Training

Excellent Voice works with business men and women who wish to get more out of their vocal performance. For many people, even if they are confident speakers, the act of having their vocal work scrutinised by an audience, be it a producer or the public, can be a frightening prospect. It’s a little like trying to dance – unless you’ve practised the moves and had someone help you along the way – you’ll spend most of your time worrying about what everyone else thinks, not enjoying your own movement. Given that the voice is a muscle too, it makes sense to have someone help you reach peak performance, before you perform in public. Excellent offers both technical training skills, with coaches who can analyse and develop vocal exercises, as well as practical training skills with professional artists who have worked in live broadcast environments and with many types of media.

We can cater for voice over artists as well – but we cannot train people to become v/o’s. If you are already established as a voice artist and need some advice on moving your vocal style forward or dealing with a vocal problem – we can assist you in trying to resolve or improve.

The training is done by Rachel Nicholson and Managing Director Jon Briggs. Together they can cover technique, exercises, scripting, style and delivery. We can work with groups or on a one-to-one basis. If our skills do not cover your particular requirement we have access to other professionals who can.

Rachel Nicholson

Rachel is one of the UK’s most exciting voice coaches. Before her training she worked extensively as a professional actress throughout the UK and Ireland. Since gaining her qualifications in voice studies (MA) at the Central School of Speech and Drama she has worked with several major drama schools including Webber Douglas Academy, Guildford School of Acting and East 15 Drama School. Her training of performers involves all aspects of vocal development including projection, clarity and modulation as well as sight-reading and text work. Through her understanding of vocal technique and practical exercises, Rachel believes that any individual can develop their vocal potential.

Jon Briggs

Jon has worked as voice over artist for 22 years and is regularly heard by around 14 million people every week. He joined Channel 4 as an announcer when he was 21 and learnt his craft at the hands of one of the most inventive presentation departments in Television. As well as working regularly on Radio and TV (The Weakest Link, BBC Radio 2, ITV’s Pop Idol etc.) He has created and now manages one of the UK’s top v/o agencies – The Excellent Voice Company. With over 150 of the UK’s top artists on the books, he is involved in training professionals and introducing non-professionals to the single most important aspect of their communication skills – their voices.

For more details – please email jon@excellentvoice.co.uk and let us know how we might help you.