Unlike professional speakers and others who use their voices to make a living such as actors, singers, trainers and teachers, the occasional speaker is unlikely to have received professional advice on caring for their voices and minimizing the possible problems resulting from a health condition or their surrounding environment. It's also likely that they will not have received instruction on proper vocal production techniques.

That said, there are several things anyone can do to care for and condition their voice. The best advice we can give you is that prevention is a much better approach than seeking a cure once a problem has ocurred and that having said that, sometimes problems can't be prevented. Oh well!

Preventive Measures

• Start exercising your voice daily as soon as the speaking event is calendared. Ten minutes of vocal or singing exercises in the car or shower will do wonders.

• Arrange for the speaking event to take place in a speaker-friendly environment, free from dust, noise and fumes.

• Build body-memory and awareness of your voice by recording and listening to how you sound.

• Join a Toastmasters club and get a voice assessment involving such things as speaking speed, voice quality, articulation, intonation and range of variation in volume, pitch and pace.

• Warm up with some relaxation exercises before speaking to loosen up. Many voice problems come from tension and stress. A pain in your foot will be reflected in your voice.

• Learn proper breathing and relaxation techniques. You may need to take a class or work with a coach to get this type of instruction or you can learn it from singing, acting or athletic instruction. Power breathing is from the diaphragm and is also important for most sports and good health.

• Drink 6 to 8 glasses of water a day for adequate hydration. This is particularly important if you are travelling by air to your speaking assigmnent since it is easy to become dehyrdated on airplanes.

• Take water with you to the podium, lectern or your speaking site and sip it throughout your speaking event (room temperature is better than cold).

• Avoid dairy products (this unfortunately includes most desserts), caffeine, liquor and smoking immediately before speaking. Consider giving up smoking permanently.

• Use alternatives to yelling and screaming at sports events. Substitute bells, noise makers and foot stomping. In fact, avoid raising your voice at all unless it is necessary to do so.

• Reduce the number of times you clear your throat by swallowing instead.

DIY Voice Care

Voice Conditioning Exercises

Slowly say or sing the following nonsense syllables on the same note, then follow by singing a short scale up and down with the same syllables. Repeat by altering the volume from loud to soft as you sing each syllable, finally vary the speed

nah, nay, nee, noo, now
ay, ee, eye, oo, you

Follow by saying words that open the throat and promote a loose jaw

home, wholly, lemon, hone, harem, lang

Practice inflection by repeating a simple sentence, such as "What is that doing here?" but changing the emphasis on a different word each time.

What is that doing here?
What is that doing here? etc.

Sing at at your normal pitch, then go up two notes one at a time and then down two notes one at a time. Follow by humming up and down a scale. (Humming is a good way to find your normal pitch.)

Exhale all the air from your lungs slowly and then slowly inhale. Repeat this five times.

Exhale in a series of five short pants, and them follow with five short pants to inhale.

Three things to help keep your mouth and throat moist: massage under the chin to increase saliva flow, swallow regularly, bite your tongue gently to help you salivate.

When Things Go Wrong

As with anything, sometimes no matter how much care you have taken things may not work out as you had hoped. For example, the microphone or public address system may fail, there may be excessive noise from the street or in adjacent rooms, you could get an allergy or asthma attack or suddenly contract a throat infection or other illness affecting your voice.

In some cases, you can simply remove the problem for example by relocating your presentation to a quieter room or finding alternate sound equipment. In other cases, you may find that your voice is simply not up to the altered circumstances. If you find that this happens, apply a sense of humor since laughter is a great relaxer and then use your natural voice pitch.

Finally, you might consider preparing a survival kit inculding such items as a water bottle, chapstick, cough lozenges and your regular asthma/allergy medication.

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