Your voice needs it’s own kinda kick start to get powered up, like a performance car needs to warm up, or an athlete.
Think about it. Your larynx has muscles, tendons, and nerves, that all go to sleep when you do. Suddenly you’re up and it, and your larynx is still half asleep. The phone rings and it’s supposed to start moving at thousands of oscillations per minute. Wow. That’s a huge shock.
You’re at a meeting. Whammo – those little guys spring into action at a ridiculously fast pace, oscillating at hundreds of times a second. You get a nasty phone call. Your body tightens. Air flow is restricted. Tension locks in. Tension builds up, locking in the day in and day out stress.
Who ever heard of a top athlete NOT having an injury without a warmup? Who ever heard of Formula One racing without warming up those killer engines? Your throat is Indy-ready, every day. Like a car, or an athlete, your speaking performance improves if you maintain your voice. Your energy levels will be higher, your sound crisper, and more compelling.
“Stretch before you run.” It’s common sense. Your voice runs a double marathon every day if you have high demand communications in your work. Shoulders and hip tension is a common spinoff, and tends to pair with tension in the diaphragm. Loosen your body when you warm up your throat to start your day.
Warm ups are a necessity for any performance engine, or athlete, and that includes your throat if you’re a cultural, or business leader, or professional speaker.
Revving up:
TRILLS :
Rolling your Rrrr’s gets everything going, warming up the muscles.
Rrr’s will not stress your larynx, or your chords.
Trill your Rrr as long as you can. Try slides up and down in pitch.
LOOSEN UP :
Shoulder rolls. Hip circles. Flop forward into a forward bend.
Take a big breath into your abdomen. Exhale, dropping into a forward bend.
Shake out your shoulders. Roll up to standing.
