Voice Improvement !!!

Voice is a important to put your thought in front of people and everyone want to speak but sometimes we have lack of confidence or not proper way to speak, which I have also faced in my daily life and always try to improve it. I find these below motioned point to improve our voice improvement, and I am sure it will surely help you in life. Thank You.

Voice Improvement

 ARTICULATION /PRONUNCIATION

 VOCAL VOLUME LEVEL

 VOICE PROJECTION

 THE WAY YOU FEEL ABOUT YOURSELF1. ARTICULATION/PRONUNCIATION

There is a difference between not being heard (being inaudible) and not being understood (being unintelligible). Sometimes people confuse the two. Unintelligibility may be caused by problems with articulation and pronunciation. People with poor articulation can sound throaty because their tongue is pulled too far back, or they may sound muffled because they don't move their tongue enough when they speak. Both problems affect our ability to be understood. Make sure your tongue is positioned toward the front of your mouth and that you use your tongue to clearly enunciate your words.
CONTROLLING VOCAL VOLUME

Imagine that your voice has a volume knob with five settings:

1-WHISPER

2-SOFT

3-CONVERSATIONAL

4-LOUD

5-YELL
Do not use volume levels 1 or 5. Both can strain the voice. Yell only in an emergency and save your whispers for the library, theatre or bedroom.

Strive to speak most of the time at volume level 3. Use levels 2 and 4 for color, emphasis and variety. A conversational level will differ with each situation. While presenting a night programmed of soft nature your voice should be little towards whispering because the listener may not like a loud voice when he is in his bedroom and looking for peace. You could be little louder when presenting a programmed of pop music.

3. PROJECTING THE VOICE

Volume level should not be confused with projection. To project the voice, don't try to yell or force it out of your body. This causes strain. To have a voice that carries well, you must use your body's natural resonators. Your body has three resonating cavities: the voice box, the mouth and the nose. The voice is produced at the vocal chords and then amplified in the facial mask around the lips and nose. To have a beautiful voice and project it without strain, you must focus your voice in the facial mask, blending the oral and nasal resonators. The simplest way to find your facial mask is to hum. Try it now. HMMMMMMMM. Good. Now practice alternating humming and speaking. HMMMMMMy name is Shyamal. HMMMMMy favorite color is blue. HMMMMany people say I'm a great dancer... etc. Have fun with it. Practice humming and speaking throughout the day. Once you get the hang of what a resonant voice feels like, you can drop the hum and feel the vibration of your words in your facial mask.
For good voice projection, try the following:

Ø Speak with authority.

 Understand the causes of difficulty with and implications of unhealthy voice production.

 Discover how relaxation, breathing and vocal
exercises can improve projection, clarity and reduce vocal strain.

 Practice techniques to prevent and cure any vocal strain or lack of projection and clarity.

 Look at the effects of posture and tension on vocal projection

 Take part in voice and articulation exercises.

Understand resonance placement and the effect this has on projection, clarity and range.

4. THE WAY YOU FEEL ABOUT YOURSELF

There is often a strong psychological component to communication difficulties. Soft speakers may unconsciously be trying to hold themselves back, inhibit their self-expression, or stifle themselves, and these factors should be explored.

You can improve, once you explore your weaknesses.

How to nurture a good and healthy voice?

- Breathe properly.

- Breathe through your nose, rather than mouth.

- Beware of your posture. Keep your upper chest, shoulders, neck and throat relaxed when breathing in or when exhaling and letting sound out.

- Speak slowly.
- Instead of focusing on your throat, imagine that the sound originates from your abdomen/lower back.

- Relax your jaw and tongue and unclench your teeth.

- Stay within your comfortable vocal range.

- Vary the tone/pitch of your voice.

- Use your breath to power your speech.
- avoid vocally-harmful habits (e.g. clearing your throat, holding your breath, speaking quickly, speaking with insufficient breath). Sometimes you clear your throat because you are dehydrated. Drink plenty of fluids to avoid dehydration. It will also help you to maintain right viscosity of the mucous in your mouth passage.

- Instead of clearing your throat in a harsh manner, sigh as an alternative measure.What to do before going on Air?

-Always warm up your throat just as an athlete warms up his/her muscles to prevent injury.

-To loosen your body, rotate your neck slowly and stretch your torso and limbs.

-To loosen the jaw, yawn and/or make chewing motions. Massage your face, especially the nexus of muscles at the hinge of your jaw.

-To limber up your lips, jaw and soft palate, say tongue twisters/the alphabet/any short text, making sure that you articulate very carefully.

-Take a few quiet moments to focus on your breathing as well as to collect your thoughts before you speak.
Now some tips about the life style:

- Avoid drinking alcohol and caffeinated beverages.

- Avoid late night parties as it could spoil your voice quality and concentration both.

- Massage under your chin to increase the flow of saliva.

- To clear excess mucus and lubricate the vocal tract, use steam inhalations

- Avoid speaking when you are tired or ill.

- Avoid speaking when you feel that your voice is strained

-Arrange for some quiet periods at least once a day.

- Seek medical attention immediately if you experience vocal strain.

- When suffering from a sore throat, try not to use anesthetic sprays/lozenges if possible.

- When you have laryngitis, inhale steam to soothe and relax the larynx instead of drinking cough mixtures.

- Eat a balanced diet to achieve/maintain optimal health.

- Dairy products may increase phlegm.

- To prevent heartburn and a reflux of stomach acids into your vocal passage, avoid acidic/spicy foods, eating late at night, caffeine and overeating.

- Give up smoking. Smoke and other aerial pollutants irritate your breathing and vocal apparatus. There are also other well-known health risks associated with smoking that can be reduced if you do not smoke/breathe in second-hand smoke.

- Certain medications may dehydrate the body/vocal passage. Others may stimulate or sedate the body, respectively causing your vocal passages to constrict or making you feel lethargic.

- To compensate the drying effect of any medication, drink extra water. Language is a gold mine which makes a big Change. Dig deep into it, build your vocabulary and dive for unlimited treasure which has remained there untapped for a long time. Rediscover yourself with your own Speech.

Ø Speak from the depth of your heart, speak your mind and feel your nerves pulsating the sound of your voice.

Ø Electrify the listener with your presentation. Don’t let butterflies quiver you and chase away the nervousness.

Ø Visualize your listener as an individual not as a mass of people.

Ø Visualize the listener at dinner table. It works great to create a feeling of intimacy and trust.

Ø Your tone of voice is closely linked to your face expressions. A frown on your face will make your voice sound harsh and cold but a smile will warm up your voice, making it sound warm and inviting. A smile with the speech takes you to miles.

Ø Every Word has a meaning. Work on building your vocabulary.

Ø Avoid beating around the bush. Say clear, be brief and do not fumble. Confusion lands you and the listener into more confusion. Do not bluff or fool yourself but blur out sensibly even if words are not meant to be spoken. Use tact, speak truth but know realities too and act sensibly to it. Convince your listener.

Ø Cultivate a positive attitude. Be positive, prepared and well aware. Work on memory improvement levels. Get mirror practice and check your expressions too.
Ø Adjust the Bass, volume of your voice like the sound system. Start with soft notes. Good beginning is best otherwise it’s shrieking from the start. Feel humor, feel happy, calm and composed.

Ø Expressions reflect your inner feelings and your speech is based on your thoughts. Let your speech and expression be your asset. Your voice can have a profound impact on how successfully you influence and persuade others. Your voice effects how seriously you are taken… how respected you are… the results you get not only with the listeners but also with co-workers, friends and family members in your personal life.

Hope these tips will help to improve vocal power.

Wish you all a very happy new year 2010 !!!