We're so grateful to the growing community of vocal experts, performers, teachers and voice enthusiasts who have contributed to our Indiegogo campaign, helping us make our documentary film about the unsung power and beauty of the human voice. You're truly making it possible to finish our film. Meet today's "Voice Messenger" of the day!
NAME:
Mary Jane Copps
TITLE:
CEO/Founder, The Phone Lady (Telephone Talent Inc.)
WHO IS YOUR PERSONAL VOCAL MENTOR OR INSPIRATION?
My immediate thoughts were actress Lauren Bacall and jazz singer Betty Carter, but my journey to honouring the power of the human voice on the telephone starts with my mom, Eunice Connolly Copps.
I grew up in a small northern community, far away from my mom’s family and many of her friends. But even the friends that lived nearby had their hands full with growing families--or were housebound by harsh winter weather. The phone in the kitchen was my mother’s lifeline and its “ring ring” or the sound of the rotary dial was, for me, an overture to theatre.
Her listening and laughing, the story telling and offered advice, her organizing of events and meetings--and sometimes the tears and frustration--became the background music of my pre-school years, and made me believe that the telephone had a powerful magic.
I still do believe that--well, maybe not the magic part. But what I’ve come to understand, as I’ve moved through a career that’s included typewriters and Dictaphones, Dewey Decimal and microfiche, smart phones and 3D printers, is Marshall McLuhan’s theory holds true: “…people are changed by the instruments they employ.”
For me, the change, the connection, that occurs when we pick up the phone and speak to each other, rather than click away on our keyboards, is incredibly powerful.
WHAT'S ONE PIECE OF ADVICE YOU'D GIVE TO SOMEONE WHO WANTS TO DO WHAT YOU DO AND IS JUST GETTING STARTED?
It really is as simple as picking up the phone and calling someone, having a conversation. In business, you do have to prepare for your calls. Phone conversations have a lot in common with public speaking, so there is thought and effort involved. But to use the power of your voice to connect with others and sustain relationships, simply phone your friends and family and talk to them.
TELL US WHY YOU CONTRIBUTED TO THE VOICE MESSAGES INDIEGOGO CAMPAIGN.
I believe in the power of the human voice. In song, on the screen, in conversation, on the radio … there is so much information in the sound of our voices. Our voices are an essential part of how we communicate. I’m concerned that we will accept an unintended consequence of technology--abandoning our voices for words on screens.
TELLS US MORE ABOUT YOU AND YOUR ORGANIZATION.
Much to my surprise and delight, I am living my life as The Phone Lady. I work with businesses and organizations that want to communicate with their clients and prospects, showing them how to use the telephone to inspire conversation.
Website: www.thephonelady.com
Twitter: @thephoneladyca
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