factor.  Do you speak well enough to sound intelligent?

As your Presence Coach, I’d augment these tips with words from theatre training:  Relationship (Who), Intention (What + Why), and Emotion/Behavior (How).

Ever wonder what factors besides your resume and qualifications affect your chances of being hired or promoted?  A company has created a way of analyzing prospective employees’ voices to see if they’re the right fit for a job.  Voice production can be trained to sound the way you want to be heard/perceived.  Read the article…

Is it just a passing hoarseness or should you see a voice teacher, SLP or ENT?  Just want some tips to keep your voice healthy?  Here’s a great resource from the National Center for Voice and Speech.

Do you have Vocal Fry?  Uptalk? Natalie Nyhus asks Cheryl to explain how bad vocal habits can hurt a woman’s career. View the full interview at:  http://minnesota.cbslocal.com/2014/06/11/vocal-fry-may-be-a-new-trend-but-it-could-hurt-your-career/

April 16th is World Voice Day.  How will you celebrate with your unique instrument? I suggest starting off with some humming, then sing a song or recite something fun out loud. I started today by “rapping” Edgar Allen Poe’s The Raven.  Really! Yes, I cracked myself up, but now my voice and speech consonants are…

Can Voice & Speech Coaching help you succeed? I was recently touched to receive this beautiful email from a former client, who has given me permission to share her story. Decide for yourself: –“I wanted to share an experience with you that made me thank my lucky stars again that I was able to have your…

My client, artist & educator Sheri Klein, has just opened her online store:  http://www.voixlart.com . Sheri has created beautiful silk scarves printed from the voice frequency graphs of spoken, affirmative statements.  You can wrap one around your throat chakra as you release your authentic voice.

This Harvard Review article offers several great tips for perfecting your all-important elevator speech.  One point not mentioned is: Deliver your speech in a modulated, resonant tone of voice to make a great connection with your listener and sound grounded & confident.  If you’re not sure how to do that, Voice & Speech coaching can…

All my Voice & Speech clients know the benefits of practicing the “Moses Supposes” exercise to get the jaw open and the lips forward.  Feel like trying it?  Here’s some help from the stars of Singin’ in the Rain: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=tciT9bmCMq8#at=111

This article contains a list of supposedly impressive vocabulary words.  If you choose to use them, do you know how to pronounce them correctly?  Some need really refined articulation skills to pull them off. Cheryl at BVocal can help you make a great verbal impression every time. http://www.sheknows.com/living/articles/993917/100-words-that-instantly-make-you-sound-smarter

Cheryl was interviewed on a Google+ Hangout by Paulino Brener of Social Media Travelers in January of 2013.  View to get Cheryl’s 5 practical tips for how to look good on a self-made video.  

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323735604578440851083674898.html?mod=e2fb#project%3DHOWYOUREALLYTALK0423%26articleTabs%3Darticle This article from the Wall Street Journal offers new evidence that tone of voice can greatly affect one’s career, and it also advocates getting voice coaching.  There’s also a fun graphic, showing different types of vocal sound, aligning with a celebrity.

BVocal invites you to celebrate World Voice Day on April 16th, 2015, by warming up your voice and speech.  Join Cheryl in this easy, 5-minute warm-up to help you release your best voice. [soundcloud id=’87303892′] Our intrinsic, naturally human way of communicating is vocal.  We can learn signing and writing secondarily, but vocalization and spoken…

Cheryl was recently interviewed by Susan Gangsei of Purpose Driven Marketing, about how one’s Voice tone and Speech clarity are important parts of brand. http://www.susangangsei.com/blog/what-does-your-voice-say-about-you- If you want to find out how to use your voice for a great impression with clients and customers, contact Cheryl for a free consultation.

When we give thanks, we open our hearts and speak our gratitude.  In order to let that flow outward so someone else can receive it, we also need to open our mouths.  Physically.  THANK has the same big, open “A” vowel as HAPPY.  If you remember last month’s tip, this is the same sound as…

There’s lots of confusion about how to pronounce Halloween. Language morphs, so there’s a difference between common, everyday pronunciation and what’s considered preferred.  To help with this holiday, you might want to consider the meaning of the root words. Hollow, pronounced HAH-loh (like the American o in hot), means empty on the inside. The owl…

Here’s a great article explaining more about what’s involved in that vocal fry sound.  

MN Playlist  http://minnesotaplaylist.com/ Beth Chaplin THE ACTING BIZ   http://actingbiztc.com/ AEA  Cheryl is a member of this Union: http://www.actorsequity.org/home.asp

Cheryl was featured in a story about “vocal fry” on WCCO Radio Minneapolis. https://bvocal.net/wp-content/uploads/WCCO_radio_interview_1.mp3 Click the arrow to play. Click inside the player to skip ahead or back. or click here to download

Cheryl is featured in an article in MORE Magazine online (click to #15) http://www.more.com/anti-fame-reinventions

MN Women’s Press:  Voices — My Favorite Instrument, by Cheryl Moore Brinkley: http://www.womenspress.com/main.asp?SectionID=124&SubSectionID=739&ArticleID=3802

BVocal was voted Favorite Speech Communications Coach by the MN Women’s Press What Women Want annual survey. http://www.womenspress.com/

Creativity 101, July, 2009: http://www.examiner.com/x-15002-Minneapolis-Health-and-Happiness-Examiner~y2009m7d27-Creativity-101–Where-to-go-in-MinneapolisSt-Paul-to-find-your-creative-spark

http://webapps.macalester.edu/search/index.html?q=Cheryl+Moore+brinkley&submit=&cx=014282393931808708099:c7vgbg7iryi&cof=FORID%3A10

Women’s Press, 10/08: http://www.womenspress.com/main.asp?SectionID=1&SubSectionID=1&ArticleID=3210

MPLS St. Paul Magazine, 12/06 http://www.mspmag.com/features/features/38252.asp?action=print