Voice and Speech Coach Denise Woods Ready to Do Battle Over Teen Texting

April 28, 2010 - PRLog -- HOLLYWOOD, CA – A new study released by the Pew Charitable Trust found that “text messaging has become the most frequent way that teens reach their friends, surpassing face-to-face meeting.” Denise Woods who has trained the voices of Hollywood’s biggest stars find the study alarming.

“When technology becomes the primary source of engaging others, we begin to neglect our most powerful tool of communication, our voice!  We begin to loose the ability to connect with people on a deeper level,” said Woods.  “Already with the teens in my program, I can see that they have a reticence in verbal communication that teens 15 years ago did not have.”

Woods voice and speech clients have included Will Smith, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Ray Liotta, Mike Myers, Queen Latifah, Porscia DeRossi, Rachel Weisz and Morris Chestnut.  This summer, she will train the voices of inner city youth when she launches her national Express Yourself tour.  Express Yourself, free to youth participants, was founded by Woods in 1995 when she was a professor at The Juilliard School in New York City, NY.  

Woods says that African American and Latino teens face an additional challenge when it comes to voice and speech clarity.  

“I want to dispel the myth that to take away certain regionalisms in your voice, you are trying to sound white,” said Woods, “The voice is one of the most powerful tools that our youth have at their disposal.  Used well it can be authoritative, commanding and persuasive.”

Woods points to great orators like Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and the current occupant of the White House to prove that proper grammar and precise diction can sound authentically black and persuasive.

Express Yourself teaches students the elements of speech, the difference between diphthongs, vowels and consonants.  Express Yourself also teaches students to use clear precise voices that will project a positive image to those listening.

Express Yourself DC will take place on June 6, 2010 from 1pm – 5pm at non-profit, Good Ground Good Life.  Students interested in participating can download an application from http://www.denisewoodsstudios.com. The seminar is free to youth between the ages of 14 – 17. Space is limited.

“Denise is a phenomenal talent.  I know that an hour of her time with her celebrity clients runs close to $300,” said Tarek Stevens Partner at Good Ground Good Life.  “We are honored that she has agreed to freely share her gift with students in DC.”

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Denise Woods, a graduate of The Juilliard School and a faculty member there for nearly a decade, currently teaches voice and speech at California Institute of the Arts. Denise Woods Studios is a state of the Art Voice and Speech studio in Los Angeles California. Upcoming dates for The Ultimate Public Speaking Seminar hosted by Denise Woods Studios are Washington, DC - June 5, 2010; New York, NY – August 5, 2010; and Atlanta, GA – November 5, 2010.