I believe the more precisely a singer can communicate a lyric, the more successful that singer will be at captivating an audience. If singing were as easy as talking, there would be no problem, nothing to study. Understanding the lyric is the easy part; inviting the audience to share in the experience of the song is a decidedly harder task. Speaking the lyric- that's the goal. But it isn't as easy as it sounds. All too often, the mind and body get in the way. I believe the key that unlocks great song delivery is in the body. I think most performers understand the words they are singing, but their body and their face do not always communicate the thoughts properly. When working with a student, I usually have them do some type of physical activity to distract the mind from thinking it has to act. That way, the thoughts emerge more naturally and truthfully. I like to figure out ways to bring an actor's natural physicality into the song so that their entire body is involved in the performance. I notice that most actors are stuck in their head as a result of acting "technique" or singing "technique". My exercises help the actor let go of that technique enough to naturally communicate the song. Quite often, the end result is stillness- but I have found that activity is the path a performer must take in order to find the relaxation in stillness, and the openness to truly let the lyric speak.