Warming up the voice

Warming up the voice is an essential practice for speakers and those who use their voice intensively. Just as athletes warm up before a competition, speakers must prepare their vocal instrument for optimal performance. In this session, we will explore the importance of warming up the voice, the benefits it brings, and provide practical exercises to perform before public speaking.

Importance of vocal warm-up

Warming up the voice is essential to prepare the vocal cords and related muscles for vocal production. It helps prevent injury, improves vocal quality, increases vocal projection and clarity, and reduces vocal fatigue. In addition, warming up the voice can help reduce tension and nerves before public speaking, allowing for greater confidence and control during the presentation.

Breathing exercises

Breathing is the foundation of good vocal technique. Before beginning voice warm-up, it is important to perform breathing exercises to ensure proper expansion and control of airflow. Diaphragmatic breathing is especially useful, as it involves activating the diaphragm for deep inhalation and controlled exhalation. Other breathing exercises include stair breathing, where you inhale slowly while mentally counting steps, and controlled puffing breathing, where you exhale air in a controlled and prolonged manner.

Vocalization exercises

Vocalization exercises are key to warming up and making the vocal cords more flexible. These exercises involve making vowel and consonant sounds in different pitches and ranges. Some common exercises include repeating ascending and descending vocalizations, performing vocal scales, and accurately articulating words and phrases. Vocal resonance exercises, such as vocalizing open and closed vowels, can also be performed to improve resonance and vocal projection.

Massage and facelift

Before beginning vocalization exercises, it is beneficial to perform facial massage and stretching to relax the facial muscles and improve flexibility. Facial massage can be done by gentle movements with the fingertips on the face and neck, paying attention to areas such as the cheeks, jaw and throat. This helps to release accumulated tension in the facial muscles and prepares the area for smoother vocal movement. Facial stretches are also important, such as opening and closing the mouth wide, moving the jaw from side to side and performing tongue movements to increase flexibility and muscle coordination.

Progressive warm-up

It is important to perform a progressive vocal warm-up, starting with gentle, undemanding exercises and gradually increasing the intensity. This allows the vocal cords to gradually adapt to vocal activity, avoiding the risk of injury. Start with breathing and face stretching exercises, followed by gentle vocalization exercises, and then increase the intensity and difficulty as you progress. For example, you can start with vocalizations in medium tones and then move up to higher tones. You can also try vocal projection exercises, such as counting out loud or reciting texts with enthusiasm and energy.

Personalized routine

Everyone has different vocal needs, so it is important to tailor your voice warm-up to your own characteristics and requirements. You can consult with a vocal coach or speech therapist to get a customized routine that fits your specific needs. They can help you identify areas of improvement and provide specific exercises and techniques to work on them.