Today we acknowledge World Speech Day, celebrating the transformative power of speech-making to shape change, unite communities and build world citizenship.
From birthday toasts to graduation days; weddings to funerals; leaving parties to welcoming addresses, speeches are a ritual to mark momentous occasions. They bring audience and speaker together in thought and laughter, commemoration and motivation.
Voice is our primary means of communication (Zhang, 2016) and language is ‘the medium in and through which social life is talked into existence (Humă, Stokoe, and Sikveland, 2020).
We feel voice in the womb (Jauniaux, et al., 2022) and sound carries beyond the breath that made it, passing from particle to particle (Villaneuva-Rivera et al., 2011) and through memory across time as we recognise voices even without other cues (Kreiman and Sidtis, 2011).
Listening to the human voice creates stronger bonds than any artificially created acoustic (Kumar and Epley, 2021).
Here at the Voice Study Centre, we encourage our community to craft and present their thoughts, find their voice and help to shape the world. From kitchen table to theatre stage, research presentation to political rally, your voice matters.
What speech might you make today?
Henriques, J., Jauniaux, E., de Maisieres, A. T., Gelat, P. (2022). ‘Sound Before Birth: Foetal Hearing and the Auditory Environment of the Womb’, in Aural Diversity, Routledge. 1:27-41.
Humăa, B., Stokoe, E., and Sikveland, R. O. (2020). Putting persuasion (back) in its interactional context. Research in Psychology 2020, Vol. 17, No. 3, 357–371 https://doi.org/10.1080/14780887.2020.1725947© 2020 Taylor & Francis.
Kreiman, J., & Sidtis, D. (2011). Foundations of voice studies: An interdisciplinary approach to voice production and perception. Hoboken: John Wiley & Sons.
Kumar, E and Epley, N. (2021). It’s surprisingly nice to hear you: Misunderstanding the impact of communication media can lead to suboptimal choices of how to connect with others. Journal of Experimental Psychology. General, 150(3), 595–607.
Viallanueva-Rivera, Luis J., Pijanowski, Bryan C., Doucette, Jarrod, Pekin, Burak. (2011). A Primer of acoustic analysis for landscape ecologistsLandscape Ecol 26:1233–1246.
Zhang, Z. (2016) ‘Mechanics of human voice production and control’. Journal of Acoustical Society of America. 140(4), 2614.
Recent Posts
Blog
Singing for Lung Health: Singing Therapy by Stealth!
Voice Study Centre
Thursday 25th June 2026Recently, the Voice Study Centre welcomed back Dr. Rachel Goldenberg, a leading authority on singing and respiratory health, for a fascinating masterclass: Singing for Lung Health: The Basics. As both a voice teacher and a speech-language pathologist, Dr. Goldenberg bridges the gap between clinical science and vocal pedagogy, sharing how we can support singers and students navigating conditions like COPD, asthma, and cystic fibrosis. Read more to find out what we learned...
Read More...
Student & Alumni News
Meet the New MA Voice Pedagogy Cohort | Steffi Jo Cannelli
Voice Study Centre
Tuesday 23rd June 2026As MA Voice Pedagogy Cohort E4 settles in, we’re delighted to introduce some of the talented professionals joining our learning community from around the world. Among those joining us is Steffi Jo Cannelli, a professional vocalist with over 20 years of experience, blending classical technique with crossover artistry across pop, R&B, and musical theatre.
Read More...
Director & Team News
Voice Study Centre Senior Lecturer Louisa Morgan to Present at Theatrical Voice Research Centre Conference
Voice Study Centre
Friday 19th June 2026Voice Study Centre senior lecturer Louisa Morgan will present her paper, Affective Athleticism in the Vocal Athlete: Performing Emotional Roles, at the Theatrical Voice Research Centre Conference at the University of Surrey on 26th June 2026.
Read More...