VIVIDH BHARATI...... RADIO CHANNEL,YOU LOVE THE MOST

But what you should do is learn to enhance

the voice that nature has given you.

 

Here is a system check in four areas:

ØARTICULATION /PRONUNCIATION

ØVOCAL VOLUME LEVEL

ØVOICE PROJECTION

ØTHE WAY YOU FEEL ABOUT YOURSELF

1.   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.

2. 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

programme 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 programme 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:

ØSpeak with authority.

ØUnderstand the causes of difficulty with and

implications of unhealthy voice production.

ØDiscover how relaxation, breathing and vocal

exercises can improve projection, clarity and

reduce vocal strain.

ØPractice techniques to prevent and cure any

vocal strain or lack of projection and clarity.

ØLook at the effects of posture and tension on

vocal projection

ØTake 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 anaesthetic 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.

ØSpeak from the depth of your heart, speak your mind

and feel your nerves pulsating the sound of your voice.

ØElectrify the listener with your presentation. Don’t let

butterflies quiver you and chase away the nervousness.

ØVisualize your listener as an individual not as a mass of

people.

ØVisualize the listener at dinner table. It works great to

create a feeling of intimacy and trust.

ØYour 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.

ØEvery Word has a meaning. Work on building

your vocabulary.

ØAvoid 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.

ØCultivate a positive attitude. Be positive, prepared and

well aware. Work on memory improvement levels.  Get

mirror practice and check your expressions too.

ØAdjust 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.

ØExpressions 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.