The Celebrant’s Voice: Do You Hear What I Hear?
© Written by Veronika Sophia Robinson
There are so many aspects to choosing a celebrant, and yet the one which tends to get overlooked is how they sound.
Quite often a celebrant is found via their website or a directory (though for funerals, the majority of bookings come via a funeral director). The client will be looking at things like: price, experience, commonalities (similar interests), location, offerings, package/s, and even what they look like (how will they look in my wedding photos?).
How at home does the potential client feel when they are on the celebrant’s shop front? (web page, social media page, directory listing) All of these are visual.
Veronika officiating Emily and Ben’s Woodland Ceremony at Low Hall The Lakes
What if, when a potential client went on a search for a celebrant, they didn’t get to see what you looked like, or the aesthetic on your website, or photos from ceremonies? What if all they had access to was a black or blank screen, and an audio recording of your voice? Take some time to really think about that.
If you don’t like the sound of your voice, why should anyone else?
Our voice is an important tool of the trade as a celebrant, and yet, it is neglected by many. I’ve heard celebrants say things like ‘they’ll either like my voice or they won’t’ or ‘I hate my voice’ or ‘I’d rather focus on a pretty dress than my voice’.
Darryl and Greg’s Ceremony at Three Hills Barn, Torpenhow
Our voice is as unique as our fingerprint. The difference is that a voice can be improved. Even if/when a celebrant knows their voice needs enhancing, few do anything about it. Why? Well, a bit like going to the gym, it requires focus, dedication, refinement of skills, and discipline. Vocal enhancement isn’t something you learn from a book or AI. A vocal coach with experience of working with celebrants, such as Paul Robinson (our resident voice and communication coach here at Heart-Led Ceremonies Celebrant Training), works with your unique voice to bring out the best.
A celebrant might think “I’m getting work, so my voice doesn’t matter.” This is a poor attitude to take.
Your voice does matter. Surely you’d rather people come out of your ceremonies feeling good about having listened to your voice for twenty minutes to half an hour than wishing they had ear plugs? And if you don’t care, then why are you in this person-centred job?
It is said that ‘how we do anything is how we do everything’.
The Burial Chapel at Stanwix Ceremony
When I was at my hairdresser recently, she commented about a funeral she’d just been to and how awful she (and others in the audience) found the celebrant’s voice. I’ve heard similar words many times (about that celebrant and others). The truth is that they could improve their voices if they wanted to. They choose not to care. And, of course, it begs the question:
if a celebrant doesn’t care about
improving their voice,
what else don’t they care about?
If you are a working celebrant and you don’t care about your voice (a fundamental tool of the trade), for the sake of your clients take a moment to ask yourself:
What is it I fear about learning to work with and understand my voice?
How much better would my ceremonies be if my voice was pleasant?
Burial Chapel at Carlisle Cemetery. Photo by Veronika Robinson
