Voice and Speech

How to Develop a Perfect Speaking Voice

Edited by David J, Glutted, Khbirder, Eric and 19 others

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We have all heard it at one point in our lives. We have heard the person whose voice sounds so beautiful that we enjoy listening; to them speak regardless of what they say. While developing vocal intonation and diction (the tone and manner of speaking properly) can be a lifelong task, a beautiful sounding voice can be obtained in a short amount of time and perhaps take around a year or two to perfect.

EditSteps

1. 1

   Lie on your back with your knees in the air and your eyes closed. Pay attention to how your body feels as you breathe. Seek out and eliminate any tension by "breathing into" that location. The idea is to relax areas of your body that affect your voice. Important areas to focus on are

   jaw, neck, shoulders, chest, upper and lower back, and diaphragm. Breathe deeply to expand your lung capacity.
   

   
2. 2
   Prop your head back a bit and release your jaw so that it gapes open. There should be no tension at all in your neck, chest, shoulders or jaw. Take in a deep breath, and as you breathe out, vocalize. It will sound like an open-mouthed moan. As you vocalize, pay close attention to your jaw, neck, shoulders, back and chest. Most likely, they will tense up when you vocalize. Keep practicing until you can vocalize without tensing your muscles.
   
   
3. 3
   Repeat step two, but this time hold a note, any note. This will perhaps create tension in your jaw or neck areas. Continue to practice until you can perform this with no tension.
   
   
4. 4
   Repeat step two, but make different sounds. Slowly move your tongue, mouth and lips around as you vocalize different pitches. It should sound something like baby talk, but do it slowly. Try to eliminate any tension that arises in your jaw (especially in your jaw), shoulders, neck, and back.
   
   
5. 5
   Recite a poem or lines from a play. Try to maintain your relaxation and resonance. Listen to how different your voice sounds. The longer you practice on the floor, the easier it is to maintain your good speaking habits.
   
   
6. 6
   Sit upright. Chances are, there will be some tension in your key vocal areas. Pay special attention to your neck and your shoulders. Breathe into your tense areas to relax them. Repeat steps 2 through 5 while sitting upright.
   
   
7. 7
   Extend these habits to everyday conversation. It will be more difficult to maintain relaxation when you have to think of what to say, but with practice it will come.
   
   

EditTips

• Your jaw and lips are the most important parts to relax because they form your resonating chamber, like the soundhole in a guitar. If your mouth is too closed, you must exert more effort to achieve the same volume. Having your jaw and lips relaxed and free-moving will make your voice sound more natural and less strained or muffled.
• Use your natural vocal pitch:
  • Guys, a forced low voice sounds terrible. Don't try to force your voice to low registers. Also don't try to relax your vocal cords to the point that you have a monotone, low drone. Some men just have a higher-pitched voice and it can be quite sexy if the technique above is used to capture some lower resonant notes. Examples include rapper Q-Tip and actors Marlon Brando and Christopher Walken.
  • Girls, don't force your voice high. It should be expressive and melodious, but at the same time it should be full and beautiful sounding rather than thin and whiny. Who is to say that Marilyn Monroe's voice is sexier than Sade's?
  • Try different singing exercises, as it is a great way to learn proper breathing and vocal technique.
• Good posture is essential to a good voice, and there is a separate article to help with that:How to Improve Your Posture.
• When your vocal cords create sound, you should feel vibration in your chest, back, neck and head. This vibration will create resonance and give your voice a full, delicious sound. This is what you are trying to achieve, so spend a lot of time on relaxing these areas.
• If possible, perform these exercises in a closed room without carpet so that you can hear yourself better.