***Learn to Breathe Correctly: It Will Make Your Voice and Your Presentations Stand Out!

As a voice coach, the first thing I teach my clients is how to breathe with the support of the diaphragm. The reason is because you cannot discover your ‘real’ voice until you learn this simple technique.

When I discuss your ‘real’ voice, I am not talking about using different words or thoughts to make some psychological change to how you speak. I am talking about finding your ‘real’ sound. And, that ‘real’ sound comes from your chest cavity (the largest of your 5 vocalresonators) to produce a voice that is deeper in pitch, fuller in body, and mature in quality. The voice you are currently using is being produced by your other 4 resonators which include the cavities of your voice box, throat, mouth and nose.

Because most people breathe by means of the upper portion of the chest cavity -- known as shallow or lazy breathing – and not the lower half, they are unable to make use of that large cavity as their primary sounding board.

All voices that have depth, resonance and a rich quality are being powered by the chest cavity. And those voices are reminiscent of James Earl Jones, Kathleen Turner, Kate Beckinsale, and George Clooney. The only difference between their voice and yours is in the placement of their sound. In fact, you may have a fantastic speaking voice; however, you will never know just how great it is until you learn to breathe with support and power your voice by means your chest resonator.

Another tremendous benefit of breathing with the support of your diaphragm is in the control of your nervousness in public speaking. There is nothing better that you can do physically than to allow your breathing to take control of your nervous jitters and put them to good use.

Nervousness can be either a nightmare or a blessing. When you allow it to work for you and not against you, you will benefit from the ‘fight’ response of nervousness in which your level of awareness will intensify, your sight will become sharper, and your perception of pain will be diminished. And this is exactly what you need if you want to be at your best when addressing an audience.

While breathing with the support of your diaphragm can have a tremendous effect on your speaking (& singing) voice as well as your presentation skills, it can also change your life in other respects because it is the most important thing you can do to eliminate stress in your life. Imagine something as simple as a diaphragmatic breath improving your life, both professionally and personally.