The Voice Coach Podcast

Today, in the shortest episode of the history of this podcast, we will learn to release and stretch the soft palate. We will go through the benefits of stretching and releasing this movable articulator, and then we will perform a cheeky voice exercise to stretch and release the tension of the naughty kid in the back, the soft palate.What You Will Learn In This Episode:- Why it is useful to release and stretch the soft palate- The role of the soft palate in our voicing  - How to stretch and release the soft palateThe soft palate is exclusively responsible for a couple of sounds and serves as the back door of the nasal cavity. Raising awareness of our soft palate will help us increase and decrease nasality in our vocal tone, encourage oral resonance, and help us with the volume when speaking. Resources: - Yawning - A Critical Viewhttp://baillement.com/voice/voice.html - Yawning to exercise the face, throat diaphragm and voice https://parkinsonsdisease.net/living/the-power-of-a-good-yawn-exercise- The Voice & Accent Hub Facebook grouphttps://m.facebook.com/groups/160080935058642Mentioned in this episode:Get my book hereBuy Nic's BookHead to onthemicbook.com to get your copy nowGet my book here

This episode is another instalment of our movable articulator release journey. We will learn how to release the lips to help us improve our vocal clarity and communication. We will talk about the benefits of lips release, and we will go through a simple yet effective lip release exercise.What You Will Learn In This Episode:- The benefits of lip release- The importance of awareness of the lips- What sounds our lips helps produce- How to do the Martian speak exerciseThe lips have a central role in many of the sounds we produce, like bilabial plosives, bilabial nasals, bilabial approximants, and labiodental sounds. Releasing the lips is very important for articulation, but it is also crucial for volume and vocal quality. Resources:- Vocal Arts Workbook by David & Rebecca Carey https://www.worldofbooks.com/en-gb/books/david-carey-jr/vocal-arts/9780713688245?gclid=Cj0KCQjwvO2IBhCzARIsALw3ASoqCzOjurSCnOgVmGVJIKyr7X-T2Q7besYNSJs7MQEO1gYt4ohNG0oaAvlkEALw_wcB- The Voice & Accent Hub Facebook grouphttps://m.facebook.com/groups/160080935058642 Mentioned in this episode:Get my book hereBuy Nic's BookHead to onthemicbook.com to get your copy nowGet my book here

Today, we will work on the release of another movable articulator - the tongue. We will explore the tongue, analyse its connection with resonance and the quality of our voicing, and perform a tongue release exercise.What You Will Learn In This Episode:- The effects of tongue tension on our voicing and resonance- A simple yet effective exercise to release tongue tensionAs the tongue is crucial in shaping consonants and vowels, it can accumulate unhelpful tension. Excessive tongue tension can cause speaking difficulties, also known as tripping over our own tongue. That is one of the main reasons why tongue release is so important. Resources:- Jaw Release Week downloadable course https://nicolaredman.com/voice-coach/downloadable-courses/jaw-release-week-downloadable/- The Voice & Accent Hub Facebook group https://facebook.com/groups/160080935058642- Voice Work by Christina Shewell https://www.wiley.com/en-gb/Voice+Work:+Art+and+Science+in+Changing+Voices-p-9780470019924Mentioned in this episode:Buy Nic's BookHead to onthemicbook.com to get your copy nowGet my book hereGet my book here

In today's episode, we talk about jaw tension, the different reasons that might cause it, and how to release it. Then, as an intro to jaw release, I will share some exploratory exercises to help relax the jaw, which is one of our main articulators. What You Will Learn In This Episode:- The possible reasons why you are experiencing jaw tension, and the benefits of learning to release it- The link between jaw tension and how we've been conditioned throughout our lives- The role of awareness in releasing jaw tension- How we can massage the tension out of our jawReleasing jaw tension will help us reach higher volume, extra vocal variety, and clearer speech with minimal effort. It also helps with anxiety, as it gives us a sense of mental release. In some cases, it can also help to stop teeth grinding and jaw clicking. Resources:- Jaw Release Week - Downloadable Course https://nicolaredman.com/voice-coach/downloadable-courses/jaw-release-week-downloadable/ - The Voice & Accent Hub Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/thevoiceandaccenthub- Freeing the Natural Voice by Kristin Linklater https://www.worldofbooks.com/en-gb/books/kristin-linklater/freeing-the-natural-voice/9781854599711?keyword=&gclid=CjwKCAjwruSHBhAtEiwA_qCppmOSvZS5EFAyAVP5wldnvXyhp7HqiCl_QC-Mentioned in this episode:Get my book hereBuy Nic's BookHead to onthemicbook.com to get your copy nowGet my book here

In this episode, continuing with our articulation series, we will talk about the two steps we need to take to warm up and get our articulators ready - releasing and toning. As usual, we will perform some exercises to explore different ways to release and tone our articulators.What You Will Learn In This Episode:- The importance of releasing and toning our articulators- How gurning can help us release and stretch the articulators- What is the drawstring bag face, and how it allows us to release and tone the articulatorsReleasing our whole face is beneficial not only for articulators but also for resonance, because it removes tension and stretches the muscles involved in articulation. The more we understand and perfect releasing and toning exercises, the more we will get from our articulation in our voice warmup, which will save us a lot of time. Resources:- Voice & Accent Hub https://www.facebook.com/groups/thevoiceandaccenthub- Knight Thompson Speechwork https://ktspeechwork.orgMentioned in this episode:Buy Nic's BookHead to onthemicbook.com to get your copy nowGet my book hereGet my book here

Today's episode is about articulators and how they make sound. We will explore each one of our mouth's articulators, their location, function, and the sounds associated with them.This episode is about raising awareness of the articulators, so we can make better use of them.What You Will Learn In This Episode:- The relevance of articulation awareness for our voicing- The difference between movable and non-movable articulators- What are the different sounds produced in the hard and the soft palate- What is the uvula, and what kind of sounds it helps produceAs already mentioned, articulation isn't only about the sounds themselves, it is also about the effects of our phonatory anatomy on the voice, about the stress patterns and the emphasis. That is why it is crucial that we know and understand the articulators from the bottom of the vocal tract up to the top of the mouth. Resources: - Voice & Accent Hubhttps://www.facebook.com/groups/thevoiceandaccenthub- Pictures of the articulatorshttps://developingvoices.blog/tag/articulators/ https://slidetodoc.com/histology-of-tongue-by-dr-sobia-ibrahim-assistant/Mentioned in this episode:Get my book hereBuy Nic's BookHead to onthemicbook.com to get your copy nowGet my book here

Today we will start the next stage of our voice prep journey. We've already worked on physical release, breath, resonance, bringing the voice in, and now we will start with articulation.As a first step, we will define what articulation is, how it can improve our voicing, and present every element involved in it to get familiar with the articulation terminology. What You Will Learn In This Episode:- What articulation is about, and its relationship with accents- What the articulators are, and the difference between passive and active articulators- The difference between voiced and unvoiced consonants- What plosive consonants are, and what a fricative isThere is a misconception about articulation and accents. As long as the message is understood, there is no need for making any adjustments to our accent. For us, articulation is about getting our articulators released and toned to produce the sounds we need to make. Resources: - Voice & Accent Hubhttps://www.facebook.com/groups/thevoiceandaccenthub- Articulation - Merriam Webster definitionhttps://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/articulationMentioned in this episode:Buy Nic's BookHead to onthemicbook.com to get your copy nowGet my book hereGet my book here

This week, I'm answering a question I've seen asked a lot on the voice forums I regularly visit: how to make reading a script sound conversational. To answer this, I'll share my four top tips to make reading a script sound not only conversational, but authentic and natural as well. What You Will Learn In This Episode:- The importance of practising sight-reading- How write-as-we-speak can help us to sound more natural- How we can modify our script to make it sound more natural- Why a perfect speech sounds artificial and forcedPodcasters and presenters may feel safer reading a script, however, there are several ways of making it sound casual and conversational. Trying to clean our accent, or sounding too perfect can sound artificial. Our hearing is used to lumpy, flawed, and bumpy conversations, and adding those details will give our speech a more authentic tone. Resources: - The Voice & Accent Hub Facebook grouphttps://m.facebook.com/groups/160080935058642- Ultimate Voice Getaway Retreat https://nic-redman.mykajabi.com/uk-ultimate-voice-retreatMentioned in this episode:Buy Nic's BookHead to onthemicbook.com to get your copy nowGet my book hereGet my book here

Celebrating our 30th episode, we will learn about balancing the resonance. We will start with a quick voice warmup, and then we will perform some explorative exercises that will help us access resonance qualities and learn to balance them. What You Will Learn In This Episode:- What balancing the resonance means and how it can help us develop our voicing- How to perform a five-minute voice warmup- Why it is essential to increase our resonance potential- Practicing simple yet effective exercises to balance our resonanceOur ultimate goal as voice users is to keep our audience engaged. Therefore, learning to properly balance our resonance, and having access to our resonance potential will give us the tools to bring variety and expressive potential to our voice. Resources:- Ultimate Voice Getaway information https://nic-redman.mykajabi.com/uk-ultimate-voice-retreat- Linklater voice work https://www.linklatervoice.com- Ep 27 - How to encourage resonance through tension release  https://pod.fo/e/d44ce- Ep 26 - WHat is vocal resonance https://pod.fo/e/d2d86- The Voice and Accent Hub https://m.facebook.com/groups/160080935058642Mentioned in this episode:Buy Nic's BookHead to onthemicbook.com to get your copy nowGet my book hereGet my book here

After a slight digression on dealing with hay fever, we are continuing with our resonance training. In this episode, we will work on increasing our resonance awareness in order to find vocal variety and expression in our speaking voice. We will talk about primary and secondary resonance spaces, and we will practice some exploration exercises to identify the areas of our vocal tract we can use to manipulate resonance. What You Will Learn in This Episode:- What are the elements involved in resonance, according to Michael McCallion- Exploration exercises to increase resonance awareness- What are the three spaces where primary resonance happens- What is the difference between primary and secondary resonance spacesThe primary resonance spaces are ideal for exploring a variety of tonal qualities in the voice,  for accessing different emotional vibes, and taking listeners on an inspirational journey through our voices. Secondary resonance spaces are more controversial, as some people feel they help change our voice tone, some people don't. In any case, resonance awareness is a powerful tool and a valuable asset to improve our voicing. Resources:- 008 Why Posture is Important for Reducing Vocal Fatigue https://pod.fo/e/b70e5- The Voice and Accent Hub https://m.facebook.com/groups/160080935058642- The Voice Book by Michael McCallion https://www.worldofbooks.com/en-gb/books/michael-mccallion/voice-book/9780571195251?gclid=CjwKCAjwieuGBhAsEiwA1Ly_naI4cgTvq4nua_6-jkgvaY1UV97IgIB0JvNfvwO207Dzpmq1DHKBJxoCeE4QAvD_BwE- The Voiceover Social Podcast podkite.link/thevosocial- Resonance article on Voice Science Works https://www.voicescienceworks.org/resonance.htmlMentioned in this episode:Get my book hereBuy Nic's BookHead to onthemicbook.com to get your copy nowGet my book here