How to gain more confidence with voice training

Reading time 5 minutes
How to gain more confidence with voice training

"Speak up," you're told when you give a little speech to the family. You are plagued by hoarseness in front of your colleagues, so you prefer to let others speak. They have a more pleasant voice anyway, you think. But you can train your voice and articulate it more clearly. With the right voice training, you can find exactly the right volume, your individual pitch and a suitable tempo.

What is voice training?

Voice training aims to use all the muscles involved correctly when you speak. Through special voice exercises and the appropriate Background knowledge you will learn how breathing technique and posture work together. This helps you to feel more comfortable when speaking. relax and appear more confident.

Voice training is designed to strengthen the muscles involved and refine motor skills. The success shows in a precise modulation of the voice. Soon you will feel how the tones can be controlled precisely. Your speech becomes more dynamic and you feel healthier and stronger overall.

Some voice exercises improve the way you talk, others even affect your singing voice. You can practice on your own or work with a voice coach.

Functional voice training can be connected with vocal pedagogy, music physiology and work science. Functional voice work is often about a holistic approach, i.e. not only about the speaking voice, but also about voice therapy, singing voice and singing lessons.

voice training exercises

Voice training: Why is it worth it?

Do you sometimes stutter from excitement? Do you talk too hastily when you really want to convince someone of something? Do you lose your breath or do you forget what you wanted to say?

All these problems can be overcome with voice training. Because the functional voice trainingExercises relax you. You gradually find your own speaking tempo and also your original voice pitch.

A natural voice creates Trust and comes across as likeable. This is precisely why it is so important for daily communication. It changes under stress - just as it does when there is great enthusiasm or Fear. Many people try to act. But if you take refuge in another voice, you will quickly be exposed: you would come across as artificial, arrogant or silly.

So you see: Voice training is worthwhile - not only for your job, but also for private discussions.

3 voice training exercises for clear pronunciation

The following Exercises are aimed at improving clear articulation. Some of them will certainly make you feel strange, but they turn out to be very helpful.

1st exercise: cork in mouth

The corking exercise begins with you saying an everyday greeting phrase, for example, "Welcome to our branch, my name is (your name), how can I help you?"

In the second step, put a cork in your mouth and repeat the same phrase.

Then you take the cork out again and say the sentence again.

The cork loosens your jaw, and at the same time you become more aware of your muscles. This is exactly why the cork exercise is so effective. Alternatively, you can also put your thumb in your mouth - this way you take extra care not to bite yourself. This in turn has a positive effect on your motor skills.

2nd exercise: tongue click

For clear pronunciation, you need strong tongue muscles. Click your tongue often to train it. Clicking works like this:

You stick your tongue to the upper palate.

With momentum, you push the tongue down so that it releases with a clicking sound.

The more often you do this exercise, the stronger the corresponding muscles become. Your tongue becomes more flexible and you articulate more precisely.

3rd exercise: loosen jaw

Consonants are easier to form with a slack jaw: Your speech becomes clearer. In voice training there are various exercises to loosen the jaw. This is very effective and easy to do:

Imagine that there are many tiny air bubbles between your upper and lower teeth. These gradually increase in size: your lower jaw thus moves slowly downward.

Let the imaginary bubbles get bigger and bigger, so that your jaw finally hangs quite loosely.

The importance of proper breathing technique in voice training

When you speak excitedly, you sometimes swallow a few syllables, sometimes you speak much too softly, then again too loudly. If you lose your breath, you may stutter or have to take a break.

This shows you how much influence your breath has on your speech. With the right breathing technique, you can give your voice more sound. In addition, you will no longer lose your breath, even when you are nervous.

Some voice training exercises are specifically aimed at optimizing breathing. The Advantages of the breathing technique in connection with your way of speaking are obvious:

  • You won't get hoarse and tired so quickly,
  • your voice gets more resonance,
  • you speak more clearly and are easier to understand,
  • you find more peace and automatically become more self-confident.

The importance of posture and body tension in voice training

The posture and tension in the body also influence the pitch of the voice. This is because every sound is created from vibrations that are dependent on your tense or relaxed muscles. This means that when you are tense, your voice sounds different than when you are relaxed.

The effect of body posture and tension is particularly clear in relation to the area of the chest and shoulders. This is where an essential part of the resonance chamber lies. However, the voice can only use it if it is relaxed. Before a long speech, you should therefore loosen up your body. Raise your shoulders several times and then let them sink down as you exhale. Flap your arms. Do some neck exercises. These small exercises relax your muscles and help you to have a clear voice.

5 tips to take care of your voice

People who talk a lot often get a brittle voice and scratchy throat. This results in unpleasant throat clearing or coughing. Sometimes the words come out like a weak croak: Clearly, more voice care is needed here.

The following Tips show you how to make your voice fit again - for the next lesson, for a presentation or for the clarifying conversation with your business partner.

  • Before you start speaking, you need to warm up your voice. Move your tongue and imitate animal sounds. Speak out loud, read something, and click your tongue a few times. Loosen your jaw, and you're ready to go.
  • Drink enough: This will keep your larynx moist. Water and herbal tea are particularly effective.
  • Suck sage or herbal candies to get rid of the itchy feeling. Menthol, however, is unsuitable.
  • Do a few targeted breathing exercises: This way you learn to control your breath and voice, and also overcome an inevitable clearing of the throat more easily.
  • Don't drink too much coffee or black tea. Cigarettes and alcohol also harm your voice.

Gain more confidence with voice training

Your voice is individual, it belongs to your personality - but it can be trained. And that makes sense in many situations. Teachers and speakers aren't the only ones who need a clear, resonant voice. A strong voice can also be useful in meetings or private discussions.

The power of the voice is particularly noticeable when addressing an audience. But that's exactly when you're extremely nervous. Remember the voice training and breathe calmly, relax your shoulders and start.

At Keynote Workbook you can read about what it takes to speak confidently - and the worthwhile voice training ensures the right sound and the right speaking tempo. From now on, no one will interrupt you when you speak.

FREE WORKBOOK

BECOME A TOP SPEAKER

Learn with professional speaker Frank Asmus captivate your audience from the very first second, cause goose bumps and earn thunderous applause!
approx. 60 minutes
Theory & practice
REQUEST FREE WORKBOOK HERE
Reviewed by Dr. med. Stefan Frädrich

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