VOICE:

Exercising Your Voice for Optimal Quality

Practice breathing into your diaphragm. Using your diaphragm when you speak and sing is essential for
actors and singers. Your diaphragm is in the area just underneath your sternum (where your ribs meet). By
breathing into your diaphragm and using this breath when you sing your voice will have more
power.[1] Breathing into your diaphragm instead of into your chest will also reduce strain on your vocal
cords.

To practice diaphragmatic breathing, take a breath into your abdomen. You should feel your abdomen
expand as you breathe in. Then, release the breath slowly with a hissing sound. Try to keep your shoulders
and neck relaxed as you breathe.[2]
You can also place your hands on your abdomen as you breathe in. If your hands rise when you take in a
breath, then you are breathing into your abdomen.

Release your jaw. Taking tension out of your jaw will allow you to open your mouth wider when you
speak or sing, which may result in a clearer voice. To remove the tension from your jaw, push on your
cheeks with the heel of your hands just below the jawline. Draw your hands down toward your chin, then
start back at the top massaging your jaw muscles.[3]
Allow your mouth to gently open as you draw your hands downward.

Breathe through a stirring straw while practicing your vocal range. Practicing your vocal range can
also help to improve your voice for singing. To practice your vocal range, place a stirring straw between
your lips and start to make a low oo sound. Slowly start to increase the pitch of the oo sound. Go from
the bottom of your vocal range to the top of your vocal range.[4]
The air that doesnt fit through the straw presses down on your vocal chords.
This exercise is helpful for reducing swelling around the vocal chords.

Trill your lips. Trilling your lips is also a good way to exercise your voice and give it a clearer sound.
With your lips gently closed, blow air through them while making the uh sound. Your lips will vibrate
together from the air that is released.[5]
The air trapped inside your mouth will close your vocal cords, allowing them to gently come together

Hum. Humming is an effective way to warm up your voice and to cool it down after using it for a long
performance. To start, close your lips and relax your jaw. Inhale through your nose and let the breath out
 on a hum. Start by making a nasal mmm, then move the hum down through the lower part of your
register.[7]
This exercise activates the vibrations in your lips teeth and facial bones.

Stretch your tongue for better articulation. Stretching your tongue can make it easier to articulate your
words, which is essential for stage actors. To stretch your tongue, press your tongue against your palate,
then stick it out of your mouth. Press it against one cheek, then the other. Place the tip of your tongue
behind your bottom lip and fold the rest out of your mouth, then fold your tongue backward with the tip on
your palate.[8]
Repeat these exercises 10 times in a row.

Improve your diction with tongue twisters. Saying tongue twisters may also improve your ability to
speak clearly because it gives you practice enunciating. Tongue twisters will also exercise the muscles in
your lips, face, and tongue, which can benefit your voice. Make sure that you exaggerate the sounds of
each word that you speak as you say the tongue twisters.
Start slowly and progressively speed up your recitation of the phrases.
Practice P words by reciting Peter Piper picked a peck of piquant peppers.
For N and U words, try, You know New York. You need New York. You know you need unique
New York.
Give your tongue a workout by repeating, Red leather, yellow leather over and over.

Ease any tension in your voice by saying Hooty Gees. Saying hooty gees will help to relax your
larynx and this may improve the quality of your singing voice. Try to say the word gees like you are
Yogi Bear. As you do, you may feel your larynx drop. Having your larynx in this lowered position gives
you more control over your vocal cords, so you might find it easier to hit a higher note after doing this
exercise.[9]
Repeat this exercise a few times.

Balance your vocal resonance with ooh-oh-uh-ahs. Making these vowel sounds will help you to
practice singing with your mouth in different positions. Start with one sound and then transition all the way
through the ooh, oh, uh, and ah sounds to give your voice a good workout. Doing this may make it easier
for you to hit a higher note or to keep your voice stable while you are singing.[10]
Repeat this exercise a few times per day.
 DELIVERY

These public speaking activities are designed to develop fluency in speech delivery and confidence and are
easily adaptable to groups of all ages and skill levels: from newcomers to advanced.

1. Interview Introductions

Interview Introductions are a great way to break the ice with a new group of people. The exercise has them
finding out about each other and then introducing the person they interviewed to the class.

As it's a lot less threatening or scary to talk about someone else rather than yourself, you'll find people
respond really positively as they're generally eager to represent the person they interviewed well.

Instructions

Divide your group into pairs.

Each person interviews the other in turn. The information gained forms the basis of a brief introduction
speech they'll give to the whole group when the interviewing process is complete.

Ask them to find out their partner's name, where they live/work, what hobbies they have, what their
favorite book, film, song...is, what they're most proud of (an achievement perhaps), what they hope for
from the class, something funny that happened in their childhood, where they go for holidays, what they
think about the latest local issue ...

When the group comes back together the introductions begin:

"This is Mary from Taupo. When she's not working for the Social Welfare Department she's collecting
stamps. Her favorites are ..."

2. Image Starters

Gather up a collection of interesting images/photos from magazines or newspapers - enough for your class
to have one each and then a few spare.

Place them face down and have everybody pick one.

Using the image as a prompt, what can they share about it?
 Questions to get started are:

Where is this photo/image from?

(And the answer doesn't have to be true - merely plausible! Encourage imaginative creativity.)

What's happening in this photo/picture?

What feelings does the image evoke?

Is there a season or time associated with it?

What happened after or before the photo was taken?

3. For/Against

This public speaking activity encourages flexibility; the ability to see a topic from opposing sides.

A speaker has 30 seconds to talk 'for' a topic and then another 30 seconds to speak 'against' it.

Prepare and print out a selection of controversial speech topics. You'll need one per person.

Sample topics:

money is the root of all evil

a country gets the government it deserves

'green' politics are just the current fashion

pets in apartments should be banned

marriage is essentially a business contract

'Religion is the opiate of the masses' Karl Marx

poverty is a state of mind

euthanasia is unjustifiable

global warming is media hype

cloning animals should be banned

animal testing is immoral

 4. The Object of my Affection

Gather up a collection of small objects, for example: a toy car, a can of sardines, a hair ribbon, an old black
and white photographic portrait, a pair of baby shoes ....

Put all of them into a non-see through bag.

Each speaker puts their hand into the bag and pulls out an object. Whatever they get forms the basis of their
speech.

Ideas to kick-start the imagination:

This ... {insert the name of whatever it is the speaker has in their hand} saved my life. It happened like
this...

Whenever I see a ...{insert the name of whatever it is the speaker has in their hand} it reminds me of the
time I...

I collect ...{insert the name of whatever it is the speaker has in their hand} and this one is the prize of my
collection. It used to belong to ...

5. Conducted Speech

This belongs in the group category of public speaking activities. It is noisy, effective and fun!

Select a tongue twister from this page of diction exercises eg. "Sister Susie is sewing shirts for soldiers".

Divide your class into groups of four. Three in each group will be the speakers and the fourth, the
conductor.

The speakers repeat the tongue twister responding to the conductor's direction. He/she can make them go
faster or slower, louder or quieter.

The goal of the exercise is to practice articulation coupled with vocal variety ie. speech rate and volume.

Swap the conductor role around to give everybody a turn.