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Voice training
Voice training is a behavioral area to be addressed, like any other aspect of slave training. Popular literature on the subject suggests that voice training is a "more advanced" area of training, in which the slave may even learn other languages to be used in her owner's business.
While it may be true that an elite group of Masters may own multiple slaves, each trained and specialized in one area (household economics, sexuality, business), most of us own one or two slaves whose skills must be diversified. This section will discuss voice training for the typical slave and what it means on a day-to-day basis in a 24/7 relationship.
With our voices, most of us feel comfortable expressing happiness, contempt, sadness, petulance, irritation, fear, and a whole range of emotions. The tones of our voice underscore the expressions on our faces and the movements of our bodies. The words we use reinforce the thoughts and emotions that guide us. A slave's voice, like everything else about a slave, is something that must be pleasing to the master, and its use is part of their training.
Slaves must learn that while they may have very important things to say, or ask, or even teach, the use of their voice is a privilege that can be denied at any time. If used correctly, the slave should be rewarded with the continued ability to speak; if used incorrectly, she should be denied that privilege.
The slave's voice must be properly trained to express an observation, ask a question, or offer an idea that expresses her own needs or desires. The slave may have it, but she must learn to speak appropriately.
The basics of voice training begin by teaching your slave to refer to her Master by the name he desires. Although it is part of the respect a Master deserves, you can be sure that every time your slave says "Master" or "Sir," she is not deeply considering her level of respect for you. She has learned to integrate your "title" into her daily vocabulary, and it comes as easily to her as your name does in a conventional relationship. It is a habit—a habit of speech and voice, put into practice—which is exactly what it should be.
Just as you would with any other part of her training, before beginning practical sessions with your slave, or creating a system of guidelines for her, determine what you desire and be consistent in enforcing the behaviors you consider acceptable. If you choose behavioral guidelines for the slave, make sure you are willing to enforce them every time, otherwise you should not do it.
The following are some suggestions for voice training in daily life:
- The use of the title "Master" should be required in conversation, both privately and publicly. Ideally, the title should follow each sentence, but for convenience or the flow of the conversation, it may be permitted to use it only after each complete thought.
- During BDSM scenes, meetings, and punishments, a slave should use your title before or after each sentence.
- In settings where any title would cause discomfort, the slave should use the master's name in the same way she would use the title. A slave should never refer to a master as "he" (e.g., "belonging to him"). If you don't want your slave to use your name, she can refer to you as "Mr. _ _ _ _ _ _" or "sir" in public situations, and it won't attract attention.
- If the slave forgets or does not use the title out of laziness, she must remember it for 24 hours, using the title before and after each prayer, in a more military manner. ("Sir, yes, sir.")
- During the course of her training, the slave must learn to refer to herself in the third person or objectively (i.e., "this slave wishes..." or "wishes..."). Initially, choose specific times to train the slave in this way. By the end of her training, the slave should be able to substitute personal pronouns such as "You," "I," or "we" ("Master and this slave" is a suitable substitute for "we.")
- Even if you do not specifically refer to the slave as such, the slave should be able to do so if invited to do so. The forced objectification in conversation is a powerful reminder of the differences between you and her, and the third person reinforces the focus on someone other than themselves, and the idea that she is merely an extension of you.
If the slave cannot refer to herself appropriately, she should not be given attention until she does.
Whether in public or private, a slave must learn how to properly encourage conversation (exceptions made for work and family situations, of course). Unless the slave is under punishment, you must provide ways for her to communicate with you when necessary and for a purpose. The following methods may be helpful.
You may wish to have your slave ask permission to speak. Ideally, this should be done in the third person. "Master, may this slave speak to you?" Choose a question you feel is appropriate and respectful. If it is not used, the slave will be ignored or told to be silent.
Some Masters feel that "asking" to speak is the same as speaking. If this is the case, give your slave a gesture or assign a posture that expresses her desire to speak. The slave must make the gesture or assume the posture and wait to be acknowledged before beginning to speak.
In any case, inform the slave beforehand that adopting the gesture or posture does not guarantee that she will have the privilege of speaking. It is simply a method of asking permission.
Often, a gesture is more practical than a posture. With a gesture, the slave can be assured that her request has been considered, and she can then return to her tasks, etc., until such time as you choose to allow her to speak. If it is a posture, you will need to verbally acknowledge and command the slave, unless you have previously given instructions that allow her to leave a posture without permission.
When in a non-BDSM group, the slave should try, if possible, to look at you before participating in the conversation. There will be exceptions, depending on who you are with.
Once the slave has been allowed to speak, she should keep questions or written comments to herself as much as possible, unless you have given her permission to speak freely. Remind your slave that, except in extraordinary circumstances, she should not participate in the conversation with an authority and energy she lacks. Reassure her that these rules are not so difficult to follow, as they are about obedience and compliance; she is simply maintaining the environment you have chosen for both of you.
NEVER FOR A MOMENT should a slave's voice be raised in anger toward her Master. She must overcome the instinct to verbally "fight" and "defend" and learn to restrain her anger, and not do so in the traditional way. This does not mean she cannot be angry or that her anger is unjustified; only that she must express it with respect for your position. From the outset, you must instill this principle in the slave and assure her that deviation from this rule will not be tolerated. Encourage the slave to find a way to say what she needs without becoming upset. As always, you must be patient during training, but you must punish when necessary.
During punishment, play, sex, and conversation:
- The sounds a slave makes (or doesn't make) are also under your control. If any verbal response irritates you or you are unhappy with your slave's way of speaking, you must inform her (gently is best) so she has a chance to change her behavior.
- If your slave expresses herself poorly, babbles, repeats herself, or cannot communicate her ideas effectively, you must help her overcome these difficulties. Poorly expressed thoughts should be briefly repeated. (If your slave has a medical problem or a significant emotional issue, you should not assume she will improve by performing voice training.)
- If you are punishing your slave physically, or spanking her as part of a scene or simply for fun, tell her beforehand what responses you are looking for. Some Masters prefer stoicism, others prefer the slave to scream relentlessly. It is OK to push some boundaries here, but it would be irresponsible to seek unreasonable responses from the slave.
On the sexual level, help your slave express herself verbally if she wishes, or gag her if necessary, and her expressions are excessive. A slave's response should be natural, but the natural responses of a true slave are based not only on her desires but also on her Master's skill in training.
Perhaps the most difficult concept of voice training for your slave is the ability to speak without referring to her own desires and needs. This is not a skill that can be learned or put into a list of rules and simply obeyed. The slave's thought pattern can be altered to place importance on her Master and not on herself.
Initial training in this area is achieved with verbal correction. For example, if the slave says, "I wish to go see a movie," your response should be, "Can you restate it in a more acceptable way?" The slave can say, "If it is okay, Master, this slave would like to see a movie tonight." Granted, the slave is still expressing her desire, but doing so in a way that doesn't seem like a request.
The Teaching of Silence:
Sometimes you may wish to "see the slave, but not hear her." The advantages of silent service are detailed in the topic "The Silent Slave.”The Teaching of Silence:
Sometimes you may wish to "see the slave, but not hear her." The advantages of silent service are detailed in the topic "The Silent Slave."
The following are the methods by which a slave can be trained to be silent:
Unless the slave has a question, or unless the need to alert her is undeniable, the slave must learn not to speak unless spoken to. This may be difficult to accomplish in conventional situations, but in private, a gag can be provided and used for half an hour or an hour for disobedience. (This is an exercise you may wish to incorporate for short periods of time at first. As training progresses, lengthen the periods of silent service and increase the duration of the punishment as you deem appropriate.)
It is initially best to remove distractions from the environment during her silence training. Turn off music, television, etc. Do not spend this time on the phone. If the level of silence is something you cannot tolerate, purchase headphones for the slave so that her hearing is limited.
The slave's silence should extend beyond her voice. She must learn to walk silently, bathe silently, and clean silently. Anything can be done with relative ease, and the slave must practice all of these things.
If you tell your slave to be silent during corporal punishment, be prepared. Silence during punishment is often nearly impossible for many slaves. It would be terribly unfair to demand silence during this painful time—at least in the initial stages of training.
Isolation, time in the corner, or any other punishment for a period of time should be accompanied by an order to continue to remain silent and to use that time to reconsider her behavior and how she can improve. A slave who is punished with isolation should not be allowed to speak unless it is an emergency.
Encourage the slave to use only as many words as she needs to express her thoughts.
From original site "BDSM Canarias" [BDSM Canary Islands], this is a portion of the article “Manual de Adiestramiento" [Training Manual] URL http://www.bdsmcanarias.es/textos/Manual_de_Adiestramiento.htm