The big day is here! You’re meeting with your very first client early this morning and you have a bad case of morning voice that you can’t shake off, a case of the croaks, or the dreaded phlegm has taken up residence in your throat. What do you do?!?
In a world where life skills are getting increasingly high tech there are some instances when low tech, or in this case no tech or Nature’s way is best. So turn off the radio, put the phone on silent, and take a few minutes to wake up your voice the way Mother Nature intended.
The quickest, safest, most cost effective, and nature aligned way to wake up your voice each day or when you need a bit of extra oomph for a big presentation or your chat with that important client is to use what are known as “embryonic sounds”. Embryonic sounds are vocal noise with no particular vowel form. To get the idea think of the sounds babies and non-verbal children make.
Why is this the quickest and safest way to bring the voice into alignment?
“In these sounds, Nature automatically brings into action all of the muscles involved in the production of sound.” – Bernard U. Taylor, Group Voice: A Systemic Course in Singing for Use in Group Instruction, G. Schirmer, Inc., 1936.
Here are two of my favorite exercises to get your voice in great speaking shape in less time than it takes to do your hair and make up. You can even do them at the same time! I do.
- The Sigh or Yawn
- Imagine that you’re very tired.
- Sigh or yawn as you would late at night or first thing in the morning.
- Now sigh/yawn without making any sound.
- Try to make your sigh/yawn as natural as possible, still with no sound.
- Try extending your arms up and out like you would do in the morning.
- Now, try it all together with sound.
- Inhale, then exhale while stretching the arms up and out, and make sound.
- Repeat 3 -5 times
- The Hum
- After you’ve practiced sighing a few times, turn the sigh into a hum.
- For best results, keep the lips together, the teeth apart and jaw relaxed.
- With the lips together for the hum, try to feel the same open space you did when sighing.
- Pick a comfortable pitch and hum on that single pitch for 3-5 breaths.
- Then, using that comfortable pitch a starting point, let the pitch rise and fall as you hum and release all of your air for 3-5 breaths.
So there you have it, two of the simplest and most effective things you can do to wake up your voice Mother Nature’s way!
Whether you work speaking face to face with clients, on the telephone, via recorded classes or live video stream, your voice needs to be ready every moment and working with Mother Nature’s gift of embryonic sounds can make that happen.
Bonus Tip: The “AH”
Once you’ve gone through The Sigh/Yawn and The Hum a few times, you’re ready to go for the next step. This is not necessary, so if you run out of time, it’s OK. The Sigh/Yawn and The Hum have already set you up for success!
If you’re interested in exploring what comes next, simply do a closed lip Hum then separate your lips to say “Ah” like when you’re at the doctor’s office with a sore throat. Repeat this 3-5 times and your voice will have that extra WOW factor when you meet your clients.
May you always be in great voice!
If you enjoyed this article, have a question or story to share, please comment below. If these exercises speak to your heart, I’d love to know how they work for you!
