How to Use Breath Support to Reach Your Full Voice Potential
Do you tuck your tummy in a bit to make it look tighter? Does your voice shake before you speak to a group? Do you slouch in your chair at your desk? Do you carry a lot of tension in your shoulders, neck and jaw?
You are not alone–a lot of us develop bad habits! And if you do, you probably aren’t using proper breath support which is essential for reaching your full voice potential and having a well-functioning and relaxed sounding voice. As you move towards more in-person meetings and conferences, this is a great time to focus on breathing properly so your voice is clear, loud and effective.
The best type of breathing to support your voice is called diaphragmatic breath support. It uses the muscle located between the chest and the stomach. When engaged, you receive adequate breath that is efficient for all your activities including speaking.
A Personal Story
When I was a teenager, I wanted to have a flat tummy and so I held in my stomach. This was the start of a bad habit that I carried for many years before I recognized how limiting it was for me. For one thing, it made me tense so I really couldn’t take deep breaths and my neck and shoulders were tight because of it. My voice was high-pitched, shrill and not very loud. Over the years, especially since working with so many professionals on developing good breath support, I have slowly changed my ways. It has taken time to be mindful of how I breathe and then dismantle the poor breathing pattern I was using a little at a time. (Just because we know how to change a habit doesn’t mean we will automatically use it!)
Today, I will explain a few facts about breathing and share some tips for changing your behavior if you, too, are using a poor breathing pattern.
Passive Breathing vs. Breathing for Speech Production
The way we breathe (quietly) is called passive or vegetative breathing because this type of breathing doesn’t take much effort and it’s all involuntary. The difference between that kind of breathing and how we breathe while talking is a little different. As we speak, we are tightening our core and pushing air out to set the vocal cords in motion. We slowly exhale as we speak. In order to get louder, a deeper breath or pushing the air out faster is required.
The energy that powers your voice is on the exhaled breath. You may be interested to know that when your vocal cords are set into motion, the sound you make at the level of your vocal cords is actually shaped by various postures along the vocal tract (the space between your vocal cords and the opening of your mouth). For instance, say “Ah” and say “ee” and note how you change your vocal tract to make those different sounds. But I regress….
Chest versus Diaphragm Breathing
Many people are in the habit of breathing only by lifting their chest like I did when I was holding my core in. It’s an easy problem to identify if you just stand in front of the mirror and watch to see if you lift your shoulders as you breathe. The problem is that chest breathing is an inefficient exchange of air for supporting your vocal cords. These breaths are generally more rapid and shallow. The resulting vocal sound is not rich but rather described as “thin.” Additionally, it is difficult to project your voice if you are chest breathing.
How to Determine If You Are Using Your Diaphragm in Speech–The Very First Step.
Awareness of your behaviors is always the first step to changing a behavior, if needed. To gain awareness of
what diaphragmatic breath support is, lie down on your back and place your hand on your tummy directly under your ribs cage. As you inhale through your nose, observe how your tummy rises. And when you exhale, your tummy falls. Your hand should rise and fall in a smooth, rhythmic pattern. You are using the diaphragm muscle to breath.
Now sit or stand up and see if you can create the same rise and fall of your stomach as you breathe in and out. If you do, great! Next, you can practice by counting to 10 on the exhale. Your core should be engaged as you do (more so than when just breathing naturally). Can you can feel it when you speak? Congratulations, if you do. If you don’t, go back to lying down and count to 10 feeling your contracted core. Then stand up and try it again. It’s not unusual to be unable to feel proper breathing while standing or talking so stay at this step until you do feel it.
The next step is to become aware of your breathing in other situations: while sitting at your chair, in a meeting, while speaking on the phone, while walking and eating. 
Also, pay attention to your breathing when you experience different emotions. What happens to your breathing when you are frustrated or nervous? How do you breathe when you are happy or sad? Try to notice as many times as possible for just short periods. It’s like taking an inventory of your breathing habits and it’s helpful to know so that you can notice when you are breathing improperly.
Once you have identified a problem, the next step is make the change of using your diaphragm muscle while speaking! It’s a process of mastering breathing doing easy speaking tasks and graduating to more difficult, high-stakes conversations.
Learning to breathe properly using the diaphragm may feel awkward at first, but you will discover very soon what a difference it will make to help you feel relaxed, sound relaxed, and have a clear and louder voice. You will shine in your meetings and when you respond to questions.
Are you interested in learning more about breathing and posture to develop the very best voice? Sign-up for our free course, Breathe and Stand Tall.
Ready to become a speaker who is in complete control? For more vocal resources visit my website.