She found her confident voice as an 8-year old shy child when she and her mother had been held up at gunpoint one night on the way home from choir practice, says Ursula Botha, actress and speaking and confidence coach and our speaker last week.
"I started talking to the two guys and one of them opened up to me and told me he also had a daughter about my age. They dropped us off unharmed in the middle of Soweto somewhere as a result of that and we could make our way home with the help of residents who had a telephone, something extremely rare in those days."
Up until then she had been an very shy girl who could never bring herself to speak to anyone, she remembers. "I was the shy voice growing up," she remembers. "At 8 I had to use my voice in a life-changing event and saved my and my Mom's life.
A confident voice is a free and empowered voice, she said.
When someone connects with you with their voice, they command your attention.
You can cultivate your voice by humming, singing and getting to know your voice.
"When driving read the road signs, but over-articulate. It teaches you not to stumble over your words. Relax your jaw, tension is the enemy of the confident voice."
Ursula is in real life a voice-over artist, presenter, academic and actress, known for roles in the SABC2 soapie 7de Laan and in productions such as Vlees van my Vlees, Single Guys and Slumber Party and many TV advertisements.
She is passionate about using drama techniques to uplift others, develop skills and build confidence.
Tomorrow: There will be a discussion on the proposed new club constitution and bylaws which will be an opportunity for members to voice their views and gain clarification. If time permits there will be updates on the proposed AEC Bursary Scheme, the World Cleanup Day project in September and The Link after recent discussions with Tim Bashall and Maggie Fussell ahead of their upcoming strategy session in August.
7 June: The speaker is Christoph Plate, previously Africa correspondent for German and other publications and more recently media director Subsaharan Africa of the Konrad Adenauer-Stiftung. This will be Christoph's last meeting before he leaves the club and South Africa for Sofia in Bulgaria. The topic of his talk is: South Africa and the rest of the continent - a difficult relationship.
24 June: Don't forget to reply to the invitation to Mbali Zulu's induction on 24 June in Soweto, a highlight of the year and a big day in the life of the Rotary Club of Johannesburg New Dawn.
25 August: That's the Friday that has been set aside for the annual New Dawn Golf Day. Planning has already started and the aim is to make this the biggest Golf Day of them all. Start thinking of ways in which you can help to achieve this. Always needed are prize and corporate hole sponsors, raffle ticket sales and of course golfing 4-balls.
A Thought for the Week: The secret of joy is the mastery of pain. - Anaïs Nin (1903 - 1977)
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