Picture this. You are about to take the stage in front of hundreds of people only to realize you have no voice. Not my idea of fun, either.  But if you prepare wisely, you will be able to find your voice and make it happen!

I have taken the stage with solos to sing after a full week of Hell Week (the code name for the week before you open a show, when all of the technical aspects come together). It’s a difficult thing to do, but in theatre it’s just another day. You expect the stress of long hours of rehearsal during the never-ending Hell Week, all before you are supposed to muster up the energy to entertain people as if you’ve had hours to lounge and rest your delicate voice.

So here are some tips that we use in the world of performance:

Avoid overuse

A no-brainer right? If you are hoarse and it hurts to speak, stop speaking.

But avoiding overuse also means anything that would put stress on your vocal chords like coughing, clearing your throat, talking on the phone, even whispering can cause stress on the vocal chords.  When I say stop that means everything but texting and social media. Let your fingers do the talking and give your voice the needed break.

Techniques for placing your voice

Voice placement is something that you should know about your body. When you speak where are you feeling your voice resonate? Is it through your nose? Do you feel a vibration?

Try this:  Say a really nasal “kneeeeeeeeeeeee” and try to place it coming through your nose. Now lower your voice so you have a deep chest voice and say “helllooooooooo.”

You can also do a head voice.  Typically people ask you to picture yourself wearing a face mask – think batman mask without the voice;) Got the image? Now try to place your voice as if it were coming out of the top of your head.

Knowing your full register means you can speak around your natural tone by speaking in a slightly different register. This just means placing your voice just a little above or below your natural speaking voice. Of course if you need to sing, this will not work as you may be off key. But for speaking, it’s possible to find a decent sound that is close to your voice and helps you speak around your fatigued vocal chords. (If you are feeling pain, do not do this and go to a Dr!!)

Proper Projection techniques

Projection comes from your diaphragm. I remember when I first had training on projection,  my vocal teacher would have me lay down and put a phone book on my stomach so I could push up or drop the phone book with my breath control. This was a completely different way of breathing from what I had learned as a dancer- you never push your diaphragm or stomach out as a dancer.

To learn where and how you should be projecting this may be a good exercise for you to physically feel the difference when your breath comes from your diaphragm vs. filling your lungs. It takes a lot of muscle support to project right but when you learn how, you will do a lot less damage on your voice. Your voice will just be hoarse from exhaustion, not damage.

Lay down. Take a deep breath in, push your diaphragm out and then say the alphabet as you breathe out. All projection is on the exhale. There are a lot of articles about proper projection techniques. If you have further questions about techniques let me know in the comments below.

Vocal Warm Ups

Like any athlete would warm up his muscles, you should warm up your voice. Drink some nice tea to warm up (make sure it’s not caffeinated as you will be on stage and won’t be able to go to the restroom). Then if you are speaking, do some diction exercises. My favorite is an oldie but goodie. Repeat, “Diction is done with the tip of the tongue and teeth,” warming up your mouth first.

Then it’s time to hum! Focus the vibration as you hum in your nose vs your throat. Then do some yawns. Open up your mouth and make the sound go from your head voice to your chest voice. If this at all makes you feel silly (and it might), instead find a private room and do your speech at full voice, with proper projection a few times and this will warm you up as well.

Be Calm and Speak On

Being stressed and speaking or singing with stress can actually tighten your vocal chords and do damage. So relax, know that the audience is with you. They are cheering you on inside. They are here to listen to you.  They hope to leave inspired or educated. So relax, enjoy, and know that you are putting your best voice forward.

With proper techniques and care for your voice you can make it through your next speech without issue. There are some emergency things you can do but they involve numbing your vocal chords and that’s really not recommended as you can’t tell the damage you are doing. Not saying that it doesn’t happen out there, but you should see a Dr. if easy fixes are not helping.

BTW: I have a Theatre of Public Speaking course coming out beginning of next year that I am so excited about!!! If you are interested in learning more about the course sign up for our email list!! Plus you may get the chance to have a private coaching lesson!

Here’s to finding your voice!