2023.06.26 – 0907 – The Vocal Effect Of Mic Fright
Vocally:
· When stressed, the muscles that control the larynx can become tense.[1] (Periods of prolonged muscle tension in the larynx can lead to a lack of coordination of the vocal control system that can cause vocal fatigue and even vocal damage.)
· Tension is likely to harden surfaces and make them smaller. So, holding your shoulders and throat in this state, and having a jaw that’s barely opening, will make any vocalisation higher and thinner and with less resonance
· A lack of breath support will likely make the voice higher in tone; flatter in prosody, quieter in volume, shakier in authority
· You run out of what little breath you have, so, you read faster to get to the end of a sentence before you need to take another breath, resulting in gabbling
· Gabbling can lead to speed-induced speaking errors: you trip up over your words
· A drier mouth may mean less-precise articulation of words, it’ll simply be more difficult to move your tongue to form the words
· The mental ‘brain fog’ may cause slower speech, mispronounced words, script hesitations or slow adlib reaction times
You will hear the results of stress in your voice, in your headphones … causing more stress both in the moment and longer term:
· Anxiety causes more anxiety, which may lead to
o A lack of sleep (either not being able to drop off, or waking up early or intermittently
§ Leading to reduced energy levels
· The possible use of alcohol or drugs to get to sleep or stay awake
o Difficulty exercising or eating properly
o A dull, tired sounding voice
[1] A tense throat is almost your body’s way of saying “I don’t want you to say anything in case you embarrass yourself”.
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