You know how a baby can cry loudly for hours and they don’t lose their voice? That’s because babies use their voice the way it’s designed to work: Projecting their sound with the support of air from their lungs
The difference between babies and us is that we’ve had a lot more life experiences that alter that natural instinct: Parents telling us to be quiet, picking up habits of speech from the people around us, how we hold stress or anxiety in our bodies, all sorts of influences have crippled our voices. But there is hope!
Whether you are a public speaker, a teacher, or you speak in loud environments here are some tips for how to avoid losing your voice.
1) use a steady stream of air when you speak and 2) let go of tension & strain in your voice
Here’s how to work on air flow. Take a full breath. The best way to take a good breath is not by lifting your chest but by letting your lungs expand down. There aren’t any bones blocking the bottom of the rib cage so when your lungs expand down it displaces the organs in your stomach. It will feel like your stomach is filling up with air, but really your stomach is just moving out of the way as your lungs take up more space. This low breath is the best way to go. Take a few breaths to practice this way of breathing.
You also need to intentionally send the air back out. To practice you can use a lip trill or SH. The goal is to send a steady stream of air without breaking or stopping until you are out of air.
Why do we need a stream of air? Your vocal cords move in a wave pattern when they vibrate to make a sound. The air flow is the fuel for that wave motion. If the air is moving you can use your voice efficiently. If your air is not flowing when you speak you can make a sound but it will make your voice tired quickly and you can lose your voice.
Once you practice that airflow on lip trill or SH, use the same stream of air while practicing a few phrases. You should feel an immediate difference. But! There’s a second part to this: you also have to relinquish the straining, pushing and holding of muscles in your neck jaw tongue and throat. Those straining muscles are trying to help you, but they are actually causing your vocal fatigue. Instead, you can trust the air to carry your voice and let go of the muscles that are holding on and working overtime. Here are some ways to try that out: Relax the throat muscles. Think of your throat as a cylinder that can either constrict your airway or relax open. Let go of holding your jaw. You need it to move sometimes for consonants, but you may be gripping your jaw when you speak and that adds strain to your voice. Swallow and feel the muscles in your throat that you use to swallow. They are near where your throat and mouth connect. Those muscles often tighten closed. See if you can relax those muscles inside your throat. And one more to consider is your tongue. Your tongue includes the part you can see, it also extends down into the jaw and connects over to your voice box. When the base of your tongue tenses up that literally pulls on your voice box. Think about letting your tongue rest at the bottom of your mouth with the tip of your tongue touching the back of your bottom teeth. You do have to move your tongue when you speak but that can be your tongue’s resting position.
Other ways to keep your voice in good shape. Rest. Get a good night’s sleep. Stay hydrated. If you don’t drink enough water, your voice will be scratchy, and that is going to wear out your voice faster.
If you struggle with voice fatigue, and are giving multiple speeches in a day, take breaks between speeches. Maybe you have an opportunity to chat with someone backstage or call a friend while you’re waiting. It’s better for you to give your voice a break.
Rely on mental practice first. If you spend more time mentally practicing your speech this will reduce how many times you need to practice your speech out loud. That will save your voice for when it counts.
Lastly, watch out for old habits. Incorporating airflow and reducing strain will be something you have to actively think about or else your old habits will creep back in. So just be intentional to anticipate that and remember the new way.
If you have any questions you can comment on the video and I’ll respond so that others who have the same questions can see those answers.