Vocal warmups for public speaking

Develop better sound quality and welcome success

Think about the voices you love. Judy Dench, Cate Blanchette, Morgan Freeman, Helen Mirren, George Clooney. The quality of their voice, of course, comes from the shape and structure of their body. But the question becomes how much can we can influence our voice by having an understanding of it and its supporting structures?

You’ll be excited to learn the answer is a lot. Let’s take a deeper dive into how to work on your voice to attract great opportunities. 

All great leaders were also great speakers

They used their voice to get people to understand their vision. By working on the tone, pitch and pace of their delivery they impacted thousands with their message and shaped the minds of our culture. 

If you’re a leader of an organization, a classroom or moving into the world of public speaking you can improve your voice step by step. Getting your voice where you want it will take time, patience and practice. However, there are some small things you can do today to strengthen and improve your voice.

Let’s take a look at some effective vocal warmups you can start practicing today: 

• Release tension: open your mouth and jaw by doing vowel warm-ups. Those (A-E-I-O-U) warm-ups release tension and help your voice sound better.
• Work it with posture: your posture is important when you’re looking to improve your sound. You need to know where to place your head, chin and shoulders. So keep them all in alignment, one on top of the other. 
• And of course, breathing: Improving the quality of inhalation and exhalation (breathing in and out) allows you to carry your sound further.

Another few ways to strengthen your voice are by:

• Practicing lip bubbles (the ones that sound like a motorbike)
• Making hum noises
• Focusing on filling your lungs with air that travels way down into your tummy region
• Working out your tongue by stretching it far out of your mouth.

This helps loosen your voice muscles to express the emotion behind what you want to say when targeting the auditory population.

Sounding confident helps you win work

Confidence doesn’t always come naturally. I’ve struggled with crises of confidence all throughout my life which is why I’m so passionate about teaching these skills. Let’s face it– the more confident you sound, the more likely it is that people will give you opportunities. Why? Because you sound like a leader and it helps people trust you more. When you speak with confidence, you’re showcasing your ability to act under pressure.

I like the sound of that.

Your voice is important

It’s how you relay your message to people. Don’t be afraid of it, use it. It represents who you are and how people identify you. If you’re an employee: by having a powerful voice at work you’re showing your leadership skills and ability to take control. Showing that you know how to relay a message can help develop respect in your workplace. Your work voice is important. It’s unique. It’s powerful. It’s strong. That matters.

It’s normal to dislike the sound of your voice

I don’t know about you but I used to really dislike my speaking voice. A well-meaning family member also couldn’t believe I was going into voice-overs because I had an *awful* voice. I get it! I know a lot of us feel the same way.

Just like everything else in life you can change how you feel about it. How? By these two easy steps:

• Record yourself. Identify what you like and don’t like about your speaking voice then getting professional voice coaching
• Get professional voice coaching. A coach helps you turn what you see as a weakness into a strength.

Rinse and repeat

The last tip for today is the old favourite; repetition. The more you listen to your speaking voice, more specifically what you want to improve and then do the work on it, the sooner you’ll begin to love it. Eventually, you’ll learn to embrace your speaking voice.

After all, we’re all unique and amazing so why shouldn’t your voice be?

Want to learn more about how I help speakers?

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