"Finding Your Voice" in Boston

Students often ask me if they need a voice coach. Most of the time, the answer is no. On Wednesday, Aug. 5, I'll be speaking at the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC) convention in Boston. It may seem odd, but my contribution to a panel on voice coaching is to say that I don't believe in it. Most of the time, a student's voice problems can be fixed through simple awareness of such things as writing, breathing and time management. I've also been asked to talk about "tough love," including ways to work with students who aren't naturally gifted with the perfect broadcast voice.
Fortunately, the expectations are changing. No longer is it necessary to be the midwestern guy with the deep "announcer" voice. The multimedia world tolerates -- and welcomes -- a diversity of male and female voices. The challenge is not to change a student's voice through coaching, but rather to help him or her make the most of the voice they have.
It can be difficult for a teacher who has never been an on-air talent to teach these concepts. Most working anchors and reporters have had a boss tell them to "be conversational," without any explanation of how to achieve that goal. That's why TV stations hire talent coaches. Please visit my web site at www.terryanzur.com to learn more about custom coaching packages for student newscasts.

Remembering Walter Cronkite

Walter Cronkite came to Stanford University to speak when I was a sophomore in the mid 1970s. After his talk, I introduced myself and told him I was thinking about going into wire service reporting. He took time to sit down on a bench and advise me that wire service training was the best a journalist could have. He was right! I later became the campus stringer for the Associated Press and after graduation, worked for UPI. I was a multiplatform journalist in print and broadcasting waaay before it was cool and it led to a job in television reporting. I thank Mr. Cronkite for the kind words that inspired my career.
On the day he died, I interviewed NBC's Brian Williams for my upcoming book. Brian spoke about growing up in a household where Cronkite was required viewing before dinner. He said it was the best textbook anyone could have. I couldn't agree more. It's hard to believe that powerful voice is gone, but his example will live on through the many people he inspired.