[JITF2020] How to Make Your Voice “Reach the Audience” – Use Recitation Methods to Imbue Your Words with Inspiration!

Yuko Aotani

Recitationist / freelance bilingual announcer / English communication instructor / former NHK WORLD English announcer

She went to primary and junior high school in London, England, graduated from Sophia University in Tokyo, and joined NHK in 1992 as an English-Japanese bilingual reporter. She was the main anchor for NHK WORLD for 20 years.  She reported on elections and natural disasters and interviewed many leading Japanese intellectuals, heads of government and UN representatives.  She is held in high regard for her interview skills in both English and Japanese.  She also directed, produced and appeared in a radio program to introduce Japanese works of literature in English.  

She left NHK in February 2015 to become a freelance recitationist specializing in introducing Japanese literature in English.  She holds recitations primarily in English. Furthermore, as an English communication instructor, she holds the unique “Tell the Story” series of seminars and workshops nationwide using recitation methods.  Meanwhile, as a bilingual announcer, she produces and provides narration for documentaries in English while as an English communication instructor she conducts lectures and seminars at universities and corporations.  

How to Make Your Voice “Reach the Audience” – Use Recitation Methods to Imbue Your Words with Inspiration!

If your recitation seems to fall flat or lack expressiveness, or if your words do not seem to be getting across despite your best efforts, or if you have similar concerns, please try out the “recitation” method.

In this seminar, you will learn how to upgrade your school-acquired ability to “read aloud” to a higher level of “recitation” with expressiveness that really “gets across.”  By learning voice techniques such as where to pause, what to emphasize and when to speed up or slow down, by understanding how reading a news report differs from giving a speech or telling a story, and by mastering the “Three Recitation Principles,” you will make your voice come alive and deliver words that evoke “vivid images” in the listeners’ minds.  

The instructor will give a brief live recitation at the end of the seminar.

Regardless of whether you have experience with recitation or are trying for the first time, please learn how to breathe new life into your words!