I still have trouble speaking, but I am finding my voice
Your speaking voice is a little like your cellphone, internet or electricity. You take it for granted and often don’t notice it until it stops working. Then you scream, cry, curse the technology gods and search for answers. High tech aside, your voice might be more complicated than those devices. And more important to your life. By some accounts, nearly one in 10 Americans has trouble speaking easily.
World Voice Day on April 16 is a day to recognize the importance and impact of the human voice. The goal of the day is to shine a spotlight on one of our often overused and underappreciated senses. Our voice doesn’t just allow us to communicate, it’s part of our identity. It doesn’t just affect the way other people see us, but the way we view ourselves.
I am keenly aware of the repercussions of an unreliable vocal instrument. A year ago on World Voice Day, I was searching for my voice. I mean that metaphorically. My physical voice had betrayed me, forcing me to give up a career that I loved. A rare vocal disorder, spasmodic dysphonia, had made it increasingly difficult to do my job as a reporter at WCBS Newsradio 880. So I left.
What’s happened in the past year would have been hard for me to imagine. I’ve been fortunate enough to find two new careers that I’m passionate about.
In the fall, I started full time with the Tunnel to Towers Foundation. The nonprofit was born from the ashes and debris of the World Trade Center after 9/11. It helps first responders, military members and their families. My job in the Marketing and Communications Department is to help tell stories. It’s something I’ve done my entire career, but those skills are being used in a slightly different way. Now, I’m using my voice to tell those stories without speaking.
In January, I became an adjunct professor, teaching journalism at Fordham University in the Bronx. It’s been a way to share my experiences as a reporter with a new generation of students, who will tell stories on different platforms and in ways that didn’t exist when I started in the business. While I do have to speak, the focus is on the content of my lessons, rather than the quality of my voice.
Did I reinvent myself? Not really. I’ve repurposed and repackaged my skills (whatever they might be) to shape new narratives and young minds. It’s been invigorating and fun.
The American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery estimates about 28 million Americans have a vocal condition that affects their ability to speak. If you’re having persistent troubles with your voice, find a specialist and have yourself checked out. There are ear, nose and throat doctors and speech language pathologists who devote their careers to these conditions. And there are treatments and cures available. More information can be found through Dysphonia International, a nonprofit that offers information and support for those who are vocally challenged. It also funds research to find answers.
I felt so much gratitude when I left my reporting career, and that’s been compounded by the good fortune I’ve found in my new careers. There are opportunities out there if you’re persistent, look for them and stay positive. I understand my experience might not be representative of others, who may have different or worse vocal experiences. As we sometimes hear on TV commercials, results may vary.
A year ago I wrote, “I might have trouble speaking, but I haven’t lost my voice.” Today I still have trouble speaking, but I can say I’m finding my voice. Metaphorically, of course.
Peter Haskell works for the Tunnel to Towers Foundation and is an adjunct professor of journalism at Fordham University.
I’ve been fortunate enough to find two new careers that I’m passionate about.