What to do about a shaky voice?

How to stop your voice from shaking during public speaking?

First consider that no one is as familiar with your voice as you. The first time you heard your recorded voice you were probably surprised. You might even have said, “That’s not me.”

The reason I point that out is that you might notice your voice shaking but your audience might not. They just might not know how your voice should sound. You voice can sound different at different times of the day depending on your energy level, recent meal or emotional state.

Your voice shaking could signal that you are tensing up because of anxiety, anger or exhaustion. There might be other causes but these seem to be the most common.

If tension is the problem the solution is to relax. You can do that by pausing as soon as the shaking starts. Simply pause for a few seconds. Smile while doing that so your audience doesn’t suspect any difficulties.

To both extend the pause and relax your throat you could take a drink of water. It’s best to have a glass of room temperature water handy. Ice cold water isn’t good for your speaking voice.

Take a deep slow breath to help calm you. Roll your shoulders because tension in your shoulders could easily be transferred to your throat. You could slightly change your body stance because tension might have been setting in without you being aware.

When you start speaking again, speak slower. That also relaxes your throat and makes your voice sound deeper and hence more confident.

Get the answers to more questions about public speaking on the site Questions about Public Speaking

 



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