Instructions

Five Steps to Better Speaking

1

Breathe. Any sound you make--anything you say, a note you sing, even a cough or a sneeze--requires fuel. That fuel is air, so get as much of it as you can. Take a deep breath before launching into a long note or beginning a long sentence.
2

Stand up straight. This goes hand-in-hand with the breathing from Step 1. Singing or speaking requires the use of the diaphragm, and your diaphragm is at its best when you are practicing good posture.
3

Hydrate. Make sure you're drinking water. A scratchy throat not only sounds bad, but if you continue to speak or sing with one, things will only get worse.
4

Quit smoking. For obvious reasons ... and also for the fact that smoking causes your body to produce phlegm, which will make you cough, choke you up and worsen your control over your tone or pitch.
5

Blow your nose. If you have a nasaly voice, you can minimize the high-frequency range by creating an ample airway in your nose. Keep your nose clean, literally, and if you suffer from rhinitis (inflammation of the tissue inside your nostrils) you may want to consider a prescription that will relieve the swelling and allow more air to pass through your nose.
6

Warm up. Speaking and singing requires the use of muscles, and just as pro athletes warm up before a game, singers and speakers warm up before a performance. Stretch your mouth muscles; take your lips from a tight pucker to a wide smile and back again. Try saying tongue-twisters; they will help you with diction and projection. Singers often warm up with straight ascending and descending scales. Try all of these things.