Your voice is
an integral part of your presentation.
Here are some voice exercises to help you warm up your voice so you can
deliver your presentation with ease:
·
How
to breathe:
-
Breathe
from your diaphragm rather than your chest
-
Feel
your stomach move out as you inhale air
- Feel your stomach move in as you exhale and empty out the air – and speak
·
With
your hand on your stomach, breathe in for 5 counts, hold for 5 counts, breathe
out for 5 counts
·
With
your hand on your stomach, expel short bursts of air as you say “ha ha ha” from
the back of your throat
·
Relax
tension in shoulders and neck!
·
Practice
your highs and lows:
- Pitch: start with your lowest pitch and in one continuous breath, move to your highest pitch. Reverse and go from high to low
- Volume: start with your softest whisper and in one continuous breath, move to your loudest shout. Reverse and go from loudest to softest
·
Hum
for several seconds at a time – you should feel the buzzing (resonance) in your
lips
·
Record
yourself – does your voice taper off at the end of the sentence? Are your highs
and lows (in terms of volume and pitch) as distinct as you thought they were?
(And to avoid straining your voice, use a microphone if it's available).
Sign up to receive
more public speaking and networking strategies from Gilda's e-newsletter: http://www.gildabonanno.com/Pages/newsletter.aspx