Get A Better Broadcast, Podcast and Voice-Over Voice

2023.03.29 – 0818 – Hum and DrumHum and drum·        Stand and breath in deeply – remember from your diaphragm!·        Breathe out slowly and as you do so hummmmmmm a constant note·        And as you hum, wake up your chest, sides and back by firmly patting them with a gently closed fist 

2023.03.28 – 0817– Make A Stand!First, make a stand! Many presenters and voice-over artists prefer to stand at the mic anyway. It enables alertness and better breath control:·        Feet firmly on the ground shoulder-width apart and with three points of contact with the floor: underneath the big and little toe and the centre of your heel·        Have your knees soft, the pelvis balanced, your stomach loose and free·        Drop your arms loose and heavy, with your shoulder blades ‘dripping down the back’ with no muscle tension there at all, a ‘long’ spine·        Have your jaw free, with your tongue resting on the bottom of your mouth behind the bottom teeth, with the head floating on top of the spine·        Your chin should be level with the floor·        Consider your head position: there’s a happy medium between a jutting ‘text neck’ and one that’s unnaturally forced back. Remember your spine supports the head quite far back, not in the middle·        Imagine a string up your spine and through your head, gently pull it taught to straighten your back and neck like a balloon full of helium is attached to the string.Now pick and mix from these exercises to warm up your chest and lungs and relax-out any tension in your muscles and joints. Pump blood, and let your brain tell your body that you’re going to do some work. 

2023.03.27 – 0816 – Whole Body Warm Up ExercisesWhole Body Warm Up Exercises[1](Some of these exercises incorporate ‘sound’ as well as ‘structure’, that is you may use your voice while you are physically moving, and in that way, there is naturally some cross over with the previous chapter. This again shows how all elements of the body are interlinked.)  We have seen already how nerves and stress creates tension. In this ‘anti-tension section’ we’ll look at the three Rs of relaxation, release and re-alignment of your neck and head, your chest, ribs and shoulders, to allow better breathing and more rounded resonance. In the next chapter we’ll look at how to combat the fight/flight mechanism that closes your throat when you get nervous. [1] There are many more exercises from The National theatre in London no less, on this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CFXqyl4C1J4&list=PL5E683693532693DE&index=1