Many of my accent reduction clients tell me that their accent worsens when they feel nervous.
Even my clients who have vastly improved their spoken English tell me that they speak too fast, become hoarse, or stumble over their words when nervous.
So what can you do to prepare for “high risk” speaking situations, such as meetings, phone calls, and key negotiations?
Here are three easy ideas to implement.
1. Breathe
When people have to speak in front of a group (or even in a virtual meeting), they often get so nervous that they forget to breathe properly. Lack of adequate breathing will not support a strong, pleasant voice.
When you feel nervous when speaking in “high risk” situations, be sure to breathe deeply. This will calm you down and give you the air you need to support your best voice.
2. Warm up your voice
There are some simple exercises you can do to warm up your voice before speaking. These warm-ups will make your voice sound strong, help you focus your energy, and help you calm down.
One exercise is humming. Hmmmmmm … feel the vibration in the area of the face mask between the mouth and the nose. Humming will warm up your vocal cords and bring a nice resonance to your voice.
Breathe and hummmmm!
You can even hum up and down the musical scale a couple of times. Just be sure to breathe from your diaphragm while doing this.
3. Lip flapping
I first read about lip flapping in Susan Berkley’s book, Talk to Influence. Then my voice teacher recommended that I do this to warm up my vocal cords before my Skype calls (I sound a bit quirky sometimes).
To lip-flap, purse your lips and push the air through. Try to push the air out of your diaphragm, not your mouth.
I love doing this vocal warm-up before talking to people … but my cat really hates it!
Once I started breathing, humming, and lip flapping before my Skype training sessions, my voice sounded louder and clearer. This, in turn, made me feel more confident and relaxed.
Try to warm up and calm down with these three easy voice tips the next time you have an important talk, meeting, or presentation. They are sure to help you sound clearer and more confident when speaking.
As I often tell my clients, speaking in a slower pace and stronger tones will make them sound more confident and in control.
Speaking in a very fast voice will make you seem rushed and nervous. You don’t want to sound like that!