The Power of the Voice

The secrets of the human voice by leading world expert, Dr. Jean Abitbol!

We possess a priceless and powerful treasure: our voice. The Power of the Voice is a scientific and personal voyage of exploration into the vocal instrument that each of us possesses without necessarily understanding it or knowing the true measure of its power.

An alchemy between body and mind, instrument of persuasion and charm, our voice is the reflection of our personality. It can bring us fortune or cause our loss. It fascinates scientists, philosophers, doctors, and those interested in caring for the voice. From the voices that seduce us to the voices that lead us, the author unveils the secrets of the voice and its power of attraction. How is the human voice formed? How does our voice change according to our emotions, situations, and conversations? How do politicians, performers, teachers, or seducers develop the power of their voices?

Enriched with numerous delightful anecdotes, including some about celebrities and politicians, the reader will better understand how the voice can inspire attraction and even repulsion.

This fascinating read will be of interest to people who use their voice often, including singers, actors, teachers, comedians, journalists, politicians, lawyers, and anyone with an interest in the human voice.

Reviews

"In this book you will read why Lauren Bacall's voice was so alluring, why Orson Welles' report of Martian Invasion was so convincing or, in a televised debate, how the quality of the voice and delivery can prove more decisive than the content of the speech. [...] The preface tells us this will appeal to anyone who is a regular voice user, whether singer, actor, teacher, politician, lawyer etc. Certainly its appeal goes way beyond those who practice laryngology and it deserves to be very successful and appeal to a general readership."
—Liam M. Flood, FRCS, FRCSI, in the Journal of Laryngology & Otology (May 2018)

"Abitbol offers a series of vignettes, first of patients that he has treated and then of actors and politicians, looking at how their voices and speech patterns encapsulated the message that they wished to portray. With the politicians, he looks at how their voice or speech patterns may have influenced the outcomes of their debates. This ultimately leads him to identify what he describes as 'five key intentions of voices in power', the ultimate being to 'touch the heart of others'. [...] At various times in the book, Abitbol reviews unusual vocalising patterns. Typically he undertakes historical reviews and then endeavours to analyse them. He does so with Tibetan monks’ diphonic chanting, and again with ventriloquism; the latter by first giving a brief history and then offering a scientific explanation of how the differing speech patterns are attained in his patients; and again with mimicry/impersonation; and again with the Castrati. He ends the book looking at the importance of the spoken voice in the court of law as well as the impact of periods of vocal silence in this setting. All in all, this book is a magical mystery tour of the voice."
—John S. Rubin, MD, FACS, FRCS, in ENT & Audiology News (September 2020)

Foreword
Introduction
Acknowledgments

Chapter 1. The Voice as an Instrument

Chapter 2. The Voices in Power

Chapter 3. The Essential Is Invisible

Chapter 4. The Voice Must Go On

Chapter 5. The Voices of Silence

Conclusion