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The other day I spoke to 2 individuals with the exact same problem. They were pushing their voices from their throats. In both cases, I had to move the phone away from my ear because they were so loud that it hurt. If you are pushing hard from your throat when you talk, not only is it offensive to your listeners’ ears, but it also can do serious damage to your vocal folds (cords) and your throat. In fact, both were complaining about discomfort: they had sore throats and were not sick. This is known as vocal abuse. While the voice box and throat are important resonators in the production of voiced sound, they are not the only source of power for your voice. I once met a woman who was able to power her sound primarily by means of her nasal cavities. Of course, using the nose to amplify your voice is not the answer either. [Her voice was hideous, honestly! I couldn’t even show you how this is done.] The human body has 5 cavities responsible for powering and amplifying voiced sound. Yes, the throat, voice box, nasal cavities and mouth are all involved in the process when you speak or sing; but, the one that is missing in this picture is the largest cavity of the 5. It also has the most power and provides the most depth for the voice. It is your chest cavity and it is the reason James Earl Jones sounds the way he does as well as Cher, George Clooney, Julia Ormond, Diane Sawyer, Peter Coyote, Kathleen Turner, and Vin Diesel to name a few. Their voices are rich, warm, and resonant. Their voices are not, however, loud, overbearing, or painful to their listeners’ ears. Even were they to increase their volume, they would not sound like they were yelling or shouting because they would be projecting the voice instead. If you can grasp the fact that the higher you place your voice when you speak, the higher the pitch will be, you can begin to understand the process. If you are not powering your voice by means of your chest cavity, then you are speaking at a pitch – or a range of pitches – higher than you should be. That is why the majority of the population have voices that are somewhere above their optimum pitch or optimum range. Stop pushing your voice from your throat. Let your chest do your talking and you will be amazed at how much easier it is to speak. Not only will your listeners will be most grateful but your throat will thank you as well! The Voice Lady Nancy Daniels offers private, corporate and group workshops in voice and presentation skills as well as Voicing It!, the only video training program on voice improvement. Visit Voice Dynamic and discover The Power of Your Voice or watch Nancy as she describes in more detail The Truth About Vocal Abuse.
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vocal abuse, optimum voice, chest voice, voice projection, sore throat not sick, voice resonators,
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