those companies that train you to be better in interviews

[brakespeare]

Anyone used one?

I have a specific problem to do with my "nervous voice", so that I sound like a wreck even when what I'm saying is fine in content and I'm not feeling too bad! It's like my voice goes with even just a little stress. To be honest, it happens occasionally in conflict situations at work too, which are thankfully rare. Obviously people feel uncomfortable if my voice makes it sound like I'm going to burst into tears at any moment!

My most recent interview feedback (from a panel of 7) included needing to sound like a leader and that I was clearly experiencing a degree of nerves that shows I'm not comfortable and at ease when answering some questions, which again is not desirable in a leader.

This is not a day to day problem for me! Do you think a recruitment guru would be of any help to me? Voice coach?

No experience sorry. What I would say, is that as you have a specific issue you want to target, I would ask any professional you consider using what they strategy for tackling the issue will be. It doesn't sound like you need 'generic' how to do better in interviews advice, so you should make sure that any professional help you receive is tailored to your specific needs.

Best of luck.

I've never been to an interview training session, but I was a drama student, and received lots of voice coaching. A voice coach could definitely help you with this, and may be a better option as they are well trained in analysing where the tension is coming from and exactly how it is manifesting in 'squeezing' your voice (eg, is it that your shoulders raise up and make your neck tense, is it that you breathe more shallowly so that you can't pass a good long breath through your vocal cords, which is needed for a deep and comfortable sound)
They would get you to do a few breathing and speaking excersises to figure out the problem, then give you specific techniques to overcome it such as learning how to resonate your breathing from your diaphragm, rather than speaking from up in your throat (how to sing/speak like Pavarotti, instead of crazy frog)
Good luck, this definitely can be resolved!

Ps, at my wedding guests commented that during the vows dh looked fine but could barely get the words out, while I was a wreck in floods of happy tears, but my voice was clear, loud and strong. I was drawing on all my old vocal coaching To get me through!

Thanks, that's good advice.

curls yes yes that's it! Right, off to Google. I live near a renowned conservatoire, so there should be a few voice coaches around. Do you think they would find it an odd request? Are we referring to what my 5 year old son calls his big drama voice ?

Haha ye, sounds like he could teach you a thing or two!

I don't think it's an odd request at all, it's what voice coaches do. Many actors have the exact same problem when nervous. If you don't find someone by googling you could ask the conservatoire for recommendations, they probably have postcards and flyers up all over the school from people advertising their services!