***Why Learning to Breathe Correctly Is Your 1st Step in Training Your Speaking Voice

If you are interested in discovering your real speaking voice but do not want to learn the proper breathing techniques in order to do so, then do not read any further. Some people provide various exercises to improve the voice you presently have; and, there are a few others who will show you the voice you don’t know you have. And, that can be very exciting.

When I first worked with Craig (there is a link below that will take you to Craig’s brief ‘before & after’ video clip), I had no idea what his real voice would sound like. His change was so dramatic, that to this day, I am still in awe of what this young man accomplished. Would his change have been possible if I had given him a few exercises? Absolutely not.

What Craig learned was to use his chest cavity to power and amplify his voice. The result was:

1. a warmer, richer, deeper sound;
2. a voice that can be projected instead of shouting;
3. the ability to have total control over his voice; and,
4. less possibility of suffering from vocal abuse.

If you use your throat and voice box as you primary resonators (we have 5 resonators for voiced sound including the mouth and nasal cavities as well), then it is possible that you may suffer from vocal abuse sometime during your lifetime. In fact, it is estimated that almost two-thirds of the population suffers from some type of chronic hoarseness, persistent sore throats or even loss of voice.
While it should not be surprising that teaching and coaching are two careers in which this is most common. I have found a great amount of vocal abuse among ministers, politicians, radio announcers, public speakers, and even sales people. The majority of these people unfortunately are not making use of their 5th resonator, the chest cavity.

By taking the pressure off the throat and voice and vibrating your sound in your chest cavity, you will discover a resonant, deeper voice that will sound more mature and improve with age, much like a good bottle of red wine.

The secret to this type of training, however, is all in the breathing. Because most people are renowned for being lazy or shallow breathers, they are unable to take advantage of their cavity to power the voice. Once you are breathing with the support of your diaphragm, you will then be able to use your chest as your primary amplifier and also speak within your optimum range – that area in your vocal range which will vibrate when you make voiced sound.

If you want to discover the voice you do not know you have, make sure that diaphragmatic breathing is the 1st objective in the voice training course you select. It will make all the difference in how you sound.