Voice Barometer

• to develop the skill of voice projection
• to practice the skill of projecting confidence in stress situations.

Facilitators: Two facilitators are ideal for the running of this activity

This tool many participants experience as a real challenge: and are almost always successful! A great confidence-builder and a great skill to learn! Begin by having participants in a large space – this is a great tool for outside. Depending on the challenge appropriate for the group, you may use anything from a short courtyard to nearly a football field-sized distance. Have participants align themselves to make two lines of equal length facing each other (as in parallel lines).

• There will be one person at the end of the two lines who will be the speaker
• The speaker will project their voice as loudly as they can – saying whatever message they would like to (especially something they are passionate about).
• If the people in the lines can clearly hear what the person is saying, they raise their hands. It is a physical sort of “barometer” for their voice.
• The speakers’ goal is to make it to the end. After speaker is content with their turn, every person will rotate one to the left so there will be a new speaker. Continue until everyone who wants to gets a turn. Once you have explained the set-up, have participants expand their lines to be as long as you require.

As each speaker steps up to speak, have one facilitator to meet them and get them encouragement. After they the project their voice, you can coach them on body posture, grounding or other resources they might draw on to increase their vocal range. They may try speaking two or three or four or even five times before successfully completing the activity.

(For this activity: the line can be surprisingly long – even as much as 50-100 yards!)

This activity can be fairly short. Note feelings, how fearful people may have been, note confidence gained, etc.

Invented by Peter Woodrow, adapted by Daniel Hunter and George Lakey.