As a voice coach, the first thing I teach my clients is how to breathe with the support of the diaphragm. The reason is because you cannot discover your ‘real’ voice until you learn this simple technique.

When I discuss your ‘real’ voice, I am not talking about using different words or thoughts to make some psychological change to how you speak. I am talking about finding your ‘real’ sound. And, that ‘real’ sound comes from your chest cavity (the largest of your 5 vocal resonators) to produce a voice that is deeper in pitch, fuller in body, and mature in quality. The voice you are currently using is being produced by your other 4 resonators which include the cavities of your voice box, throat, mouth and nose.

Because most people breathe by means of the upper portion of the chest cavity – known as shallow or lazy breathing – and not the lower half, they are unable to make use of that large cavity as their primary sounding board.
All voices that have depth, resonance and a rich quality are being powered by the chest cavity. And those voices are reminiscent of James Earl Jones, Kathleen Turner, Kate Beckinsale, and George Clooney. The only difference between their voice and yours is in the placement of their sound. In fact, you may have a fantastic speaking voice; however, you will never know just how great it is until you learn to breathe with support and power your voice by means your chest resonator.

Another tremendous benefit of breathing with the support of your diaphragm is in the control of your nervousness in public speaking. There is nothing better that you can do physically than to allow your breathing to take control of your nervous jitters and put them to good use.

Nervousness can be either a nightmare or a blessing. When you allow it to work for you and not against you, you will benefit from the ‘fight’ response of nervousness in which your level of awareness will intensify, your sight will become sharper, and your perception of pain will be diminished. And this is exactly what you need if you want to be at your best when addressing an audience.

While breathing with the support of your diaphragm can have a tremendous effect on your speaking (and singing) voice as well as your presentation skills, it can also change your life in other respects because it is the most important thing you can do to eliminate stress in your life. Imagine something as simple as a diaphragmatic breath improving your life, both professionally and personally.

Professional Gift Basket Design and Presentation – Start to Finish:

1. Determine what products will go into your gift. Whenever possible I like to select items that have a similar or complimentary color scheme. It makes a big difference in the overall final product.

2. Select your container. You want to select the correct size for your contents and also the correct style that complements the contents. Keep an open mind for the container as you can use all kinds of wicker baskets, boxes, bags, trunks, etc. You can select one that goes with the contents (ie. using a diaper bag as the container for a baby gift basket).

3. In order to present the products nicely, you need to add some sort of filler in the bottom so that the contents will be lifted up to a height where they can be seen in the basket. Use crumpled kraft paper, tissue, basket shred, etc. If you use brown paper or another filler that is not attractive, put tissue on top so that it looks nice under the items. I don’t recommended newspaper as the ink rubs off on your hands and the container.

4. Place the items in the basket. Larger items in the back and working forward with smaller items in the front. Usually I place them in the basket and then rearrange afterwards if needed. I am looking for the contents to be symmetrical with colors balanced out. I want to see a little bit of everything in the basket with nothing completely hidden. Pay particular attention to the front. That will be the first area that is noticed. Make sure you have a ‘centerpiece’ item that is attractive. When doing a food basket, I usually pick an item that has unique or attractive packaging. Or if there is a special item that you want them to notice right away, put it in the front.

5. Decorate the inside of the basket. With my gift baskets, I don’t want all of the ‘glitz’ to disappear once the wrapping is taken off. I want the basket to look great on its own without the wrapper. I decorate the inside of the basket with one or more of: ribbon, bows, flowers, greenery, picks, etc. Don’t overdo the inside decorating or it will look too cluttered. Also, decorate based on the recipient and whether it is a personal or corporate gift basket. Choose colors that match or enhance the color theme of the items in the gift basket.

6. Wrap the basket. There are so many options for wrapping the gift basket. You can use clear cello bags or cello wrap, patterned cello bags/wrap, tulle, mesh fabric, etc. Again, pay attention the color scheme. Since I like to decorate my gift baskets, I often use clear cello so that the gift basket can be seen through the wrap. Make sure the cello/wrap is the right size for the container. If you have a wrap that is too small or too big, it ruins the look of your finished product. Make sure there is no bunching at the front of the basket that obscures the view.

7. Decorate the outside. Use your imagination! Use ribbon, bows, tulle, cello, flowers or any number of items to dress up the outside. Keep in mind not to overdo the decorating. You want the gift to look beautiful, but you don’t want the decoration to distract from the gift.

I love making gift baskets and have had my share of trial and error over the past 6 years. The key is to keep an open mind and always try new things. Some work and some don’t, but I always keep moving forward and coming up with ideas. Designing gift baskets is my hobby, my business and my creative outlet.