The Voice Box

06/12/2025

03/31/2025

🤡 Join us tomorrow, on April Fool's Day, for our next HEC Toastmasters meeting. We'll be hosting a backwards meeting so it should be lots of fun!

We are happy to provide you wth a safe space to practice public speaking and meet new people ... you might even learn something new!

Guests are always welcome - PM me if you want to talk.

07/07/2024

I’m so excited!!!

💪 Today my daughter Chavy and I will be walking to fight against cancer.

It’s my birthday tomorrow and my gift 🎁 to myself is to raise money to support the Jewish General Hospital’s Centre Cancer Segal.

Here’s my why:

We've all been touched by cancer in one way or another. My earliest cancer-related memory was when I was a young child and my mom's good friend Sally was diagnosed with breast cancer. Not long after hearing the bad news, we were comforting her husband and young children at Sally's shiva.

My beloved Aunty Goldie was the glue that held our family together. She was diagnosed with cancer not long after retiring from her career as a librarian, and 5 years later she was taken from us. We miss her so much!

More recently, my dear friend Lindsay's husband was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia. He passed away within a few months, leaving behind a widow and 2 young kids.

My camping buddy and purple-loving friend Bev, who dedicated her career as a social worker to helping disadvantaged children, was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer just before our summer 2023 camping trip. Bev's joie de vivre was contagious and I'll cherish my memories of our "glamping" trips and the life lessons she shared with me forever. Bev left this world on Tuesday, May 7, 2024 at 9:14am.

Please join me in raising money for cancer research. Together, we can make a difference!

On July 7, join your fellow Quebecers to walk or ride in Le Week-end pour combattre le cancer, which brings us together with a common goal: to CONQUER CANCER!

05/19/2024

03/14/2024

03/01/2024

02/13/2024

EASY way to improve your speech!

Do this for just 5 minutes a day to sound clear and confident.

Talk radio show hosts like CJAD 800 Montreal's Elias Makos are among the best public speakers in the world. So turn on your radio and follow the 3 tips below to benefit from their expertise!

3 tips on how to use the radio to speak with clarity and confidence:

1️⃣ Want to improve your INTONATION and sound more interesting? Listen to radio commercials and shadow them by copying what they say, using the same intonation.

2️⃣ Many people tell me that they get stuck when faced with SMALL TALK at the office or at networking events.

The solution? Listen to the radio!

They have interesting new guests every day who speak about an assortment of interesting topics, events and books that you can use the next time you have to make small talk.

3️⃣ If English is your second language and you want to sound more Canadian or American, use the shadowing technique that I mentioned in tip number one to speak with the radio host and copy their PRONUNCIATION and INTONATION.

This works even better if you listen to a podcast of their show so that you can slow down the speed and listen over and over again.

📻 Happy World Radio Day!

I'm curious - do you listen to the radio?

07/31/2023

06/15/2023

06/12/2023

Do you ever lose your voice or experience vocal strain or fatigue after a long day of Zoom calls or after a loud dinner party?

I know I do!

💡 Here are some things you can do to prevent your vocal injury from spiraling out of control:

➡️ Hydrate those vocal folds (cords) before, during and after the speaking event by drinking lots or water!

➡️ Once you’re already experiencing vocal strain, fatigue or hoarseness, REST YOUR VOICE as much as possible. I’m not telling you to stop talking until your voice feels better, but just talk as much as is absolutely necessary until your voice goes back to normal.

➡️ Finally, some gentle humming will help to reduce the inflammation and muscle tension which is causing your voice problem in the first place.

🎤 Watch the video below and follow along with me as I guide you through a gentle humming humming exercise to get your voice back on track!