Your voice is the instrument that carries your message. Cliche yes? And true! Commitment to informed practice and a deeper learning of how your instrument works are the signs of a professional. Here are two often forgotten or overlooked vocal techniques to help you connect easily with your audience: releasing tension and enjoying word sounds.
Technique one
As a child actor my voice became a barrier to my future performance opportunities. Stress from life situations had settled in the muscles of my vocal instrument. As I entered young adulthood, I sought guidance from highly skilled voice coaches to sort through what I was doing. They helped me to retrain my habitual speaking choices – choices that were undermining my acting career and my connection with the audience.
Our body protects us
Your body will consistently try to protect you from perceived threats. One of the primary protective responses is holding your breath. Speaking and sharing ideas with others can be perceived as threatening or difficult, even if you enjoy it. Sharing in public may send your body into an instinctive response of flight, fight, faint mode regardless of your excitement.
Self-awareness allows you to notice what your body is doing to protect you. When you consciously override this protective response do you choose to allow your breath to flow easily so that it powers your voice? Or are you pushing your voice out without the supportive flow of the breath and thus not connecting and being present with your audience?
While speaking, a tension-free neck, jaw, and throat area enables fuller breath which activates the vocal folds. The larynx then shapes the sound and you’re able to share your voice.
Power source – breath
Sound source – larynx;
Voice – shared out in front of you.
Misguided tension holds the breath close, and then you end up squeezing the sound out and not only straining your voice but limiting your connection to your audience.
Free of tension
The voice, when used effectively, is efficient. Like any athletic endeavor, although it uses energy and gets tired – it isn’t strained. Think of a pro rock climber who moves with efficient ease while climbing. In contrast, an amateur rock climber muscles their way through and is exhausted and strained. Your vocal production is the same. By understanding your instrument, you can flow and take on full days of speaking and training. Yes, you will experience tiredness, but not strain. You don’t have to lose your voice even after days of training and speaking if you’re aware of your instrument and using it well. It may need rest and recovery but not focused healing.
I’ve worked with many professional speakers and performers who had no idea that they were pushing through the tension vs. releasing it. This difference can be felt by the listener. Even though you may not hear it initially, I can assure you that you‘ll feel it later. Other than good vocal health, the reason efficient and effective vocal use matters is that your audience will experience your speaking/presentation/training as not quite authentic or fully connected. It can feel like there’s a bit of a wall or distance between you and the audience. This is rarely the desired impact, but unaddressed, tension in the vocal instrument shifts the message.
Release misplaced tension
Most importantly, you must have an awareness of your misplaced tension. First, where are you holding the tension? Jaw? Neck? Shoulders? Any of these constrict the easy flow and release of your voice. Second, you need to release the tension and allow the breath to flow up and out. Don’t try to control your breathing from your neck or pump with your shoulders….and pooching out your belly is not necessarily deeper breathing.
Technique Two
Pay attention to the sounds of the words.
Fall in love with the consonants and vowels of the words you choose. Let them sing forth, hammer on, or slither along. Repeat those three phrases out loud if you’re so inclined. Sing forth. Hammer on. Slither along. How do they sound? What do you rest on? What choices did the words invite?
Enjoy the consonants! Choose words that you’ve had fun saying or carry the meaning of your message in the sounds alone. Say architecture. Do you feel the angles and the corners of the word expressing a skyscraper or an interesting building? If you say bunny, do you see or feel something different than if you say rabbit?
Recently, I was working with a speaker who realized that she could use two words – pain and hurt – with greater intention because they land very differently on the listener. Often I find professional folks sharing their message as if the delivery of the individual words and phrases didn’t matter.
Risk savoring the sounds. Risk sharing your experience of the sounds as you speak. It is quite enjoyable, makes it easier for the audience to follow and in the long run takes less effort for your message to be understood. Let the words and their sounds be your partner in speaking.
Breathe and enjoy your words! They both seem so simple and can be missed in the process of preparation and presentation. Mindfully release your tension while you activate the music of your words and feel the connection to your audience. You love to speak? Then here’s to it! Voice on!!
Hilary Blair is a leadership keynote speaker based out of Denver, CO, and is the co-founder of ARTiculate: Real & Clear. She is also a highly regarded, actor, improviser, facilitator, voice-over artist, and voice expert coach. Contact us today to learn more.
