The voice is important for a speaker as well as for an actor, is an important part of one’s instrument. Just like an actor, a speaker’s body and voice is an instrument. If you think about it as a speaker, or presenter, you are using just yourself whether or not your have slides. So it’s important to know at least one vocal exercise for clear speaking.
Muscles of Articulation
Without getting too bogged down with the science of the muscles of articulation and how the work, I’ll just quickly mention that they are as follows:
– the tip of the tongue
– the hard palate
– the soft palate
– the back of the tongue
– the teeth and the lips
Now, there are probably many professional vocal coaches out there who are ready to argue with me on these points and say that I should tell you what the correct categories are, whether they are active or passive articulators. But for the purposes of this post I don’t feel it’s necessary.
Some Quick Vocal Tips
Speak out loud: I’ve talked about the benefits of rehearsing your speech or presentation elsewhere in this blog. By speaking the words out loud your mouth gets used to saying the words and as a result you’re less likely to stumble over what you’re saying because your body has a physical memory.
Avoid dairy: Before you speak or present make sure you keep your dairy intake to a minimum. Dairy products have a tendency to produce excess mucus which can make you snort and constantly feel like you have to clear your throat.
Keep yourself lubricated by drinking plenty of water or herbal tea. Too much caffeinated tea can dehydrate you. If you’re drinking plenty of water before you speak remember to use the loo (rest room).
Hum before you speak: By gently humming, your voice gets to go hum and down it’s range and gets warmed up. As you hum try to imagine the sound resonating in the front of your mouth around your teeth.
Try humming a slow version of the nursery rhyme “Pop Goes The Weasel”. As a quick refresher here’s the lyrics as I know them:
“Half a pound of tuppenny rice,
Half a pound of treacle.
That’s the way the money goes,
Pop! goes the weasel”.
A quick search on the internet will help find the tune if you are unfamiliar with it. It’s quite a jaunty little jig, but you’ll want to slow it right down when you hum your way through it. Don’t push yourself, you’re not in a contest. There’s no prize for completing the exercises first. Be gentle.
Use tongue twisters: Tongue twisters are a good way to exercise your articulation muscles. Here’re a couple of my favourites:
“Red leather, yellow leather”. (repeat 5 times)
“Articulatory agility
is a desirable ability
manipulating with dexterity
the tongue, the palate, and the lips”. (repeat 5 times)
“The back of the tongue and the tip of the tongue” (repeat 5 times)
“The tip of the tongue, the teeth, the lips”. (repeat 5 times)
If you jump on to your favourite search engine and search for tongue twisters, you can find plenty in whichever language you choose. Just make sure you choose the correct pronunciation.
For instance, I had an American voice teacher at drama school whose pronunciation was different to the English students in the room. We had to make sure that we didn’t end up saying “yella” instead of “yellow”.
So remember that vocal exercises are as important for public speakers as they are for professional actors.
Jason Peck is a Humorist, Speaker and Consultant based in London, England. For public speaking tips and to learn how to add humor to your speeches and presentations to win over your listeners visit: Pro Humorist.