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When you need to speak with more volume, do you know if you are yelling or are you projecting your voice? If you are like most people, you probably yell or shout to be heard. The problem with increasing your volume in this manner is that it is hard on your throat and vocal cords. And, it can also be hard on your listeners' ears. The tremendous strain placed on your throat and vocal cords by shouting or yelling hurts your voice. This is why you may notice that your throat gets sore, your voice may become raspy or hoarse, and you may even experience voice loss. All 3 symptoms are called vocal abuse. Those situations in which you may be using more volume over a prolonged period of time include: 1. rooting for your favorite sports team; 2. training; 3. coaching; 4. public speaking; 5. ministering; 6. acting; 7. campaigning; 8. conversing in a noisy club; 9. working in loud environments; and, 10. yelling at your kids throughout the day. There is a better way to increase your volume which immediately decreases the strain on those delicate organs. It is called projection and is only possible if you use your chest cavity as your primary amplifier. Think of the size of your chest cavity. Now consider the size of your other 4 vocal resonators: your voice box, throat, mouth and nasal cavities. Those 4 areas combined have nowhere near the size or capacity as that of your chest cavity. Another benefit of projection is that it will not hurt your listeners' ears. Shouting or yelling is strident and harsh: it is loud. Projection, on the other hand, involves increased volume but it is not shrill or loud because the vibrations produced in the chest are deeper in pitch and warmer in quality; the vibrations in the other 4 resonators are higher-pitched and can be very shrill. I worked with retired NHL player Ulf Samuelsson who told me that he wished he had known how to project his voice when he was playing hockey because of the noise level on the ice. At the time I was working with him, he was coaching his son's local hockey team. He told me that after a practice with the boys, he would have no voice. Once he learned how to project, however, he was able to coach those hour sessions and still have voice by the end of the evening. Change the way you place your sound and you will notice a surprising difference. You will sound better; you will no longer experience hoarseness or a sore throat; and, you will have more voice and energy by the end of the day. The Voice Lady Nancy Daniels offers private, corporate and group workshops in voice and presentation skills as well as Voicing It!, the only video training program on voice improvement. Visit Nancy’s voice training website and discover The Power of Your Voice as she describes in more detail The Truth About Vocal Abuse.
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