Tips for a healthy voice and a sonorous performance
Public Speaking: Be careful with your voice and don't whisper
Protect your voice as a public speaker
Professional speakers must be particularly careful, as their voices are their prerequisites for their tasks. That’s why you’ll find tips on how to protect your voice on these pages.
Overview
Each presentation is also a self-presentation.
Karsten Noack
Be careful with your voice
As a coach and speaker, I know how important a healthy voice is for some of us. Professional speakers need to be particularly careful because their voices are essential to their activities. Some people use their voices more often and under conditions that can cause additional stress. Uncontrolled screaming, shouting, and singing damage the voice, just like speaking for long periods in cold or noisy surroundings and during physical exertion.
That’s good to know: The voice can also be nurtured. There are many tips for public speakers.
Here are 14 tips for protecting your voice
1. Warm-up
Always warm up yourself and your voice before a speech. A cold start doesn’t do the voice any good. This can include relaxation techniques and gentle exercise. Your voice coach will show you suitable techniques specifically for activating your voice.
2. Use your natural voice
Avoid forcing your voice to a lower or unnatural pitch.
3. Regenerate yourself and your voice
Permanent speech strains the vocal cords. This often happens unnoticed in the beginning, but at some point, the body defends itself with hoarseness.
Rest your voice as much as possible between performances and avoid tension and stress. If the voice is attacked due to an infection, it is advisable to rest your voice temporarily and drink a lot of fluids, for example, ginger tea. So the best strategy to get back to your voice quickly is still to just “shut up”.
4. Train your voice
Participate in voice training and learn voice techniques that can protect and improve your voice.
5. Coughing instead of clearing your throat
If you have a hoarse voice, you usually clear your throat. In this way, our voice becomes clear again, but we strain the sensitive mucous membranes of the vocal folds. It is better and just as effective to cough briefly.
6. Don’t smoke
Smoking is taboo for good vocal hygiene.
7. Avoid an unhealthy environment
Avoid unhealthy, smoky rooms, bars, and places where the environment can adversely affect speech quality.
8. Beware of alcohol
Drink alcohol moderately, if at all.
9. Be careful with coffee
Coffee, black and green tea should only be consumed in moderation, as these drinks dry out the mucous membranes.
10. Drink water
Keep yourself and your voice moist by drinking plenty of non-carbonated water.
11. Healthy lifestyle
Practice a healthy lifestyle that includes cardio training and good nutrition.
12. Whispering can be hazardous to your voice
The fastest way to lose our voice is to scream or shout. But there are also many less obvious ways to burden your voice, and public speakers need to know them. One example is whispering. To protect your voice, you may think that whispering is softer, gentler, and less stressful for your vocal cords. But the truth is that whispering can be dangerous for your voice.
Whispering does affect your voice more than normal speech. When you whisper, you send an enormous amount of extra air to the vocal cords, making them dry and irritated. This is even worse than screaming and shouting. When whispering, the vocal folds are tightened so that they are closed at the front and open at the back. This is an unnatural way of using the voice. When you do this for a long time, you will find it difficult to speak normally again afterward, because it impedes the vocal cords in their function.
If you need to speak, don’t whisper. People who care about their voices should avoid whispering and just talk quietly.
13. Trust is good, control is better
In case of doubt, you would rather go to a medical specialist, such as a medical doctor, who knows what to do.
14. Many more tips
And there are many more ways in which to protect your voice.
Preparing Important Speeches and Presentations
The Art of Effective Communication
Those who do not speak are not heard, and even those who do speak are not always successful. True success in communication requires mastering a few additional, critical steps to ensure your message resonates.
Make Your Message Shine
Do you want your message to be convincing and your personality to shine? I can help you prepare your speeches and presentations to achieve exactly that. Whether you need comprehensive guidance or just a few tweaks, you decide the level of support that fits your needs. At a minimum, I recommend a test run with professional feedback to fine-tune both your delivery and your content. This helps you understand how you and your message are perceived, identify what works well, and determine areas for improvement.
Why Wait for Feedback?
Why wait until after your real performance to receive valuable feedback, when it's too late to adjust? Early preparation is key. As the saying goes: 'Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.' With thorough preparation, you will not only feel more confident but will also be well-equipped to make a lasting impact.
Tailored Support to Fit Your Goals
You can decide where the effort is most worthwhile, based on the expected benefits. I offer support covering all areas of effective communication, including psychology, language, structure, voice, body language, storytelling, rhetorical techniques, and the use of media like PowerPoint. My goal is to help you deliver a well-rounded, impactful presentation.
Flexible Meeting Options
Not in Berlin? No problem. We can meet via telephone or video call. Of course, visiting Berlin can also be an enriching experience, and I am happy to welcome you here.
Overcome Stage Fright
Many people struggle with intense stage fright, which can cause their performance to fall short of its true potential. With my guidance, you can overcome these challenges and deliver your best possible performance. Together, we'll turn anxiety into confidence, ensuring that your message and personality shine through.
Professional Feedback: The Key to Impactful Presentations
How Impactful Are Your Presentations?
How effective are you in your speeches and presentations? Are your skills strong in the 111+ essential areas of impactful presenting?
Since 1998, I have analyzed countless speeches and presentations. This extensive experience—including learning from my own mistakes—has given me a deep understanding of what works for different audiences.
Get the feedback you need to excel. With my help, you will receive actionable recommendations and insights that will allow you to connect with your audience and deliver your message effectively, regardless of the context.
Ready to Improve?
Interested? Here’s how you can receive valuable feedback to enhance your speeches and presentations.
Contact Me for More Information
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Tongue twisters from A to Z as training for voice, articulation and concentration
Tongue breakers are used to train dedicated speakers for speaking, articulation, and concentration.
This article is a short excerpt from the more comprehensive course materials my clients receive in a group or individual training or coaching.
Published: March 21, 2002
Author: Karsten Noack
Revision: November 19th, 2024
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German version:
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