I recently had the privilege of attending the outdoor wedding of two friends. The white chairs had been lined in neat rows. The rain from earlier that morning had cleared up. And the sun was just starting to set behind the wedding party. It was perfect. Just as the preacher was beginning the ceremony, his lapel microphone squealed and then stopped working. We were out on a golf course, so there was no back up mic ready. He had no choice but to project his voice to make sure the guests could hear the rest of the wedding.
If you speak often, you might find yourself in a similar situation in which a microphone isn’t working. Or you could be speaking in a room that is bigger than you expected or in which the air conditioner is loud. Speakers should be prepared to adapt in situations like these. Are you ready in case you need to project your voice?
Don’t Yell
Much of the wisdom about voice projection comes from the world of theater for obvious reasons. The drama teachers at Theaterfolk remind us that, “Yelling uses vocal cords, which can get damaged if overused. Projection uses breath from the diaphragm and uses air to create the volume you want.” If you try to project from your throat, your voice will sound strained and closed, producing a “tinny” sound. And if you do this for any length of time, you can strain your voice. The National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD) estimates that “17.9 million adults in the U.S. report problems with their voice.” So learning to protect your voice is an important first step before you begin projecting.
Use Your Whole Body
Speaking involves the combination of many body parts working together to produce sound. However, volume is specifically tied to the amount of air you push from your lungs with strength that comes from your stomach. If you don’t have enough air in your lungs or the muscles needed to push it out, it won’t matter what your voice is doing.
Posture is another important part of projection. If you are slumped over, it makes it hard to take a full breath. So make sure to stand up straight to allow your lungs to fully inflate. You might have heard to roll your shoulders toward the back slightly, or to picture a string attached from your head to the ceiling, or to pull your stomach muscles in tight. Whatever it takes, just remember that it takes your whole body to project your voice.
Build Your Strength
Voice coach, speaker, and author Caroline Goyder has the following great introduction video that explains voice projection. In it, she demonstrates a few simple exercises you can try to help increase your vocal strength and to warm up your diaphragm before you speak.
Vocal projection is something anyone can do. It just takes a little knowledge of how the body works to produce sound along with some exercises to strengthen the systems you already possess for speaking.
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