Civil rights hero Martin Luther King definitely had one, Margaret Thatcher learned how to get one. What am I talking about? A powerful voice. By Shelagh Young.
Get yourself one of these and you not only have one of the most effective implements in the campaigner’s toolkit but also a huge asset in almost every aspect of your life.
People listened to Dr King not just because of the power of his arguments or the images or the potent images conjurned up but because his voice was strong and clear.
But if nature and nurture have so far combined to make you sound more like a cornered rodent rather than a charismatic demagogue do not despair. Uninspiring voices can be fixed cheaply and quickly.
1. Breathe more easily
Singers need to warm-up their voices and so do you. Breathing well and exercising and relaxing neck and shoulder muscles are vital to creating top quality voices.
When you are relaxed and breathing well your voice will be at its most powerful so always follow this routine before the big presentation:
1. Place one hand on your chest and one on your stomach.
2. Breathe in through your nose, allowing your stomach to swell and keeping the movement in your upper chest minimal. This means that you are using the diaphragm and allowing air right down into your lungs.
3. Slowly and evenly breathe out through your nose. Counting slowly to three or four on each inward and outward breath helps to control the pace of your breathing. Aim to take 8-12 breaths a minute: breathing in and breathing out again counts as one breath.
You can extend this exercise by voicing a soft prolonged 'Haaa' as you exhale. Now combine this with releasing tension in your shoulders. Draw your shoulders up as you inhale and then exhale in bursts bouncing your shoulders down each time as you breathe out your sustained 'Haaa'.
Next page: changing your pitch
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