Remember to try to 'fill down' with your breath - rather than filling up and lifting your shoulders and chest. The latter cuts you off from your breath powerhouse in your center.
Centering the breath enables you to:
- Project without push
- Be connected to a deeper place - thus giving you more gravitas.
- Work freely, because you would not be supporting your voice in your throat.
- Open up your pitch range - giving variety and interest.
- Resonate more effectively.
Find that centered, grounded position again and try to maintain it throughout the exercises.
Place the flat of your hand between the base of your ribcage and your navel.
Breathe out fully through an open mouth; notice that little moment of 'nothingness' deep inside you as your body changes gear from breathing out to breathing in. Wait for the impulse for you next IN breath and the relax the area beneath your hand in order for the breath to replace. Repeat 6 times,
always making sure not rush the exercise.
Breathe out fully and easily through an open mouth, letting the outgoing breath last for a mental
count of 5. Relax the area in the center of your body, as in the previous exercise, in order for
the breath to be drawn in. Then release the breath for six mental counts then 7, 8, 9 and 10 - always relaxing in your center, not lifting your upper chest. Think of the outgoing breath as warm quality
and allow your throat and jaw to release and feel spacious.
Then repeat the exercise but count aloud easily to five on one breath. Send the counts to a specific
place across the room. Repeat, gradually extending the counts as far as you can without feeling strain.
Always stop when you feel your breath supply has been exhausted.
Repeat - this time intoning the counts. Start on a comfortable, mid register, but try going to your
lower register and upper register, before going back to your most comfortable range. Keep the voice forwards as though the sound is leaving you on an arc of energy.
Ribs - Place the back of your hand on your ribcage. Breathe without lifting your upper chest, feeling your lower ribs expanding. Then find a point some distance away from you. Focus clearly on that place and send a stream of hissed sound on 's' to that place for 5 mental counts.
Repeat on a 'z' and a 'v' - focusing the sound across the space in a steady stream.
RESONANCE
Using your breath support, hum a very internal hum and feel all the vibrating places on your face,
neck and skull. Turn the hum into a 'chewy' hum to get the facial muscles involved. Try to focus the hum to different surfaces, notice how the voice resonates differently in each place. Repeat as you go from 'mmm' to 'ah' then 'mmm' to 'oo'. Also, to different surfaces. Try saying the opening of a speech, feeling the vibrations of your voice coming forwards into your cheeks, lips, back of neck and top of skull. Do it on different pitches. Speak it feeling grounded with your energy filling your personal space and beyond.
ARTICULATION
First massage your face and jaw, being aware of any particular tension areas. Yawn vertically,
horizontally and with your lips together - each time keeping your tongue tip in light contact with
the back of your lower front teeth and programming your soft palate at the back of the roof of
the mouth to rise.
Stretch your tongue out onto your chin to release tension from the tongue root. Speak with your
tongue out on your chin and then with it back inside your mouth noticing how free it feels as a
result. Say the "the sixth sheik's sixth sheep's sick" with precision and clarity, without missing out any of the sounds. When you feel it is clear, speed it up, still maintaining clarity.
Repeat on: Peggy Babcock (6 times -gradually speeding up) and Popocatepetl, Popocatepetl,
Popocatepetl - Pop
Finally:
Always make sure you understand and believe in what you are saying. This applies equally to
conversation as it does to presentations and speeches
Wherever necessary and possible, prepare the material to be spoken.
Most listeners want to hear you speak, they are generally on your side and want you to do well.
I wish You Great Success.
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