How to make the most of your voice
June 9, 2010 by Admin · Leave a Comment
Your voice is the carrier of more than information. It is your personality, your health and identity, your song. Like your breathing, it is so important to your life that you can practically forget about it and get away with it. Your body is quite expert in dealing with both breath and voice.
But, you could do more with your voice if you wanted to.
1. You could protect your voice from injury. Especially if you are a person who uses their voice for a living, like a teacher or a salesperson, and you want to take voice care seriously. But any person who values their voice must pay attention to these rules:
- Do not smoke. Period
- Notice persistent fatigue, soreness or hoarseness and take it to a physician (ENT). Don’t be stupid: don’t wait.
- Vocal abuse is real and can hurt you. Watch out for yelling, talking loudly for long periods and prolonged throat tension.
2. You should become mindful of the voice in all spoken communication. Become aware of the contribution of tonal support, melody and appropriate volume (loudness) to all spoken language and notice how much this tonal element contributes to the meaningfulness of language. Some people reduce the amount of change and variety in their voice to reduce expression of their emotion. This is usually a poor exchange. We need the music of the human voice to truly understand each other.
3. You would develop your voice as an art form. Certainly singing is at the top of that list, but don’t overlook oral reading, poetry and drama. Your voice is an instrument that you can learn to develop, master and enjoy for the rest of your life. There are teachers and opportunities around you. Look for them. You live in a sonorous universe. Add your voice to the chorus.
If you want to learn more about how Dr. Fleming can help you improve your communication skills, please call her at telephone 415.391.9179 or send her an email at [email protected].
Carol Fleming, Ph.D., is the author of “It’s the Way You Say It”! Becoming Articulate, Well-spoken and Clear. A comprehensive guide to vocal development and improvement of communication skills. For people who want to make their speaking more impressive.
