Our Non-Verbal Voice

We speak in so many ways, and our physical voice is just one of those. How about all the non-verbal ways we share our voices with the world? Expression through our non-verbal voice can change people’s lives.

We speak in so many ways, and our physical voice is just one of those. How about all the non-verbal ways we share our voices with the world? Expression through our non-verbal voice can change people’s lives.

In truth, some of us are much more confident when we put pen to paper (or sit at our keyboards) than using our vocal folds. I was one of those people for most of my life, and to a huge degree probably always will be! While I have taught singing for many years, practiced Reiki and meditation, and now work as a children's music and fitness presenter eveyr day, I still often find myself challenged by verbal expression.

It’s not from lack of trying or lack of desire to express myself verbally; I have simply often struggled to communicate at my best with that voicebox I was blessed with. I have a great speaking voice when I apply it properly. I am from a musical family filled with actors and singers. I spent over a decade singing less and less, and feeling disconnected from my true, authentic voice. Until the last few years, when I embarked on a serious journey to heal my voice from the inside out, and found myself in one of the most beautiful and soul-nourishing jobs in the process.

I spent many years thinking about how much I wanted to recover my voice, knowing at least some of what I needed to know to achieve it, but struggling with discipline or motivation. But this is a whole other story, some of which is covered if you’ve read my About Me page, and my actual healing journey is for another blog entirely (due to be posted soon).

What I always had is my writing. I could always communicate in writing so much easier than I could verbally. While it is still true now, that gap is shrinking. Writing, however, is a healing tool for the voice, helping to grow the flow between thoughts, emotions, and physical voice - and while working on verbal communication and health, there is beauty to be found with channelling your words in other ways.

Writing blogs or web content, messaging, dancing, playing a musical instrument or a sport... These are all ways we communicate with our non-verbal voice. We use our bodies, social media platforms, eyes, energy - so many different tools throughout our day.

And we don't often stop to think about how we're communicating in these moments!

So, don’t lament a strength with your non-verbal voice if you feel your speaking voice lets you down. This is part of your journey, and the key is to communicate your way rather than not at all! You can use all these vehicles in parallel. Let one support another, and use the strength of each one to create a communication or authentic voice team that is in your corner.

I truly believe that many of us who struggle with verbal communication have it as a key universal assignment in our lives (blog coming soon!), and if we are faced with voice-related life challenges we need to honour all the forms our voices take.

This is one of my assignments, and my heart's passion. I know that my own voice rediscovery and healing depends on my getting that voice out there, and in doing that I will help others do the same.

And for me, that was in writing while I started rebuilding the physical voice to one day become the channel I know it can be. I am so much further along my journey today than I dared hope only a few years ago, and it will be a lifelong adventure. Every morning, I now start my working day singing for the most appreciative of audiences (preschoolers and their educators), and every day I dance closer to full spiritual alignment while having riotous fun in the process!

Do you rely on written communication to connect with those you love? Do you find yourself freezing if you are required to communicate verbally, looking for ways to switch to your written comfort zone?

Have you considered that your facial expressions, music, or sporting prowess are as much your voice as the sound that comes out of your mouth?

Well, consider it all. Embrace it all. They are all part of the journey and are not a copout or fallback. They are your strength and just part of your comms team. Let them all guide you to the next stage of your assignment.

Is it your time to rediscover, reconnect, and rehabilitate that link between our voice, mind, and spirit? Use every tool in your toolkit, and get the words out!

Be sure to check out some of the other articles and guides here at everydayhealers.com.au, sign up for our newsletter for handy tips, and watch in the coming months for news about my upcoming holistic vocal wellness book.