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Quick Look Course Summary:Voice and Speech Training for Business (1 day)
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Next Public Course Date:
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Length: 1 day(s)
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Price (at your venue): 1 Person R 5,654 EX VAT 3 Person R 3,982 EX VAT 10 Person R 2,954 EX VAT
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Certification Type:Non-Accredited
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Locations & Venues: Off-site or in-house. We train in all major city centres throughout South Africa.
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Voice and Speech Training for Business (1 day)
Staff who speak clearly, steadily and with the right tone – in meetings, on calls and on camera – and who know how to look after their voice.
How people sound shapes how they are heard. A manager who rushes, a consultant whose sentences fade away at the end or a specialist who speaks in a flat monotone can lose the room – or the client – even when the content is right. On phone calls and video meetings the problem grows, because the voice is often all the listener has to go on. This voice training course gives staff practical control of the voice they already have, so they sound clear, steady and credible at work.
Over one practical day, delegates work on posture and breathing for a steady voice, projection without strain, pace, pause and emphasis, articulation, and pitch and tone – when to sound warm and when to sound firm. They practise cutting filler words, keeping the voice steady when nervous, and speaking well on the phone, in Teams or Zoom meetings and into a microphone. A session on reading a script naturally helps with presentations, voice messages and narrating training videos. The day closes with vocal health: water, rest and a short warm-up for long speaking days.
Each delegate is recorded in the morning and again in the afternoon, with feedback from the facilitator and peers, so they can hear their own progress. The aim is clarity and confidence, not changing anyone's accent. This is voice training for business speaking – not speech therapy, and not a voice-over or acting career course.
Why this course
For your organisation
- Staff who are heard and understood in meetings, on calls and in front of clients
- Clearer client and customer calls, with fewer repeats and misunderstandings
- Managers whose voice carries calm authority in briefings and difficult conversations
- Better sound on recorded presentations, voice messages and in-house training videos
- Fewer tired, strained voices among staff who speak all day
For your delegates
- A five-minute warm-up to use before any call, meeting or presentation
- Techniques to steady a shaky voice when you are nervous
- Morning and afternoon recordings that show your own progress
- Individual feedback on pace, clarity, tone and filler words
- A 30-day practice plan to keep improving after the course
What delegates will be able to do
- Use posture and breathing to keep the voice steady and supported
- Project the voice to a full room without shouting or straining
- Control pace and use pauses for emphasis and clarity
- Articulate clearly so that words and sentence endings are heard
- Vary pitch and tone to sound warm, calm or firm as the message needs
- Reduce filler words in both prepared and unprepared speech
- Manage the physical effects of nerves on the voice
- Speak clearly on phone calls, in video meetings and into a microphone
- Read a script for a presentation, voice message or training video so it sounds natural
- Look after the voice with water, rest and a regular warm-up routine
Who should attend
Managers, team leaders, sales and client-service staff, contact-centre agents, receptionists, trainers and facilitators, and specialists who brief teams, take client calls, present or record training content. It suits senior managers and executives who want a calmer, more authoritative voice, anyone who has been told they speak too fast, too softly or in a monotone, and people whose voice is tired by the end of a long speaking day.
Course outline
Day 1 – A clear, steady and confident speaking voice
How the voice works and what listeners hear
- What listeners notice first: volume, pace, clarity and tone
- Breath, voice box and resonance in plain language
- Baseline recording: a short reading and a minute of unprepared speech
- Common habits: rushing, mumbling, fading endings, rising inflection and fillers
- Setting two personal goals for the day
Breath, posture and projection
- Posture for a steady voice, seated and standing
- Low, slow breathing and breath-support exercises
- Carrying the breath through to the end of a sentence
- Projecting to the back of a room without shouting or strain
- Nerves and the voice: shaking, dry mouth and a tight throat, and what helps
Clarity: articulation, pace and pause
- Warm-ups for the lips, tongue and jaw
- Finishing words and sentences clearly
- Finding a comfortable pace and slowing down for key points
- The pause as a tool: for emphasis, for thinking and for the listener
- Cutting filler words such as um, uh, like and you know
- Being understood in a multilingual workplace without changing your accent
Pitch, tone and emphasis
- Using your natural pitch range and avoiding a monotone
- Stressing the right word to change the meaning
- Warmth and authority: matching tone to the message
- A falling inflection for statements, decisions and instructions
- Sounding calm when the news is difficult
- Exercise: one message delivered three ways
Calls, video meetings, microphones and scripts
- Phone and headset technique: distance, volume and a friendly tone
- Sounding present and energetic in Teams, Zoom and Google Meet
- Working with handheld, lapel, headset and laptop microphones
- Short, clear voice notes and voicemail messages
- Marking up a script for pauses and emphasis so it sounds natural
- Narrating a slide recording or in-house training video
Vocal health and recorded practice
- Water, rest and avoiding strain on long speaking days
- A five-minute warm-up routine before calls, meetings and presentations
- When hoarseness or pain needs a doctor or speech-language therapist
- Final recording and comparison with the morning baseline
- Feedback from the facilitator and peers
- Personal 30-day practice plan
How it is delivered
One day, 08:30-16:00. In person at your offices anywhere in South Africa, at a BOTI venue, or live online. One delegate or a group of up to 20; smaller groups give each delegate more individual coaching and recording time. A quiet room where delegates can stand and speak aloud works best. Workbook, warm-up routine and practice scripts included. We deliver it at your offices in Johannesburg, Pretoria, Durban, Cape Town and anywhere else in South Africa, at a BOTI venue in Johannesburg, or live online for teams in different places.
What our clients say
“We were particularly impressed by the quality of facilitation and the practical relevance of the content presented. The programme was delivered with professionalism, clarity, and a strong emphasis on real-world application”
“The course was efficiently organized and aligned with our schedule. We were impressed by the quality of the training and the expertise of the facilitator.”
“They were very professional, and they never failed us at any point during the process. They have met our expectations with both trainings.”
Frequently asked questions
Can you run this course at our offices in Johannesburg, Cape Town or Durban?
Yes. We train at your premises in Johannesburg, Pretoria, Durban, Cape Town and anywhere else in South Africa, at a BOTI venue in Johannesburg, or live online. Groups range from one delegate to about 20; smaller groups get more individual coaching time.
Is this speech therapy?
No. It is practical voice and speech training for business speaking. It does not diagnose or treat stuttering or any other voice or speech disorder. Anyone with persistent hoarseness, pain when speaking or a voice that does not recover should see a doctor or a speech-language therapist.
Is this a voice-over course?
Not in the career sense. Delegates learn to read a script naturally for presentations, voice messages and narrating their own training videos, but the course does not prepare people for professional voice-over or acting work.
Will delegates be recorded, and can they use their own material?
Yes to both. Each delegate is recorded in the morning and the afternoon so they can hear the difference. Delegates may bring a real presentation, call opening or video script to practise on. Let us know beforehand if your organisation has rules about recording staff.
Is it accredited?
No – it is a non-accredited short course and delegates receive a BOTI certificate of attendance.
How is this different from Public Speaking Training?
Public Speaking Training is a two-day course on the whole talk: structure, nerves, body language and questions. This one-day course works on the voice itself – breath, projection, clarity, pace and tone – and on calls, video meetings and microphones. The two work well together; the Professional Presentations Course covers building presentations and slides.