As your voice plays such an important part in presenting yourself to the world, especially at work, you’ll want to keep it in good condition. But you may have to use it in environments that are far from supportive, either physically, emotionally or both.

Better Voice gives you a flying start in keeping your voice healthy. Here are some useful extra pointers:

Awareness

In time your Better Voice will become automatic. Until that happens try to stay aware by:

• Remembering as often as possible how you are producing your voice: it’s so easy to slip back into old habits.
• Practising some sort of mindfulness technique. It will help you not only monitor your voice but cope better with life in general.

Good hydration

When you speak your vocal folds (in the larynx at the top of the windpipe or trachea) vibrate at between 100 and 200 cycles per second (hertz). They can become damaged if they dry out, but their lack of nerve sensitivity means they won’t feel painful.

Avoid problems by:

• Always keeping well hydrated with plenty of water (tea and coffee tend to be dehydrating). In dry atmospheres you might need to drink a little every 15-20 minutes.
• Breathing through your nose rather than your mouth whenever possible.

Support your body

Any upper-body stress transmits itself to your voice.

Avoid problems by:

• Maintaining the good posture – upright but relaxed – that you’re learning here.
• Using diaphragmatic breathing to help you stay relaxed.

Support your general health

Your voice is a very good barometer of your health, so the healthier you are the stronger and better your voice will be.

Avoid problems by:

• Doing the right thing for your health in terms of sleep, diet, exercise and lifestyle.
• Giving yourself some extra rest and nurturing if you feel your voice struggling.

Socialising, smoking and alcohol

When you’re socialising, avoid voice problems by:

• Trying to avoid talking in noisy places where you struggle to be heard.
• Not smoking – please. As well as doing lots of other unpleasant things to your body, tobacco dries out your voice.
• Choosing less dehydrating types of alcohol. In general that means those with a lower alcohol content. (But obviously dehydration increases with quantity whatever you’re drinking.)

Dealing with colds

Sometimes you will have to carry on working with an upper respiratory tract infection.

Minimise problems by:

• Taking extra care to use the Better Voice technique when you have to talk.
• Using Better Voice technique when you whisper too: if you push the sound from your throat whispering can be just as damaging as talking loudly, and more damaging than talking softly.
• Resting your voice completely outside work. This means don’t talk at all! It’s difficult, but will allow your voice to recover quicker.

Keep your head sinuses clear

Humming and the Better Voice technique will help keep your head sinuses clear and healthy, but if blocked sinuses are a particular problem for you, cutting out dairy products often helps. If it’s going to work you should see an improvement in a couple of weeks.