Exercising Your Voice Part 1 – Talking in Public

Exercising Your Voice Part 1

We all have heard of the lengths opera singers go to protect their vocal chords. Should we be doing something to ensure our voices are as strong as they can be when we need to make regular presentations?

Let’s look at some easy long term exercise you can do to keep your vocal chords at “performance pitch”. I promise it doesn’t involve singing musical scales!!

Breathing: Place your hands horizontally across your chest with the fingertips touching. Inhale slowly through your nose, bringing the fingers apart. Exhale through your mouth with a hisssssssing sound. Repeat 10 times.

Projection: Say “Mm-mmm (as in yummy) Mmm-hmm (like yes) ” Repeat 5 times.

Flexibility :Say “Mmmmmmmmy name is…” Repeat this 10 times up and down your vocal range.

Resonance: Say “Mmmmmmm” until you feel a buzzy sensation in the front of your face. Repeat 5 times.

Articulation: Speak a few sentences out loud. Use an opening or closing of a talk, a favorite poem or long quote, or song lyrics.

Every good work out needs a cool down. End with 5 more big, deep breaths.

In a separate post (Part 2) I will talk about a quick set of “warm up” exercises you can do immediately before your presentation.

exercising your voice