Use Your Big Boy Voice - Vocal Exercises II

In my last post I went over a few exercises to help you find and develop your naturally powerful voice. Hopefully you've been doing the breathing and the larynx-repositioning exercises and have already noticed a difference. I have a few more exercises for you that, when combined with the first set and practiced regularly, will put you on the right track. I really dislike typing so let's jump right in...

Vocal Resonance

This is an area that is under debate. Some people think that for speaking, and particularly for speaking to women, the best type of voice to use is one that resonates from your stomach or chest. This is usually a deeper, more "boomy" voice and can come across as "manly". However, much like the big bodybuilders that look like they live in the gym, this is more of an ego thing then it is something that's actually attractive to women.

Don't get me wrong, if you're whispering sweet nothings into a woman's ear then the lower chest voice is good - it can be used to give off a good sexual vibe. However, for speaking in general, and especially in louder environments such as clubs, what you want is a voice that resonates. A resonant voice can really cut through a crowd, and this is much more "alpha" then a deep voice.

Right behind your nasal passage is a hollow area in your head (unfortunately for some of us this is a large hollow area). You want to use this space to amplify your voice. Think of an acoustic guitar and how it uses it's hollow body to amplify it's sound. Same concept. Now, I said that this space is behind your nasal passage, but don't mistake that for nasal speaking. As funny as I think it would be to have you guys trying to talk like Steve Urkel, I don't really think it would do much for your game. Nasal speaking is when you are allowing too much of the air that carries your voice to exit out of your nose rather then your mouth. In fact, if you're speaking properly you should be able to pinch your nose shut as you're talking with very little or just a slight change in your voice.

So how do you direct your voice into this head space?

Grab a pencil, pen, straw, or similar object. For the next few weeks plan on carrying this around with you, it's a powerful tool that will really change your voice. Take your pencil and either hold it directly in front of your lips running the across the front of your face, or actually hold it between your lips. You should be holding it so it runs across the corners of your mouth. I know some people will instinctively want to put it in their mouth longways. This isn't the right way to do it, so if you look like you're trying to give the pencil a blowjob then 1) you're doing it wrong, and 2) you're reading the wrong blog. This one is for tips on getting women.

Back on topic. With the pencil between your lips you're going to breathe in through your nose (remember your diaphragmatic breathing) and as you exhale hum a long "e" sound, like the word "me" or "knee". As you do this you want to focus on making the sound travel above the pencil. It sounds funny but it's pretty easy to get a feel for. If you wish you can jump back and forth, alternating speaking above and speaking below the pencil just to test and see how much of a difference there is. Remember, however, that what you are training is to speak above the pencil so that's where your focus should be.

Once you can feel the difference in speaking above the pencil with your humming sound then practice simply talking and having the voice come out above the pencil. Keep the pencil with you and practice this as much as you can and you'll get it down in no time.

I feel that this is what made the biggest difference in my voice. I used to have a quiet, weak, cracking voice until I learned this technique and practiced it until it became second nature.

Pacing

How fast you talk can really say a lot about you. Fast talkers usually come across as less confident - the fast talking is done in hopes that they can say what they want to say before they are interrupted. This isn't confident thinking. If you talk fast practice slowing down and throwing in a few pauses for dramatic effect. This is something that you really have to focus on in order to make change, but it's really worth it.

Tonality

How is your tonality? Your tone can really say a lot about you and your current state, as well as what you're trying to communicate. Remember the statistic that when you speak only 7% of your communication are the words - the other 93% is body language and tone.

Here's something that really opened my eyes in terms of tonality. Think about your favorite song and how it's sang. Focus on how the singer alters his tone to convey emotion and create "tension" within the song. How would that song be different if that same song was done by someone who barely changed his tone, or worse yet, sang it completely monotone? It would suck. It would be boring. Varying your tone in song creates drama within the song, it creates tension and makes it interesting. It stimulates emotions in ways that the same song done monotone couldn't do. Your voice is no different. If you speak without really varying the tones in your voice to add drama and emotion then chances are your listener is, on some level, much more bored then they should be. Take a monotone guy and give him the best story in the world, and take a guy who really knows how to use his tone to convey emotions and have him talk about picking his nose, and the nosepicker is going to be a lot more interesting simply because he knew how to mix it up with his voice to create drama in the story.

This is something that largely comes with time and experimentation. Really listen to people who are good storytellers. Take note of what they're doing to stimulate the listener. Another good place to listen is to newscasters, especially some of the more well known anchors. Try listening to what they're saying and then repeating it, matching their pace and tone.

A Few Tips...

Hydration. This is especially important if you're going to be going into loud venues. Put your hands together in front of you and rub them together. Nothing painful or bad about that, right? Now imagine doing it all day. Not too comfortable now, eh? This is how your vocal cords feel. You want to keep them well hydrated by drinking plenty of water, especially in the 24 hours before you plan on really using your voice. Contrary to popular belief, drinking water 20 minutes beforehand doesn't do much. Ever had a dry throat and hoarse voice so you take a swig of water? Did it help? Maybe a little, but for the most part it didn't do much. When you drink that water is going to your stomach and doesn't even touch your vocal cords. The moisture that protects your vocal cords comes from what you've been putting in your system the hours beforehand. Also, if you are dehydrated your body takes water away from the less critical areas (such as your vocal cords) in order to redistribute it to more critical areas of your body. Things like pop, tea, energy drinks, and alcohol help dehydrate you, so don't count on the water content of these to help lubricate your cords.

Lastly, warm up before engagements where you know you'll be speaking, especially where you run the risk of straining your voice. Practice speaking above the pencil and moving your larynx in the right position, and do some humming to get your cords nice and warmed up.

There are a lot of programs and books out there to help out in this area. Most of them really say the same things from different perspectives. These, however, are what I believe to be the best and most beneficial tips and exercises to help you find your voice. Alright, it's bedtime. I hope this article has really helped. Don't forget to sign up for my mailing list.

Until next time...

-Dane