Preparing Your Voice for Great Voiceover

Practice makes perfect.  We are told that from the time we are very young.  Similarly athletes are told that they must warm up before each and every sporting event.  The same life lessons can be applied to voiceover. The more often you practice your skills, the better and more refined they will become.  And, this practice should absolutely begin with warm-ups to properly prepare your voice and to avoid strain.

Warming up your voice begins with breathing exercises.  Remember, steady breathing is very important in this line of work.  When you gulp for air or run out of breath before the end of the sentence, the recording will not live up to the clients’ expectations.  Therefore, it is important to practice proper breathing.  A lot of this happens when you simply stop to consider each breath that you take.  Focus on the air reaching all the way to your lungs, inflating them, and then being expelled steadily.

In addition to breathing, it is important to remain relaxed, as this has a big influence on the way that we breathe and speak.  Though proper posture is going to help you in this profession, don’t focus so much on it that you tense up.  As you breathe, think about relaxing your shoulders, your back, and your jaw.  Let them move freely with each breath.

After focusing on your breathing for a few minutes, take a few more to stretch.  Move your head about to stretch out your neck.  Yawn a few times to stretch the muscles around your jaw, and lift your arms high above your head to loosen up your upper body. Literally push the skin around your face in a massage like manner. 

Finally, do some light vocal warm-ups.  There are many that can be used to get your voice ready for the day.  This is where acting classes or singing lessons can come in handy, as you will learn a lot about vocal exercises.  However, if you are not familiar with any, then consider visiting videos like this on Youtube.