Tip #1: Support your speaking with your breath.
Did you know that your breathing, your breath support, is a critical piece of how you talk and convey your message? Many times we really don’t consider our breathing. It’s automatic. It’s something we do without giving another thought. But when we are out of breath, we take note because funny things start to happen. Have you ever been talking and have more to say than you have breath available? Or maybe you have noticed a strain in your lungs and ribs as you tried to squeeze in just one more thought before running out of breath. You might also have noticed that your voice begins to sound strained. Maybe you realize you can’t project your voice like you were just before. Being out of breath has physiological roots that can affect our message and change the overall impact from what we desired.
You might ask what is really going on when we speak and breathe? How is it coordinated? When we speak, we talk on the reserve air already in our lungs. That air is exhaled in a reflexive process. When we run out, it’s time to replenish and take another breath. Is there a right or wrong way to make this process happen? In short answer, there is a best way. When we take in a breath, our diaphragm, the muscle at the base of our lungs, drops in order to allow greater space for air to fill. Ideally, when we take in a breath, we don’t lift our shoulders or chest but instead allow our stomach to push outward thus increasing the volume or room for air to enter. Once that happens, we begin to talk as the air comes back out. There’s a point where we don’t really feel this exhalation because we are speaking on the air we took in. But as that air is exhaled and not replenished, things become more strained. The remaining air, or reserve volume, is somewhat forced out and physiologically, we can tell because we feel the strain in our lungs and ribs, and our vocal quality changes. It’s time to take a new breath. As we do, the process repeats itself.
We can become aware of how we breathe by watching ourselves in the mirror, lying on our back and observing our stomach rise and fall with our breath, or by standing with a hand on our stomach and feeling the process as it happens. By replenishing our breath as we speak, before we tap into our reserve, we are able to maintain the loudness level of our message. We are able to project our voice. We are able to complete our thoughts with confidence as we speak to others.
Breath is the floor, it is the foundation to our talking, and when done correctly, it is the glue that holds our message together.
Tip #1: Support your speaking with your breath.
Did you know that your breathing, your breath support, is a critical piece of how you talk and convey your message? Many times we really don’t consider our breathing. It’s automatic. It’s something we do without giving another thought. But when we are out of breath, we take note because funny things start to happen. Have you ever been talking and have more to say than you have breath available? Or maybe you have noticed a strain in your lungs and ribs as you tried to squeeze in just one more thought before running out of breath. You might also have noticed that your voice begins to sound strained. Maybe you realize you can’t project your voice like you were just before. Being out of breath has physiological roots that can affect our message and change the overall impact from what we desired.
You might ask what is really going on when we speak and breathe? How is it coordinated? When we speak, we talk on the reserve air already in our lungs. That air is exhaled in a reflexive process. When we run out, it’s time to replenish and take another breath. Is there a right or wrong way to make this process happen? In short answer, there is a best way. When we take in a breath, our diaphragm, the muscle at the base of our lungs, drops in order to allow greater space for air to fill. Ideally, when we take in a breath, we don’t lift our shoulders or chest but instead allow our stomach to push outward thus increasing the volume or room for air to enter. Once that happens, we begin to talk as the air comes back out. There’s a point where we don’t really feel this exhalation because we are speaking on the air we took in. But as that air is exhaled and not replenished, things become more strained. The remaining air, or reserve volume, is somewhat forced out and physiologically, we can tell because we feel the strain in our lungs and ribs, and our vocal quality changes. It’s time to take a new breath. As we do, the process repeats itself.
We can become aware of how we breath by watching ourselves in the mirror, lying on our back and observing our stomach rise and fall with our breath, or by standing with a hand on our stomach and feeling the process as it happens. By replenishing our breath as we speak, before we tap into our reserve, we are able to maintain the loudness level of our message. We are able to project our voice. We are able to complete our thoughts with confidence as we speak to others.