Public Speakers: Preventing Vocal Damage Before it Starts

For public speakers, your voice is your livelihood. Just like runners learn how to stretch properly to protect their knees or musicians know how to clean their instruments to keep them in optimal shape, you can develop certain habits to keep your voice strong and healthy. 

The good news is that preventing vocal damage before it starts is way easier than fixing it!

So what are some easy habits to build that help prevent vocal damage?

Never Go On “Cold”

You should always warm up your voice for 5-10 minutes before speaking.

Start with gentle humming, then move to trilling your lips. Next, try some yawning sighs to help relax your throat and jaw. Finally, do some tongue stretches (i.e., literally stick it out, move it side to side, etc.) and repeat a couple tongue twisters like “No need to light a night light on a light night like tonight.”

Hydrate, Hydrate, Hydrate

We all know how important hydration is (and, no, coffee doesn’t count), but for public speakers, it’s even more important to sip water all day to ensure that your vocal folds can vibrate safely. 

Room temperature water is better than ice cold water because if your vocal folds become even slightly numbed, you are more likely to push too hard (more on that in a second).

Some other good rules of thumb include avoiding alcohol and excess caffeine, which can dry you out, using a humidifier to keep moisture in the air, and hydrating any time your lips are dry.

Louder Isn’t Better

Many times, public speakers experience vocal damage from over-projecting, or pushing from the throat, mistaking louder with better.

How do you know if you’re pushing? If your throat feels tight or scratchy, or you need to clear your throat repeatedly, you are probably pushing.

Instead, focus on your breath. Breathe low and wide to expand your belly and ribs.

Adjust your resonance by changing the shape of your mouth or adjusting your tongue while relaxing your mouth and breathing deeply to create richer tones, rather than adjusting your volume.

Technology is Your Friend

If there is a microphone, use it. No matter how good your technique is, trying to speak over crowd noise is never a good idea.

Don’t Ignore Warning Signs

Taking good care of your voice means paying attention when your body gives you warnings like: 

• Hoarseness or raspiness

• Raw, achy, or strained throat

• Voice cracking

• Loss of range

• Repeated or chronic throat clearing

• Painful speaking

Don’t just try to push through these symptoms. Your voice needs to rest and recover.

Get Professional Help

Working with a professional can give you the tools you need to build healthy habits, increase your vocal stamina, and help you sustainably use your voice so you can feel confident moving forward in your public speaking career.

As a speech pathologist, opera singer, performer, and vocal coach, I know how stressful it can be when you rely on your voice for your profession, and it starts to feel fatigued or inconsistent.

That’s why I started Speech and Voice Works to help public speakers, singers, and other performers get the best out of their chosen instrument.

There are several ways that you can work with me, from voice and speech therapy, to performance and voice coaching, to online courses, and more. Book your strategy call today, and let’s get started toward real progress!  

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