We will start your exercise program with volume, because it is one of the easiest voice characteristics to recognize. It goes by many names and you can call it whichever you please: intensity, loudness, and amplitude, are some alternatives that come to mind.

If you have not yet gathered up some materials to read from, go back to the instructions and get some, then head back here.

• Exercise 1. Pick one of your selections. Find the passage you earmarked and read it out loud, at your normal volume. By normal, I mean your regular speaking voice volume. Imagine that you are sitting in your kitchen talking to a friend at the table, and there are no unusually loud noises in the background that you have to overcome. If you think the passage is too long, stop. If too short, read more. Read it out loud a couple of times, until you find your regular normal volume. Turn on your recorder and tape it.
• Exercise 2. Now read the passage again, but this time, just a bit louder. When you are louder, try be only slightly louder, enough to be noticeable, but never shouting. You will develop better control of volume if you focus on slight gradations, rather than large ones. Once you have tried it a couple times, turn on the recorder and tape it.
• Exercise 3. Now read the passage again, a third time, slightly quieter than normal. You might want to do your normal volume again first, then do this exercise. Tape it when you have it where you want it.
• Exercise 4. Read it a fourth time, at a “loud whisper”, loud enough that someone several feet away from you could here it.
• Exercise 5. Finally, read it one last time in a “quiet whisper”, as if you were talking to someone only a foot or so away.

Now pick up your next selection, and do the same sequence, focusing on your volume: normal, slightly louder, slightly quieter, “loud whisper”, and finally a “quiet whisper”.

Do this until you have gone through a passage from each of your selections.

Don't concern yourself about whether the volume is appropriate for the context of the passage. It may be totally inappropriate to whisper loudly “watch out, a truck is coming right at you”.

//Two other volume controls you can work on://

• Exercise 6: Practice modifying your volume. Start quiet, get gradually louder. Start louder, get gradually quiet. Work on expanding your dynamic range for your normal speaking voice (loud but not shouting, quiet but not whispering)
• Exercise 7: Practice transients. These are short volume changes. They come and go very quickly. For example, if you stub your toe, you might say a brief “OW!” then “wow, that hurts.” Try this with lots of one-word transients (like Yes!, No!, Heck!, Me!, Here!)