It happens more than you think, voice actors walk away from a session and can't speak. You have to keep your voice safe at all costs! How? Let's talk about it...
Stop with the throat murder! - 5:34
Hey guys, how’s it going? It’s Gabby, and in true New Yorker fashion, today’s video is all about being loud. Stick around—we’re going to get into some voiceover techniques about it.
New York is a lot of fun for me, guys, because honestly, I grew up in a place where people are just known for being loud. We talk loud, we talk over one another. New York is just one of those places—it’s busy, it’s densely populated, and damn it, if you want to be heard, you’ve got to be loud. That’s just how it is.
Today, I want to talk about loud talking for long periods of time and how it can strain your voice. It’s not good. My inspiration for this video actually came a couple of weeks ago at my local Starbucks. My poor baristas were inundated with orders, and I noticed that they were shouting names—not like they normally do for the to-go orders and pickups, but literally screaming out people’s names because of just the amount of noise and volume they were competing with. Not only from behind the counter, but from customers and the music playing in the store—it was a bit much. One of my poor baristas was straining her voice while doing this, and it was so uncomfortable. I could feel it. I felt for her, and I could feel the strain in her voice. I was just thinking, “This poor girl is going to go home and have laryngitis. She’s not going to be able to talk.”
It got me thinking about this, and I’ve noticed some trends that can have an impact in our world, especially for professional speakers. If you’re in a position where you’re doing something like live announcing, a stage performance, or any character work that requires a lot of really loud, almost shouting-type vocal activity, there are some things you can do to protect your voice.
First, open up your airways. Relax your throat as much as you can. The more you open up your throat, your larynx, and your diaphragm, the easier the process becomes. Take your air from the deep recesses of your diaphragm. Take those big, deep breaths while you’re performing. You’ll need them during your performance. Don’t be concerned if they show up on the track—they can be edited. What’s more important is that you get the air and breath you need to complete the performance without causing harm to your instrument. Man, that’s all it’s going to do.
Stay hydrated! I don’t just mean while you’re in the booth; I mean all the time. Drink a ton of water because it helps keep everything in great shape. If you’re doing something that requires a lot of loud talking and shouting, take "no talk" breaks. “No talkie time” is very real for voice actors. Sometimes we have such a strenuous performance or day, or we do so much talking—if you're working on an audiobook or some long-form project—you have to give it a rest. It’s just like any other part of your body. If it’s overused or overexercised, you’ve got to give it a break. Singers do it too. There’s nothing wrong with going home and having six hours of silent time—doing the least amount of talking possible to rest your throat.
Give yourself that ability to rest. These are actual real job hazards for not only voice actors but anyone who uses their voice in a loud manner for long periods. This can lead to PUPs (professional voice problems), scarring, or even permanent damage. It’s really no joke. It happens a lot to teachers and people who are constantly competing with a lot of noise, like in classrooms with a bunch of kids.
If you feel your throat tightening, if you feel yourself squeezing, or if your muscles and shoulders start to tighten up because you’re trying to be so loud and call out names—no. Relax. Let your diaphragm do the work. Don’t leave it all up to your throat. It will be devastating in the long run.
To all my voice actors and all my baristas: I love you, I appreciate everything you guys do, and here’s to a long and happy career full of vocal health for everyone. Thank you so much for watching. I’ll see you soon!
704-674-8294 / GabrielleNistico.com / gabby@voiceovervixen.com
Gabrielle Nistico, Gabby Nistico, The Voiceover Vixen, The Business First VO Coach, #VoiceoverVixen #VoiceOnFire #BusinessFirstVOCoach Voiceover, Charlotte, North Carolina, Voiceover Demo, Voiceover Coaching Advice, Working Actors, Los Angeles, New York, how to be a voice actor, vocal health, vocal warmups, vocal cooldowns, vocal coach, voice health, voice anatomy
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