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News & Testimonials |
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Testimonials
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Paul Guo, an IT specialist working in North Sydney, felt that his accented English was holding him back from offers of higher paid managerial roles. To break through this glass ceiling, he decided to take accent minimisation training. "My speaking has improved more in the last six months than during the 6 years since I came from China. I have always been serious and keen to improve my English since migrating to Australia. I tried various approaches from group classes, listening to tapes, to one-to-one tutoring. But at the end of that, I still coul not pronounce my name Paul ('Pow'), and people always asked me to spell it again. It's a real breakthrough for me after 6 months study with Syann. Even my colleagues have noticed my English improvement. Thanks a lot, Syann."
Elaine Kirkhope, an employee of ECCO Shoes Australia, found that introducing herself to Australians was difficult as they struggled with her pronounced Scottish accent. "This was particularly frustrating on the phone". After accent minimisation training, Elaine said, "New people I speak to now understand much more easily and this is a huge positive change for me in both my working and social lives."
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"I am an executive recruitment consultant and work closely with high-level industry professionals. My Managing Director engaged Syann Williams to train my voice to better my delivery and communication in face-to-face and telephone interactions with clients and candidates. I must admit I was skeptical of the benefits voice training would have in my role or life and thus Syann started with a challenging student. Over 3 weekly one-to-one training sessions of just 2 hours a session - Syann has completely transformed me. Not just in terms of my voice but my productivity at work and my overall work and life enjoyment. I am still to this day bewildered by her affect but nonetheless highly appreciative. She has built my confidence in how I present myself and most importantly changed my thinking processes for the better. My MD is overwhelmed and I am the happiest I have been. I cannot recommend Syann enough to anyone - her skills as a trainer transcend just voice. Thank you Syann!" Doug Gerrard, Executive Recruitment Consultant
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| "Syann's Voice Workshop is of exceptional value, extremely enjoyable and I left the Workshop with immediate tools to implement in my profession as a Market Research Interviewer. I have been working as a Market Research Interviewer for 6 months prior to discovering Syann's Voice Workshops. One week after the course, the benefit of doing the Voice Workshop was demonstrated by my acceptance rate which doubled, and I was one of the top 10 interviewers out of a total of 74 interviewers that weekend. The first and important challenge of telephone interviews is to gain the trust and influence people of different ages, different places around Australia so that they are willing to participate in a telephone interview. So the first 2 minutes are vital. Other benefits from the Voice workshop are you learn relaxation techniques as well as using the voice appropriately for all occasions" Caroline Mumford, Market Research Interviewer, North Sydney |
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"Once again thank you so much for the course [One-on-One Voice Training]. I would recommend it to anyone who would like some growth in their life. It can help you in any career. Think about it - how do we go through life with other people? Through communication. And if I can make that communication with clear and interesting sound, I'm all the better for it. I've done a similar course in New York, where they taught me mostly the theory of voice and a small amount of practice. At VivaVoce it is so in depth, it gives you exercises that most importantly you can do at home once you've finished the training. I found out that my voice is an instrument, and that I can always practice to perfect it." Julian Damjano, Liquor Seminar Presenter, Sutherland
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| "The voice workshop made me think about how I use (or don't use) my voice effectively. It's something that is given very little attention, and yet is so important for effective communication. I now have a greater awareness of my voice, and can use it to get my message across more successfully. The workshop itself was a lot of fun, a very enjoyable, insightful experience." - Alison Chapman, HR Professional |
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| "After taking part in a Viva Voce Workshop, I am much more confident in the power of my voice. The instructor was professional, thorough and gave me a well-rounded understanding of how the voice operates and how best to use it. It was a highly enjoyable, worthwhile experience that I will continue to draw upon to further strengthen my voice and confidence." - A. Daniels, Personal Trainer, Berowra |
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| Speaking to individuals and groups is a necessary part of our employment as professionals. When we heard that Syann Williams was running a course on voice training, we thought that it would be a good opportunity to reflect on our speech effectiveness and to get some tips on how it could be improved. The course was excellent and combined relaxation techniques, the mechanics of speech, exercises to improve projection and voice modulation, role-playing and poetry, self-assessment methods and summary handouts to take home. It was also a fun course with plenty of laughs and interesting participants who could give objective feedback. We would recommend the course for anyone interested in improving their communication skills and discovering a little bit more about themselves." Wendy Smith, Psychologist and Michael Olive, University Lecturer, Coogee |
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| "The voice workshop was most engaging, fun and educational. I could feel and hear the difference in my voice and the voice of other participants. The exercises I walked away with are great and can be done anywhere (well, some of them). I will definitely recommend the workshop to anybody who feels the way they sound is important." Katrina Dowgird Krawiec, Trainer/Speaker/Presenter, Lane Cove |
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| "I have attended a number of voice workshops, but there is only one that I recommend. Syann at Viva Voce has a professional and dynamic approach that keeps everyone involved; her enthusiasm and energy are infectious. There was a noticeable positive difference in everyone's voice by the end of the day, with lots of fun and laughter as a bonus. If you really want to improve the sound of your voice, give Viva Voce a call". Deborah Lhota, former radio and TV newsreader, Berowra |
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"Viva Voce was a great opportunity for me, to explore my voice in an environment that helped me gain confidence in front of others." Ryan Hunt, Self-employed, Epping
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"I enjoyed the workshop, and having a small and varied group of Individuals also added to the experience. Your personal engagement and individual encouragement during the various group exercises created a safe environment for everyone to reach their potential without fear or embarrassment among their peers. Once thanks for the great workshop." Nigel Smith, Healthcare professional, Lane Cove
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"What a fascinating day! In the space of a day, we were all able to change the way we make an oral presentation and take away useful techniques and awareness to practice further. Syann creates a very supportive and stimulating environment to "try on" new techniques and voices; she really listens and responds to each person's concerns and has a wealth of individual tips based on her obviously wide experience. Most fascinating was how much we all improved our presentation - especially those who were least confident at the start - and how much fun we had in the process!" Jenny, Social Worker, Newcastle.
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