You Can't Buy a Voice

Sometimes people will comment to me about my “radio” voice, and I usually respond that you can’t buy a voice…so I understand it is a gift from God. Having said that, we all can do things to improve our vocal production and use in order to be more effective communicators, whether you are on the radio or speaking to groups of listeners.

In Valerie Geller’s book Beyond Powerful Radio, she has a chapter on improving this “instrument” that God has given us. Some of the insights are very practical and simple.

• Drink a lot of water. Almost all experts agree…stay hydrated.
• Stand up in front of the microphone instead of sitting. That is what I have done for most of my years in radio. Much more energy that way.
• Relax. This comes from being prepared.
• Breathe deeply.
• Speak from the diaphragm. This, and the above tip, also help to preserve the voice.
• Avoid milk, carbonated drinks, etc. Hot tea can be a help before you go on the air.

One of the more interesting things Geller shares is that what may appear to be a voice problem may be something else entirely. She says it may be the copy that is being read.

[blockquote author=”Geller” link=”” target=”_blank”]Often people who’ve been told they had voice problems really just had delivery problems caused by poor writing. One client thought she had breathing problems. She was shocked when I told her any broadcaster would have a breathing problem reading her long, convoluted sentences.[/blockquote]

So what type of writing helps broadcasters and speakers sound better? Quoting a publication by Mervin Block, here are some of the suggestions from Geller’s book.

• Keep it simple. If you can use a simpler word, do so.
• Avoid big words, wasted words, odd words, fancy words, or clichés.
• Don’t use long, complicated sentence construction.
• Write like you talk.

One other practical tip. Don’t speak beneath your natural pitch. Many announcers try to sound more authoritative by lowering the pitch of their voice. I had a voice therapy specialist show me how to arrive at a better speaking pitch. She asked me to speak with a low pitch. Then, move my voice pitch up about three musical steps. That is a more comfortable range for the vocal chords to work. It takes the pressure off the vocal chords and allows your voice to function longer without being worn out. She likened speaking in too low a voice to driving a car in the wrong gear. It makes the engine work overtime and can wear it out…and the same is true of your voice.

Yes, God didn’t give each person the same gifts, and that goes for our voices, too. But we can all work to improve the voice that the Lord has given us to be better at the job He has for us to do in His kingdom work.