A classical singer by training, Arthur Joseph founded one of the world’s most powerful voice and leadership training programs.
What’s your story?
From my humble beginnings, I was treated as an outcast, abandoned by my father, and lived only with my working mother, who I always refer to as my ‘hero’, and who struggled with a serious illness. As an insecure, confused and lonely 15-year-old, I began studying voice as an extension of my musical education. My voice teacher helped me unlock my Voice – my life calling, seeing both my potential and unique gift. I discovered that I heard vocal sound different than other people. I didn’t just hear the pitch, tone, or melody of the voice I actually heard and felt the emotion within the Voice. I call it “Perfect Pitch.” When I hear a Voice, I hear who a person is at the core of their being. I used this talent to create the world’s most powerful integrative vocal training system, Vocal Awareness.
Through my relentless commitment, I learned to claim my own power, my own self-esteem and actualized my life mission: to change the world through voice and help others claim their own Vocal Power and through Voice embody who they are in everything they do.
My education, a combined major of music, philosophy and psychology has served as the foundation for my now 50 plus years of teaching and coaching. With the creation of the Vocal Awareness® proprietary teaching method, I have worked with thousands of actors, singers, Olympic and hall of fame athletes, politicians, broadcasters, business leaders, multi-national corporations, and countless others who have all recognized the significance of Empowerment Through Voice.
What excites you most about your industry?
The most exciting thing about working with people’s voices is to see them transform from the inside out as they learn to embody who they are in everything they do.
What’s your connection to Asia?
I am well known for my leadership and broadcast training in Asia. I recently taught at the AAJA N3Con Event in Hong Kong and the Women’s Foundation event in Hong Kong, as well as at various broadcast and leadership organizations in Asia. I train some of the top journalists and broadcasters in Asia, as well as some of the top executives in multi-national companies in the region.
Favourite city in Asia for business and why?
One of my favorite cities is Hong Kong, because of the interest and commitment of people to be engaged. One of the reasons I love Hong Kong is Angie Lau, who brought me there, she is an extraordinary woman with an amazing vision, and ability to carry it out. My last book, Vocal Power, became a best seller in Korea, but I’ve never been to Seoul. I’ve done business in Shanghai and Tokyo as well, so Asia is a great developing market for Vocal Awareness. A Chinese entrepreneur also wants to bring my work to all of China in the coming years. I’m also writing a book on business and leadership with a Korean businessman to be released in 2019.
What’s the best piece of advice you ever received?
Stay true to who you are, and do whatever it takes to fulfill your vision.
Who inspires you?
First of all, my bride and my late mother are my heros, they inspire me every day.
Arthur Mitchell the Founder of Dance Theatre of Harlem passed away this week at the age of 84.
He once said, “That anyone living without the arts in their lives is living in a desert.”
Secondly, in the documentary on Ruth Bader Ginsburg entitled RBG—she says when referring to her love of opera, “the sound of the human voice is like an electric current going through me.”
What have you just learnt recently that blew you away?
As I write this response, I am creating the first Voice/Communication program for broadcasters. It is astonishing that it has never been done before anywhere in the united States and perhaps globally. When speaking at TCU last week in Fort Worth, TX, at a breakfast attended by over 300 community leaders, when I said “Voice is power”, they quoted me in their review when they heard me speak about the concept that Voice is Power, and when you own your voice, you own your power. They had not heard of this concept before. Then I went on to say that I teach Communication Mastery, and listened to the quality of the room as I changed the tone and pitch of my voice. This was actually quoted in the newspaper as something very unique the journalist took away.
If you had your time again, what would you do differently?
Absolutely not, because I trust in God and feel that God has opened every door. It would be arrogant for me to assume otherwise.
How do you unwind?
I unwind with my bride of almost 50 years, music, a good book, a walk, and her nurturing presence. I unwind through the solitude of being with her. I also love reading and that is something I do a lot. I created Vocal Awareness 53 years ago, and it began with music when I was 4 years old. I’m a classical singer by training with a Master’s in Music and Voice, and the arts have always been part of my DNA. One of my visions is to create a worldwide peace song because singing connects us energetically and taps into emotion in a way that the spoken word can’t. It is a powerful tool for good.
Favourite Asian destination for relaxation? Why?
Whether we’ve been in Hong Kong or Kyoto, Tokyo, or Shanghai, wherever we have been in Asia, because of our relationships and people’s generosity, every place we go is a remarkable one of a kind experience.
Everyone in business should read this book:
Vocal Leadership: 7 Minutes A Day to Communication Mastery
https://www.amazon.com/Vocal-Leadership-Minutes-Communication-foreword-ebook/dp/B00EHIEE7Q/ref=mt_kindle?_encoding=UTF8&me=&qid=
Shameless plug for your business:
Arthur Samuel Joseph M.A., founder and chairman of the Vocal Awareness Institute, today is widely recognized as one of the world’s foremost communication strategists and authorities on the human voice. A renowned teacher/mentor, Mr. Joseph’s mission is to Change the World through Voice. His trademarked, proprietary voice and leadership training program, Vocal Awareness™ is designed to teach Communication Mastery through a disciplined regimen of highly specific techniques designed to cultivate an embodied and enhanced leadership presence, as well as personal presence, through body language techniques, vocal warm-ups, and storytelling skills. What emerges is an integrative and integral communication style.
www.VocalAwareness.com
Buy the Vocal Awareness Leadership Course now to train with the world’s foremost authority on the power of the human voice and learn everything you need to be a leader in business and in life, and to embody your true Voice.
How can people connect with you?
www.VocalAwareness.com
[email protected]
https://www.facebook.com/VocalAwareness/
Twitter handle?
@vocalawareness
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This interview is part of the ‘Callum Connect’ series of more than 500 interviews
Callum Laing is an entrepreneur and investor based in Singapore. He has previously started,
built and sold half a dozen businesses and is now a Partner at Unity-Group Private Equity and Co-Founder of The Marketing Group PLC. He is the author two best selling books ‘Progressive Partnerships’ and ‘Agglomerate’.
Connect with Callum here:
twitter.com/laingcallum
linkedin.com/in/callumlaing
Download free copies of his books here: www.callumlaing.com
