A few weeks ago at my local Toastmasters club in London, I had the privilege of seeing a former member stand up and speak to us in an organizational capacity. I couldn’t help but notice how resonant, rich and, in the words of my former vocal coach, “fruity” his voice sounded.

It reminded me that I should do more to improve and maintain my range and vocal abilities.

Imparting vocal tips and techniques has little difficulty in the form of the written word, as it is a topic that has many aspects such as voice development, voice warm-up, articulation exercises, vocal range stretching, etc.

Then, of course, it comes down to individual vocal problems that need to be resolved. The best way to experience vocal exercises is in person with a vocal coach. Or if that’s not possible, perhaps on video or DVD.

Why is it important to exercise your voice? Well, fundamentally, it’s because the voice, both for a speaker and an actor, is an important part of one’s instrument. It sounds a bit silly to refer to your body and voice as your instrument, but if you think of it as a speaker or presenter, you’re only using yourself. It is his method of expression. Yes, you can have a presentation or props, but you are the one people listen to and if your voice isn’t clear and you use your full range of expression then your listeners will be turned off.

Without getting too bogged down in the science of the articulatory muscles and how they work, I’ll quickly mention what they are: the tip of the tongue, the hard palate, the soft palate, the back of the tongue, the teeth, and the lips.

Now there are probably plenty of professional vocal coaches who are ready to argue with me on these points and say that I should tell them what the correct categories are, whether they are active or passive articulators. But for the purposes of this post, I don’t think it’s necessary.

so here are some 5 dos and don’ts for vocal advice :

Do not consume dairy: Before you speak or present, be sure to keep your dairy intake to a minimum. Dairy products have a tendency to produce excess mucus that can make you gasp and constantly feel like you need to clear your throat. Stay lubricated by drinking plenty of water or herbal tea. Too much caffeinated tea can dehydrate you. If you are drinking a lot of water before you speak, remember to use the toilet (bathroom).

say your words out loud: I have discussed the benefits of rehearsing your speech or presentation elsewhere on this blog. By saying the words out loud, his mouth gets used to saying the words, and as a result, he’s less likely to stumble over what he’s saying because his body has a physical memory.

Hum before you speak: When humming softly, your voice becomes a buzz and drops in range and warms up. In drama school we used to hum a very slow version of the nursery rhyme “Pop Goes The Weasel.” As a quick refresher, here are the lyrics as I know them:

“Half a pound of twopenny rice,

Half a pound of molasses.

This is how the money goes

Pop! goes the weasel”.

Just go to Wikipedia where they have alternate versions of the letters that you may be familiar with. There’s also a melody notation in there for anyone unfamiliar with it. It’s a pretty jolly little jig, but you’ll want to slow down when humming it. Also, make sure you don’t put pressure on yourself. Be gentle.

use tongue twisters: Tongue twisters are a good way to exercise the muscles of the joints. Here are a couple of my favourites:

“Articulatory agility

is a desirable skill

skillfully manipulate

the tongue, the palate and the lips”.

“Red leather, yellow leather.” (repeat 5 times)

“The tip of the tongue, the teeth, the lips.” (repeat 5 times)

“The back of the tongue and the tip of the tongue.” (repeat 5 times)

These exercises should be used regularly, every day if possible, as you can’t expect to feel any improvement if you only do everything once.

Be sure to articulate When I say this, you don’t have to articulate your words too much to sound like Richard Burton. What I mean is that you should be careful not to have sloppy speech. Try rehearsing your speech out loud and record yourself. Listen to it a few times to get over that horrible feeling of hearing your own voice. Then listen to it to make sure your words are coming through clearly and that you are getting all your T’s and D’s right in your words.

These tips are merely scratching the surface of a vast and constantly fascinating subject. There are plenty of great books on the subject. The techniques I have been trained in come from previous vocal coaches at The Royal Shakespeare Company and The Royal National Theater in the UK.

Try implementing these dos and don’ts before you give your next speech or presentation, and you’ll see a marked improvement in your vocal clarity.