Quick tips for vocal confidence

Don’t worry. I’ve got you. Here are five quick tips to help you feel ready to go.

1. 01

   🦶Take your shoes off

   If you can, kick off your shoes (especially heels!). It helps you instantly feel more grounded. Most shoes block that natural connection between your feet, breath and body.

   You'll breathe deeper and stand stronger.

   You don't have to keep them off… unless you want to. (I fully support barefoot brilliance.)

2. 02

   🎈Balloon breathing

   Shoulders relaxed, knees soft, feet flat on the floor. Place one hand on your belly and one on your chest.

   1. Inhale through your nose, letting your belly and lower ribs expand, like an accordion opening.
   2. Exhale through your mouth, squeezing out all the air like a balloon deflating.
   3. Then open your mouth and let the next breath fall in naturally.

   Do this three times. You’ll feel your body settle and your mind quieten. Your voice will follow.

3. 03

   🎵Humming or lip trills

   Try a gentle hum, or blow your lips together like a horse, with sound! Glide your pitch up and down, like a siren.

   Keep your face and shoulders relaxed. If you're scrunching up, you're pushing too hard. It doesn't matter how high or low you can go, it's just about warming up those vocal cords.

4. 04

   👅Tongue twisters

   Pick one and say it five times. Start slow, over-articulate the words first, then make it more natural:

   • I slit the sheet, the sheet I slit, and on the slitted sheet I sit.
   • How can a clam cram in a clean cream can?
   • Irish wristwatch, Swiss wristwatch.

   They warm up your lips, tongue and brain, and usually make you laugh, which is also great for your nerves.

5. 05

   🪥Tongue toothbrush

   Before you speak, “brush” every tooth in your mouth, front and back (!), with the tip of your tongue. Then swallow.

   It sounds silly, but it's a magic fix for dry mouth and sluggish articulation.