The Voice Coach Podcast

In this episode, we will talk about getting nervous when speaking in public. We will dive deep into why this happens to us, how it affects our voice performance, and how to deal with it. I'll share four simple tips that you can apply before speaking to an audience, to help you handle the anxiety and prevent it from affecting your voicing.What You Will Learn In This Episode:- Why we feel nervous before and while we speak in front of an audience- How the awareness that feeling nervous is something normal can help us- What happens to our voice when we feel like we have no control over our bodies- What we can do in the days before public speaking to avoid getting nervous Feeling nervous and anxious before speaking in front of an audience is entirely normal, and even the most experienced speakers feel it. The tension that affects our voice is a natural response of our bodies to a frightening situation. Using the tips I’ve shared, you will be able to better deal with nerves when speaking in public.  Resources: - Article - What is the Fight or Flight Response https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-the-fight-or-flight-response-2795194- Article - Grounding Techniques https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/grounding-techniques/- Book - Stage Fright and the Actor by Linda Brennan https://amzn.to/3uQJpBK- Book - Find Your Voice by Caroline Goyder https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1785042831/- Book - How to Own the room by Viv Groskop https://amzn.to/3wXzzzwMentioned in this episode:Get my book hereBuy Nic's BookHead to onthemicbook.com to get your copy nowGet my book here

In this episode we are continuing with our breathing for voice journey. Today we will talk about connecting breath support with speaking, and we will perform a few exercises to explore and understand which body parts participate in breath support.  What You Will Learn In This Episode:- Is it hard to implement breath support? - How to avoid creating tension when we practice breath support- The parts of our body that react first when we need vocal support- How to connect our voice with a support action through popping vocal fold vibrationsWe are using vocal support all the time while we speak, even if we are not aware of it. But working too much on generating support might create unnecessary tension. The more we practice an easy release of the air in the out-breath, the more we develop flexibility in the muscular system, required to keep the voicing support with low effort. Resources: - Finding You Voice by Barbara Houseman https://amzn.to/3rz3VEF- This is a Voice by Jeremy Fisher & Guillyanne Kayes https://amzn.to/3m9qm25- Voicework by Christina Shewell https://amzn.to/3d2oGot- The Voice and Accent Hub https://www.facebook.com/groups/thevoiceandaccenthub/ Mentioned in this episode:Buy Nic's BookHead to onthemicbook.com to get your copy nowGet my book hereGet my book here

Clear definitions of voice and breath support are unpacked in short, practical steps. The three core elements that create reliable support are highlighted. A guitar analogy explains how airflow, vocal fold closure and body alignment interact. Common belly and diaphragm misconceptions are exposed. A simple breathing exercise to release the belly on inhalation is demonstrated.

They explore how holding breath harms vocal freedom and triggers tension. The conversation contrasts in-breaths as thought fuel with out-breaths as the source of sound. A balloon analogy shows why overfilling is counterproductive. A short guided practice helps you notice the in–out–pause and release the out-breath more fully.

Today we are talking about filler sounds and words when speaking, why they show up in our speech, and whether we need to eliminate all of them. I’m also sharing a few techniques we can use to reduce or replace filler sounds.  What You Will Learn In This Episode:- Hesitation signs and filler words as a natural part of speaking- Why we use filler words- How to use pauses as a powerful tool when speaking- How to replace a filler sound with an out-breath- How our mind and speech can flow smoothly in a perfectly aligned bodyUnless we are writing every speech word by word,, we must accept filler words as a natural part of speaking. What we can do is focus on our body alignment, be aware of our breathing, pay attention to our speech tempo, and use pauses to give us time to think and plan our next words.Resources: - How to Improve your breath awareness https://pod.fo/e/bd7ac- How to release the body for voice work https://pod.fo/e/bbe13- Why posture is important for voice work https://pod.fo/e/b70e5- The Voice and Accent Hub https://www.facebook.com/groups/thevoiceandaccenthubMentioned in this episode:Buy Nic's BookHead to onthemicbook.com to get your copy nowGet my book hereGet my book here

Today, we are taking the first step on our journey into breathing for voice work. We will explore how to improve unnecessary patterns in our breathing and why we tend to use more breath than we need. This episode will help you become more aware of the intuitive nature of inhalation, and the importance of breathing rhythm in a resting position.What You Will Learn In This Episode:- The benefits of proper breathing- The most common breathing issues in voice work- A simple exercise to identify our breathing patterns- The scientific understanding of our breathing- The importance of the in-breath for getting a free, responsive, and supportive breath for voice workWhen we have a better understanding of how breathing works, it impacts not only our voice work performance, but also our mental and overall health. Although breathing is an automatic function of our bodies, having an awareness of our breathing patterns will enhance our voicing performance. Resources:- Article on breathing from Voice Science Works https://www.voicescienceworks.org/breath.html- Breath by James Nestor https://amzn.to/2NSG2tU- And Breath Podcast https://breathingtree.co.uk/welcome-to-the-and-breathe-podcast/- Vocal Rehabilitation/Primal Voice - Dane Chalfin https://www.vocalrehabilitation.com/primal-voice- This is a Voice - Gillyanne Keys & Jeremy Fisher https://amzn.to/3b9MGVw- The Voice & Accent Hub https://www.facebook.com/groups/thevoiceandaccenthubMentioned in this episode:Get my book hereBuy Nic's BookHead to onthemicbook.com to get your copy nowGet my book here

Today, I will walk you through a preparatory physical bodywork that will help you release tension. Learning how to loosen any tightness in our bodies is essential before starting with the fundamentals of voice training. What You Will Learn In This Episode:- Alignment and posture - mandatory step #1- Spine roll - secrets and techniques- From spine roll to crouch transition- The shoulder clock movement- From curious dog to ‘what are you looking at’ position- Drawing the infinity symbol with our noseAwareness of alignment and tension is a must before any voice training. As voicing is a holistic experience, any isolated tension in our bodies might lead us to low-quality performance and perhaps even voice damage in the long term. While doing these tension release exercises, it is vital to allow the breath to keep flowing and to go through this bodywork with a curious mind, observing the body's response.Resources: - Vocal Rehabilitation/Primal Voice - Dane Chalfin https://www.vocalrehabilitation.com/primal-voice- Spine roll and release routine video https://youtu.be/D6A9pixcaLUMentioned in this episode:Buy Nic's BookHead to onthemicbook.com to get your copy nowGet my book hereGet my book here

In this episode, we talk about sibilance, what it is, why some people sound more sibilant than others, and why it gets people annoyed. We will also focus on a few practical ways of controlling our voice's features, so we can reduce sibilance.What You'll Learn in This Episode: Is sibilance a speaker or a listener issue? What is sibilance in phonetic terms The sibilance and its relationship with different accents The effects of the various articulation contacts The benefits of exploring the alveolar and post-alveolar area Next time when someone tells us we sound sibilant, we have two choices - we either ignore them, or we can observe which part of our tongue we use to make the "s" sound, we pay attention to the airflow we produce, and work on it. The only rule is to keep our voice exploration fun, curious, and free of judgement. Resources: The Voice & Accent Hub https://www.facebook.com/groups/thevoiceandaccenthub Finding Your Voice by Barbara Houseman https://amzn.to/2NOdtgW Vocal Arts Workbook by David & Rebecca Carey (pg 174 & 175 for extensive consonant cluster practise) https://amzn.to/2NSC1VW Mentioned in this episode:Get my book hereBuy Nic's BookHead to onthemicbook.com to get your copy nowGet my book here

This episode is a practical guide to deal with a common, yet dramatic situation - losing our voice. We will go through the possible reasons that cause it, the importance of resting our voice, release exercises that can help us, and what to beware of when we lose our voice.  What You Will Learn In This Episode: Don't panic because stress is not helpful in these cases Why you need to rest and cancel any non-essential talking How nebulizers provide great assistance to your voice Why we must stay away from menthol How to encourage vocal rehab through exercises Even when we have a balanced diet, we keep ourselves hydrated, and we meticulously perform voice warm-ups and cool-downs, we can get ill or be stressed out, and lose our voice as a result. However, if this happens, we must keep calm, take some rest, start upping our fluids, and perhaps do some gentle exercises to smooth voice rehab. Resources: Nic's Quick Voice Tips - vocal tract release: Tongue Release https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CGaTHw7rFfU&t=69s Yawning https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b3pbTvEPwIs&t=42s Jaw Release https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zUJAHfDdmdM&t=67s First Aid for Hoarseness http://www.joannacazden.com/first-aid-for-hoarseness/?fbclid=IwAR2orTOSscKiRRbIOleOfoyejOImLMb8OrRZOJfvQQg4z-_EWFB8gA-yDp0 NHS Laryngitis guidelines https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/laryngitis/ The Voice & Accent Hub Facebook group  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, I'm sharing with you five cheeky tips you can use to improve your speech. These simple yet effective tricks that you can start applying right away will help you enhance your voicing without a lot of practice.What You Will Learn In This Episode: How making pauses can help us when speaking A rule to consider - new thought, new breath What it means to ‘find the floor’ Why you have to listen to your recorded voice in order to improve it Any good speech starts with a great warm-up The element that connects these five tips for vocal improvement is awareness - not only being aware of our flaws and fails, but also of our posture before and while speaking, the in-breath and out-breath, and the time we take to talk. And listening to our recorded voice is a great tool to improve that awareness and improve our speech.Resources: Join my Facebook group Voice & Accent Hub: https://www.facebook.com/groups/thevoiceandaccenthubb Mentioned in this episode:Get my book hereBuy Nic's BookHead to onthemicbook.com to get your copy nowGet my book here