Calling all Teachers, Receptionists, Sales People....

We use our voice everyday but we do use it in the right way?  Sounds like a strange question doesn’t it because speaking is so natural for the majority of us but as with everything, there is a right and wrong way to speaking and looking after your voice. 

We want to sound our best everyday; first impressions are not only created through the clothes you wear, how you hold yourself and personal grooming but also how you sound.  You may wear the power suit with the big shoulders but if you have a quiet, raspy voice you won’t make the same impression on your audience. As a business owner, I am on the phone or in meetings everyday with potential clients and I need to ensure I sound my best, especially as I am selling services to improve an individual’s voice and communication!  This is the same for Teachers, Receptionists, Sales professionals, Singers  – your voice is your tool and you need to look after it.

Here are a few things I do everyday and before important meetings that I’d suggest everyone does if you want to maintain a healthy, strong voice:

1)    Breathing Exercises – breathing is more natural to us than speaking and we need to breathe correctly to support our voice through the day. Taking in 3 diaphragmatic breaths wakes up the body, opens the lungs and ribcage and allows you to sustain a deeper, more resonant voice.  I do this in the morning and at regular intervals through the day, especially before important meetings.

2)    Developing Breath – we can all breathe (I hope!), and some of us can hold our breath for longer than others but how come? Generally this is done to lung capacity and using the diaphragm to control how the breath is exhaled.  A simple exercise, done regularly, designed to make you say more in one breath is an excellent way of expanding your lung capacity and strengthening your diaphragm control.

3)    Creating Resonance – do you sing in the shower? To develop your pitch range and resonance this is the perfect place to ‘stretch’ your vocal cords.  Making an ‘mmmmmmmmm’ sound and going up and down scales not only makes you more aware of the resonance in your voice already but helps develop and expand your pitch range and can bring more ‘music’ to your voice.  The steam of the shower also helps to protect your vocal cords from any over-straining.

4)    Hydration – drinking lots of water through the day and avoiding caffeine is a good tip for keeping healthy as well as for maintaining a strong voice.  While the nerves may need a boost of caffeine, I try to have a hot tea with honey before an important meeting as this helps to

keep the vocal cords lubricated; caffeine has been known to dehydrate so it’s best to avoid this if possible.

These are just a few of the things I do to wake the voice up and prepare for the day and can be easily included in any morning routine, no matter how busy.  Look out for my next article that will cover how you can warm-up and stretch the body to support your new voice!

Sarah Schubert is a professional Voice coach and Leadership Development consultant. Passionate about good communication and with over 20yrs international experience in the Corporate and Performing Arts arena, she blends voice development with business and personal productivity in a unique way. Visit her website New Voice Communications for more information on the services offered.