How Diaphragmatic Breathing Is Linked to Your Voice -Blog Series: #3 Energy

​An energetic voice tops any dreary monotone delivery. In your preparation phase of speaking with expressive communication it’s vital to have vocal projection, focus of mind, and variety of tone. Supporting your speech with more breath and your mind with more energetic images will excite your listeners to your content. 

The Diaphragmatic Breathing process is the link to flex your energy levels as you weave through your presentation with points of passion connecting with your audience in a believable way.
First, follow through with diaphragmatic breathing exercises to project your vocal sound without shouting or further harming of your voice. By increasing your breath amount and directing it out to the farthest point of your listeners, you will be heard by all. It’s your diaphragmatic muscle that becomes your engine to amplify and to take the strain away from your throat.
Try this Call-your-Dog Exercise: Say, “Spike, come here!” as if he’s only a short distance from you.
Next, repeat “Spike, come here!” but this time Spike is outside, and you want him to come to you at the door. You need to take a bigger breath and aim your sound farther away.
However, Spike has run across the street so now you must take in more breath and manage to send your supporting air farther across the street. It’s your diaphragm not your throat to finally get him to come home. With practice, this technique becomes your automatic habit to projecting your voice.

Second, take control of your mind. Breathing with the diaphragm relaxes you more fully and signals your brain to pause and take control. As a strategy replace a negative thought with a positive one. Reinforce your thoughts with images of excitement, fun, or adventure. It’s like winning a huge lottery or getting that new promotion you wanted. Create a code word for yourself to trigger your mind to push your energy button on. Then energize your voice to match your mind and your body as you speak with vitality. Find the right balance of energy to produce your passion when needed.

You diaphragmatic breathing link will help clear your mind, relieve your tension, and allow for more energy to flow through your body and achieve a dynamic-sounding voice.
Replace your tired sound with an energetic one throughout your week as you speak to everyone.

For more exercises and benefits of Diaphragmatic Breathing process take a look at Chapter Three on Energize to Express in “Breathing…Just Steps to Breathtaking Speeches” by Speech Coach, Brenda C. Smith. She has written an easy-to-follow book with targeted exercises from beginners to advanced levels including stories of successful participants.
Brenda leads you through how to breath with the diaphragm and project your voice in Chapter 1; and how to manage breathing to relax, and to achieve mind focus in Chapter 2; with how to energize your voice in Chapter 3 as a preparation technique to keeping expressive energy at the ready. 
Have you read the previous Blog Series on How Diaphragmatic Breathing Is Linked to Your Voice?

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