***Speaking for Great Lengths of Time Is Taxing Your Throat -- Especially As You Age

Gosh, that sounds depressing, doesn’t it? It needn’t be however. Yes, your voice ages just like the rest of your body does. The good news for the voice, however, is that you can not only eliminate the discomfort or hoarseness you are experiencing but you can also find your voice improving with age. It is happening to me as well as my clients. A few of the professions which require great use of the voice include teaching, coaching and training but the list is not just limited to those who instruct in some fashion. This difficulty also lies with professional speakers, politicians, ministers, military personnel, and factory workers. It is even common to find hoarseness or a persistent sore throat among those who often root for their favorite sports team or those jobs require them to talk on the phone all day long. Vocal abuse is caused by misplacement of the voice. The problem with it is that without prevention, it will only get worse. Some people can yell all day long and never experience any difficulty. Most people, however, cannot. If you are suffering from chronic hoarseness, sore throats (and you’re not sick), or even loss of voice, you need to learn how to take the strain off your throat and vocal folds and allow your chest cavity to become your primary sounding board, something most people are unaware of. When this happens, you will discover a richer, warmer, deeper sound that will last much longer throughout the day. Because I am placing my voice properly when I speak, my voice is not aging like the rest of my body and it most definitely does not place an age on me. If you were to phone me and not know what I look like, I could be 25 or 65. You would be unable to tell. In addition, when I am really old, I may look it, but I will never, ever sound like an old lady.

• Voices that have had training are a lot like a bottle of good red wine: they get better with age.

A 72-year-old man, with whom I worked recently, has a job talking on the phone all day long. By the afte oon, he would have no voice. Once he learned to use his chest to power his sound, the vocal abuse went. He wrote to me and told me that he has a strong voice by the end of the day, every day. Get rid of your vocal abuse now because it will not get better on its own. You will be amazed at how much better you sound in the process!