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Voice/throat tips needed!

14 replies

MrOllivander · 31/03/2022 08:19

Had a bad cold for a week and realised how much of a weak point my throat is
I need tips on keeping my voice Grin
Work means I talk pretty much continuously for 40hrs a week and my voice is objecting violently to this. Already drink loads, always have warm drinks and sugar free sweets to hand

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SilverHairedCat · 31/03/2022 08:21

Nothing you can do if your vocal cords are struggling except rest them.... Lots of cold drinks, avoid caffeine, that's about it.

MrOllivander · 31/03/2022 08:24

Argh Sad
My voice struggles most weeks TBH, even when I don't have a cold

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SilverHairedCat · 31/03/2022 08:24

When it's less inflamed, maybe look at vocal training?

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ShellieEllie · 31/03/2022 08:25

As SHC above says and also avoid alcohol.

MrOllivander · 31/03/2022 08:29

I don't drink at all so that bit is covered
Usually have a litre of water and then tea/herbal tea/fruit tea through the day, often 6 big mugs
Lemon and ginger tea today!

My colleagues don't seem to struggle but I've been doing this job a LOT longer (15 years) so wonder if that's why

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Jongy · 31/03/2022 08:31

Honey?

Sh05 · 31/03/2022 08:33

Warm honey with a pinch of tumeric is supposed to clear the throat.

Habitatty282 · 31/03/2022 08:36

Have a look at lax vox exercises on YouTube. Also straw exercises and masking. It's all about placing your voice at the front of your face rather than your throat.

Also try steaming your vocal chords rather than drinking lots. You can do this on the go with a flask of boiling water or a mug and then sip the steam.

Try and avoid sweets like strepsils as they're quite drying (designed for when you have a cold). Vocal zone are better or just sucking sweets like worthers.

Best of luck with it. This is something I've been struggling with recently too.

MrOllivander · 31/03/2022 09:11

Right I have vocal zone and dr Stuart throat tea in my Amazon basket!

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ElizabethinherGermanGarden · 31/03/2022 12:50

Don't have your warm drinks too hot - put a bit of cold water in so they're warm but not boiling.

Try some breathing exercises and vocal warm ups - going nyah nyah nyah in a sort of Tammy Wynette nasal twang can be helpful to get your voice back if it's gone (imagine singing along to Stand By Your Man and do the guitar bits).

When you feel your voice is very tired, try breathing out as hard as possible onto your own hand in front of your mouth and move your hand away, projecting your breath until you can still feel it at about 6 inches away. Then adapt how you're breathing so you can still feel it but not hear the breath sound at all. Those silent breaths open your throat out.

Once you've done that and got control back of your throat, take control of your vocal chords by trying to make a click with them without using your tongue - it's a weird thing but once you've mastered it you can get a lot more control when your voice is getting really tight. Try YouTubing 'glottal clicks' to hear the sound and see if you can replicate it.

Not an exercise but a behaviour change - try just pausing to breathe more frequently when you are speaking. Slow down and don't keep going on long sentences until you get out of breath. Think about how Morgan Freeman would say something and recreate his rhythms. This makes a big difference too!

If you have to raise or project your voice, take a big breath before you do so that you have power behind and don't strain.

I had speech therapy about 20 years ago when I was constantly losing my voice as a new teacher and those are the things that made the most difference to me. If you're lucky, a speech therapist with more up to date knowledge and experience will v be along shortly!

Habitatty282 · 31/03/2022 13:11

ElizabethinherGermanGarden great tips, thankyou.

Also, have a look at diagram breathing. Getting the breath to support your speech is very important (something I'm working on!) It gives your voice power rather than it coming from the throat.

Laryngeal massage is something else to look at.

Muscle tension dysphonia is another thing. I'm not saying this is what you have but a lot of the techniques might be useful.

HalfShrunkMoreToGo · 31/03/2022 13:20

Avoid whispering, it's a change to the way you speak and it strains your vocal cords. Speak as little as possible to rest.

MrOllivander · 31/03/2022 16:02

@ElizabethinherGermanGarden thank you! I will have a look at that
I also have a "telephone" voice Grin which might not be helping maybe as I have to modify my accent when I'm speaking

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