White Sparrow Coaching

Posture and breathing tips for optimal speech production

Have you ever wondered how some people are able to fill a whole room with their voices? Projecting your voice isn’t just for ventriloquists, it’s about tapping into your own vocal resonance to maximize your power while being kind to your speech production system.

If your throat has ever hurt after speaking for a long time, you may be practicing some bad speaking habits. Over time, vocal nodules may develop, and the overall quality of your voice may change.

Let’s talk speech production physiology.

To start, your vocal cords (or vocal folds) are used primarily to protect your airway, keeping unwanted substances out of your lungs. When we constrict them in different ways they vibrate against each other, and we can produce speech sounds.

As with all things in the human body, the length of the vocal folds varies from person to person, and there are a number of other factors that go into how we create and perceive the human voice. Simply put, shorter vocal folds = higher pitched voice. In the same way a guitar string plays the same note when plucked, our vocal folds are designed to speak in a particular pitch range.

When we speak outside of this range – when we yell, get dehydrated, or cough persistently (among other things), the vocal cords come together in a way that damages them. This typically results in varying levels of hoarseness and irritation.

So I’m never supposed to talk loud?

It’s not so much about never yelling as trying to make sure you’re taking care of your speech system overall. There are strategies you can use to optimize your voice projection. Opera singers stand for their arias for a reason!

DOs and DON’Ts for public speaking:

DO practice good posture.

Optimal speech production starts with posture. Stand with your weight evenly distributed between your feet, and elongate your spine so you’re standing straight with an open chest. If you’re in a chair, make sure both feet are on the floor and you’re on your “sit bones,” (technically ischial tuberosity) which will help keep you in an upright position.

The goal is to give yourself room to practice diaphragmatic breathing, also known colloquially as belly breathing. Rather than a lift in the chest, diaphragmatic breathing can be felt in the abdomen and lower back. As the diaphragm lowers the lungs can expand more easily, allowing you a deeper breath to power your speech. Maintaining a leisurely breath rate (how often you in- and exhale) will also help you keep your entire body more calm and focused.

DO find your optimal resonance.

In addition to diaphragmatic breathing, you’ll want to determine your optimal voice resonance. The easiest way to do this is to hum through the nose from a high to a low note slowly. When you feel a tingle or tickle in your mouth and nose, you’ve found your optimal resonance. Speaking higher or lower will result in vocal damage over time (for resources regarding gender-affirming voice care, check out Trans Voice Initiative).

When speaking, start thinking about where in your vocal tract (throat/pharynx, nose, mouth) your energy is focused. Speaking in the back of the throat will produce a croaky sound while speaking in the front is often more of a breathy whisper. Play around as you’re talking with the goal of focusing your resonance in the middle of your mouth. When the rest of your body is in alignment, this will help you naturally project your voice the furthest. You’ll need less energy and will put less stress on your system. Slowing down your overall rate of speech will allow you to produce sounds more precisely and give you more time to think when things get impromptu!

DON’T get dried out!

Finally, make sure to hydrate! Especially if you’ve been drinking coffee or alcohol, which dry out our throats and can leave you scratchy and coughing. I try to always have a reusable water bottle with me, some of my favorites are from Simple Modern.

Need a reminder for on-the-go? Check out my FREE printable Speech Physiology Tips below!