In this unsettling time of the Coronavirus pandemic, many of us are homebound and managing very difficult circumstances in varying degrees related to health, finances, isolation or lack of privacy, and/or family or work obligations. Whatever our particular stressors are, they can, at the very least, make it hard to focus, feel motivated, or keep up with regular routines. Our circumstances can also affect how much we talk, the way we talk, and how much privacy we have to talk. This blog post is designed to help you manage your voice and talking while homebound.
-- Keep practicing and talking. For those people who have worked hard to modify your voice up to now, it's important to keep practicing and using your voice to keep the momentum going. Without that, it could become more difficult to do your techniques or stay as consistent. If you haven't worked on your voice up to now, but you wish to, then hunkering down at home, if you have privacy, may be a good opportunity to get started! Consider one or more of these tips if you feel they apply to you:
If you have a practice routine, keep it going by setting an alarm every day or doing it around another daily task, such as having breakfast.
Do a voice exercise while washing your hands for 20 seconds, such as singing the Happy Birthday song or counting to 20.
Try to mimic people on videos, TV, or movies that you are watching.
Try some light singing for fun.
Find a buddy to practice with on the phone or online.
If you don't feel that your room is private enough, try running some type of noise (e.g. music or a white noise app on your phone) from OUTSIDE of your door, which can make it very difficult for others to hear you.
Try to talk in your best modified voice with your friends, family, and/or online community. If that seems daunting, try to nail just the first few sentences of an interaction.
Try your best, but don’t be hard on yourself!
If you have a voice trainer, book an online session if you can, even just for a refresher.
-- Be strategic when talking on video. Using particular tools and video set-up can help to achieve efficient voicing and gender techniques. Consider these tips:
Play a pitch app, such as Voice Analyst for the phone or VoicePrint for the computer, to watch your average pitch in real time while you are talking on video.
Put a post-it with a voice reminder on your computer monitor.
If you don't like looking at yourself while video chatting, many video chat platforms allow you to turn off the self-view window.
Use a face-filtering tool like Snap Camera or wear certain clothing (within or outside of the view of the camera) to help enhance the gendered aspects of how you want to look and feel, which can have a positive impact on how you talk.
Do your video chat in a quiet room and try to not speak quieter or louder than you would if you were having an in-person conversation.
Sit upright with your back straight, aiming your voice straight ahead at the camera to allow you to best manage your voice.
Wear headphones over one ear only (so you can hear yourself and your conversation partner, but also hear how you sound in the room) as well as a microphone that is a few inches from your mouth.
-- Protect your voice if you feel vocal strain or throat discomfort. Voice problems can occur from inefficient vocal techniques, speaking too much or too little, or speaking loudly for long periods.
Do a few lip trills (aka raspberries) at an easy pitch.
Blow an easy song through a straw onto your hand (Happy Birthday, Twinkle Twinkle Little Star) - say "hoo" for every syllable.
Try a salt water gargle if your throat hurts.
If you are talking a lot, take voice breaks between conversations.
If you are modifying your voice in a way that creates strain, try a different technique if you can.
Do an online consultation with a voice-specialized speech-language pathologist or laryngologist if your symptoms don't improve.
You likely have considered and tried some of the above strategies already. If not, perhaps some of these will come in handy. More than ever, be kind to yourself. Please take care, everyone, and hang in there!