The Importance of Vocal Training for Speaking

Posted on August 25, 2017November 1, 2019 by Ramesha Nani

Your voice is your primary communication tool, and yet, the most overlooked by public speakers! In this video I talk about the importance of vocal training for speaking and the various ways a well trained voice contributes to your success as a speaker.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=os81BGK6rsE

►Online Course for Speakers

What holds you back as a speaker? It could be your voice!

The voice conveys so much information about who you are. If properly trained, your voice can become a powerful instrument to convey not just words, but the energy, the ideas, and the consciousness behind the words. A strong, resonant voice is confidence-building, commands attention, conveys trust and integrity, and establishes more easily a connection with your audience.

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“Fantastic! This is not a typical public speaking course. It is aimed at awareness and control of the sound of your voice. The benefits are instant and will last a lifetime. Thank you for the invaluable information.” –O.B., Udemy Student

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8 Tips to Keep Your Voice Healthy and Strong

Posted on May 3, 2016May 3, 2016 by Ramesha Nani

by Ramesha Nani

Those of us who speak often and for extended periods of time have all experienced vocal fatigue. While this feeling of tiredness when we talk improves only when we stop talking for some time, it is often quick to return as soon as we begin to speak again.

For someone who teaches, gives presentation, preaches, sells products on the phone, etc., vocal fatigue can be a real problem. Because of the demands of the job, they’re not likely to be able to stop and give their voice a break, allowing it to rest and heal. Unfortunately, this can eventually lead to more serious issues, like nodules, polyps, or contact ulcers, which are caused by vocal abuse (and overuse).

In this article I’m going to offer a few suggestions to prevent vocal abuse and to deal with it when it occurs.

Get vocally “fit”. The vocal cords are, essentially, muscles. Just like any other muscle in the body, they need exercise to be kept in good shape and to make them strong and flexible. Using the voice for public speaking, as opposed to simple everyday conversation, can be compared to running a marathon, as opposed to taking a morning stroll. It takes strength and endurance. A serious public speaker needs to view speaking as an athlete views training for a sport: train the voice, warm it up before every talk, do everything you can to take care of it.
Love your voice! As much as possible it is best to avoid “voice killers”, like smoking, sleep deprivation, alcohol, shouting, and too much caffeine. Be a good steward to your voice and it will serve you well in the long run.
Water your vocal cords. Drink plenty of water! Your voice works best when you’re well hydrated. Remember that caffeinated beverages tend to dehydrate you. If you live in a dry environment, you can moisturize your throat using steam. Lean over a pot of boiling water with a towel covering your head and breathe deeply for about 10 minutes (don’t burn yourself!).
Breathe! Many public speakers don’t breathe correctly. They take shallow breaths with their upper chest, instead of engaging their diaphragm, abdominal muscles, and floating ribs. Lack of proper breath support will most certainly lead to vocal fatigue, because it puts too much strain on the muscles around the throat. Full breathing allows the throat to stay relaxed and produce a full, resonant sound.
Breathe more! The tendency to not breathe often enough is also very common. Training yourself to slow down and take frequent breaths throughout your talk will yield gains in clarity and vocal health, and will help keep nervousness under control!
Stand (or sit) up straight. Besides being more pleasant and magnetic to look at, standing or sitting up straight frees up your abdomen and diaphragm, allowing you to speak with better breath support and avoid vocal fatigue.
Speak in your natural range. Many speakers force their voice down to an unnaturally low range. This doesn’t allow the vocal cords to work correctly and they will tend to tire rather quickly. It also makes your voice raspy and not particularly attractive or magnetic.
Learn to use the voice correctly. The best gift you can give your voice is vocal training. Neglected and overlooked by so many speakers, vocal training can be the key to bright, powerful, and confident presentations. Would you give a talk dressed in rags? Your voice is the garment of your words. It’s what people hear first, before any idea or concept is presented to them. Vocal training also ensures voice longevity. If you’re in for the long haul as a speaker, you need your voice to work at its best for years. Start now!

Release the Voice Inside

Posted on January 28, 2016March 10, 2016 by Ramesha Nani

Release the Voice Inside!

by Ramesha Nani

Voice Issues One of the most common vocal issues that speakers run into is the habit of speaking in a lower range than what is natural. This creates problems, such as vocal fatigue and hoarseness. It also makes the voice sound harsh and strained, conveying a sense of discomfort and tension.

I’ve been trying to understand why so many speakers do this, and recently a few of my students gave me the answer.

S. contacted me a few months ago to get some help with his speaking voice. He is a yoga teacher, and was frustrated with the sound of his voice. As I listened to him, I understood what was going on: his voice was not placed correctly, and he was speaking in a lower vocal range than what was natural and appropriate for him. This made the sound soft and muffled, even though I could tell that he was making a valiant effort to project it. I remember comparing it to driving a car with the emergency brake on!

After a couple of sessions, S. shared a profound insight with me. He had come to the realization that there was a deeper reason that he was not projecting his voice; years of insecurity and fear of saying the wrong thing. He said that working on developing his voice made him aware of the importance of facing his fears and insecurity. Working on his voice was a catalyst that brought unresolved issues from the past to the surface so that he could see them and release them.

G. asked me for help with her speaking voice. She was working on a project and needed to record some affirmations to go with the beautiful music played by her husband. She’s a singer and has a lovely soprano voice. However, observing her speaking voice I noticed that she was unconsciously forcing her voice to speak in a lower range, making it sound strained and almost masculine. Not only was her beautiful voice unrecognizable, but she was blocking energy and inspiration from flowing through her voice, speaking in a monotone which rendered the reading rather dull.

I asked her to raise her pitch and allow her natural sound to flow freely. I recorded her voice before and after, to help her notice the difference in sound and energy. When she heard it, she burst into tears. She told me that when she was a little girl she was a student at a catholic school. During her time there, she was often reprimanded for her loud voice, and was forced to speak more softly, or even better still, to not speak at all! As a result, over the years, she got used to stifling her voice, which forced her down to the bottom of her vocal range. This can be compared to living for years in a room with a low ceiling that prevents you from standing up straight.

When she spoke in her natural range, the difference was amazing. There was so much more energy, confidence, and light coming through her voice. It made what she was saying more compelling and interesting, even though she was reading exactly the same passage as before.

These experiences, and many others, have convinced me beyond any doubt that developing your speaking voice has much deeper ramifications than we might think. Our voice is so much a part of our personality; it’s our personal trademark. Every human being is special and unique, with a sound that’s also special and unique. However, most of us have covered this precious jewel with the mud of bad vocal habits, tension and negative emotions. Working on your voice can help remove that mud, allowing the jewel of your natural, true sound to shine once again.

Voice Can Affect a Presidential Canditate’s Success

Posted on January 12, 2016January 19, 2016 by Ramesha Nani

Yep! The voice IS your primary tool of communication…

Voters tend to prefer politicians with deeper voices, according to an analysis that political scientist Casey Klofstad conducted of the 2012 election for the House of Representatives. He says deeper voices might be perceived as a sign of strength and competence, helping candidates win the seat. Susan Miller, a vocal coach who has also analyzed the voices of politicians, says variance in pitch is another key factor in making a voice pleasing to the ear….

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Turn On Your Voice Amplifier!

Posted on December 29, 2015January 19, 2016 by Ramesha Nani

Have you ever tried to cover the hole of a guitar’s sounding board and then play it? Did you notice what happens? The sound, usually resonant and rich, becomes thin and barely audible. This exactly describes what happens to speakers who haven’t learned to use their natural “voice amplifiers”: their voice sounds thin and weak, and when they talk to a big group or in a large room, they end up straining their voice in order to be heard.

If we could hear the voice as soon as it comes out of the vocal cords we would be surprised by how thin and soft it is. That’s why Mother Nature gave us a variety of natural, powerful amplifiers to make the sound of our voice louder and more resonant. The main amplifier is the chest. If you place your hand on your chest while you’re speaking, you will feel it vibrate. That’s because the voice uses the chest as its primary natural sounding board, and most everyone is able to use their chest as a sounding board without even knowing it.

But there are additional, less obvious sounding boards/amplifiers located in the facial area, namely the sinuses and nasal cavities. A big part of training your voice for speaking has to do with “activating” these facial sounding boards by learning how to send your voice into those areas, which voice teachers call the “mask”. Sending your voice into the mask has several distinct advantages:

Your voice becomes amplified
Your voice sounds richer and more resonant
Tension in the throat is greatly reduced
With a relaxed throat and a strong, resonant voice, you’re more free to convey an increased sense of confidence and clarity to your audience

So, how do you activate your mask? One of the best ways is to hum as often as possible throughout the day. While you’re driving, or walking down a noisy street, or at the grocery store you can be humming without being heard by other people (hmmmmmmmm). As you hum, keep your throat and lips relaxed. You should feel your lips “buzzing”. This simple exercise will gradually train your voice to move from the lower area of the throat to the upper throat and nasal cavities, where it belongs. Then, when you speak, try to bring the resonance of your voice more and more into your mask, the same as when you’re humming.

Don’t worry about sounding “fake”; you’ll need some time to get used to your new sound. But this is how, physiologically, our voices are “designed” to work. Unfortunately, over years of misuse we’ve acquired the bad habit of tensing and straining the voice, making retraining necessary.

Relax, unlock the full potential of your voice, and reclaim your lost vocal identity!

Increasing Your Vocal Range

Posted on September 26, 2015January 19, 2016 by Ramesha Nani

by Ramesha Nani

People often ask me how they can increase the range of their voice. While range can be worked on and increased, it’s actually more a matter of discovering the range inherent in each individual voice. All that is necessary is to learn how to access that range.

Our voice has two main “sections” called registers: the low register, also called chest voice, which most of us use when we speak; and the high register, called head voice, which some of us (mostly men) are completely unfamiliar with.

In trying to develop their high range, singers usually have the experience of hitting a “ceiling” they can’t go beyond unless they push and force their voice up. This is accompanied by tension, discomfort and, if continued long enough, a sore throat and possible loss of the voice.

How to proceed?
Before I talk about what you can do to develop your higher range, I want to mention that these are merely suggestions to give you an idea of what is possible. However, if you want to learn the delicate art of switching from one register to the other seamlessly, it is recommended that you find a voice teacher and have one-on-one sessions. A good teacher is capable of hearing even the subtlest nuances of your voice and guiding you through a process that can otherwise be difficult and frustrating.

At the beginning, use an arpeggio exercise (1-3-5-8-5-3-1) rather than a scale.
Start on a low note (typically low A) and move your way up a half step at a time.
Sing fast and soft. This will prevent tension in the throat.
The first note is the most important: make it as full as you can, by enunciating the vowel very clearly.
As you go higher, try to consciously create a round sound by expanding your throat (like when you yawn) but in a relaxed way.
When you are approaching what seems to be the top of your range, sing very softly, open your mouth wider by lowering your jaw, and stay as relaxed as possible. Your voice may sound “airy” and weak, almost like falsetto. It will naturally become fuller with practice, as long as you don’t push to make it sound fuller.
Stop as soon as you feel pain or discomfort.

It may take some time before you’re able to switch between registers seamlessly. Be patient! The most important point is to practice without tension and to not overdo.

Watch this video showing you how to develop your upper range:

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