Lots of people have approached me over the years saying they’d love to quit their jobs and become voiceover artists because everyone tells them they have great voices. Well, if you’re reading this blog, you probably know that it takes lots more than a great voice to be a success in voiceover work or broadcasting.
One of the things it takes is the commitment to keep your voice in great shape so it continues working well for you every time you approach a microphone. Daily preparation is essential for a long career in the business of voicing.
Here are some of the quick, daily preparation techniques I’ve taught all my clients over the years.
First, something simple like yawning has been used for centuries as a technique to relax the throat and improve the voice. Go ahead. Try it. Yawn like you do when you’re so tired you can’t keep your eyes open. Can you feel that your neck and throat seem less tense? A good yawn relaxes the larynx (voice box) and throat and also promotes deep breathing. In addition, it forces you to open your mouth widely, which can improve your resonance. All of these things will make you sound better.
And you can continue this open mouth feeling by using this simple exercise every time you get ready to voice:
Put one hand on your abdominal area just below your waistband. Now take a deep inhalation, pushing your hand out as you inhale. Sustain these three vowel sounds at a conversational volume for as long as you can as you exhale:
“ah” as in spa (open our mouth as widely as you comfortably can)
“awe” as in caw (pull your lips forward)
“e” as in see (smile widely)
Repeat these sounds in order for 30 seconds stretching your mouth in the described way.
And finally, you need to warm up your tongue. Begin by exaggerating the plosive sounds (t, d, k, g, p, b) in the phrases below. Really blast the air out on the plosives. Exaggerating will warm up your articulators most effectively. Repeat these warm-up phrases several times before voicing.
- Pat sat flat.
- Heat the meat.
- Ted had lead.
- Bed spread
- Pop the top.
- Deep sleep
- Rob will sob.
- Grab a crab.
- Kink the link.
- Took a look.
- Snug as a bug.
- Big pig.
If you’d like to learn more easy ways to warm up your voice and keep it in the best shape possible, download my ebook, the fifth edition of BROADCAST VOICE HANDBOOK. Click on this title, and you can download it instantly!
