Your voice is a powerful expression of your identity, and it’s constantly affecting your interactions with everyone you meet.  It’s usually taken for granted until you lose it or become ill. Voice health isn’t complicated, following a few vocal health tips will insure your voice feels good and performs well whenever you need it.

Experts agree one of the most important requirements for voice health is to get plenty of rest. Your voice is highly sensitive to physical and mental fatigue. In my experience, it will show symptoms of fatigue even before you’re conscious of being tired, it just won’t work right. So leave the party and get your beauty rest, especially if you have a lot of speaking to do the next day.

One of the crucial vocal help tips is to make hydration a habit. Drink lots of water. Your vocal folds are sensitive mucous membranes and they’re happiest when wet. Taking a sip of water when you’re speaking might make your mouth feel better but it doesn’t affect your vocal folds. Hydrating your voice has to happen from the inside out, and that takes time. The best approach to voice health is to make hydration part if your lifestyle. Your whole body will be happier.

No list of vocal health tips would be complete without mentioning the importance of a warm up, especially when using your voice for long periods of time or speaking loudly. No athlete dreams of competing without first doing a warm-up. Without it, they can’t achieve their best performance, and they risk injury. The same is true for your voice. No matter how much knowledge or experience you already have, your voice will do things after twenty to thirty minutes of warm up that it just can’t do when you’re starting cold. An adequate warm-up addresses relaxation—your whole body, breath flow—open and generous, and resonance—feeling sound vibrations throughout your whole body.

People who use their voices professionally might also consider vocal health tips relating to diet, air quality, temperature, humidity and vocal rest.

Though you may pay little attention to your voice it’s a primary element of communication, a critical reflection of your personal identity and a powerful instrument to influence those around you. Following these simple vocal health tips can ensure voice health and enable you to perform effectively in any situation.

For some sample warm up exercises to support voice health, click the link below and download the free booklet and video series. The Sound of Success.