Radio announcers and disc jockeys depend on their voice to do their work. Now that you are working with voice recognition, it's vital to take good care of your voice. The suggestions that follow fall into the category of "good sense prevention," like an athlete stretching before a run. Relax at the computer. Don't "punch" out your words with force when talking. Instead, speak in a relaxed manner, approximating your normal flow of speech. Keeping a photo of friends by the computer can help remind you to speak naturally, as if you were talking to a person. Drink lots of water, room-temperature water being best. Water creates mucous on your vocal folds, lubricating them and keeping them from getting irritated. The water you drink now will take about 4 hours to create more mucous, so start drinking early in the day. Caffeine dehydrates your body, so it's not good for your voice. Certain vocal exercises, similar to the ones that singers use, can help loosen up your voice. However, they are hard to demonstrate in writing. One way of thinking about a good open feeling to have when speaking is to consider the feeling right before yawning. This "open" sense, what some have described as an "inner smile," can make for sound, comfortable speaking. Breathe through the diaphragm, rather than in the chest, supporting your voice. Articulate when talking. This helps give energy to your voice while helping your computer be more accurate. Use pitch and inflection. You'll put much more energy into your voice this way, which will be healthier for you and make your computer more accurate. |
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