Here are three of those common undermining speech habits:

“Just” –  For example, ‘I’m just concerned that……’, ‘I just want to check in and see…’, ‘I’m just curious…’.  Using this word can communicate an apologetic tone as if you are inconveniencing your listener or need to justify yourself.  It diminishes the strength of your statement or question. 

“Actually” –  Does this sound familiar, “I actually disagree”, “I actually have a question”, “I actually think…..”  Using this word (or in my opinion ‘basically’ has the same effect) can weaken your message and may sound as if you are surprised that you have a question or want to disagree.

“Kind of/ Almost” – I am sure you have heard, “I kind of think we should revise the report” and “I almost think we should change our strategy”.  These words and phrases, like the other two above are called ‘hedges’ by linguists, whose research shows lower-power and lower-status people in any group use more often.  

Work at avoiding these words and phrases in your written and spoken language when your purpose is to communicate with clarity, decisiveness and confidence.

Reflux is common amongst the general adult population and presents as two main types. Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is the flow of even very small amounts of stomach contents back up into your lower oesophagus (the tube connecting your throat to your stomach) and laryngopharyngeal reflux disease (LPRD) is where these stomach contents move up the oesophagus and overspill into larynx (voicebox). LPRD is often linked to voice problems and may impact your speaking and singing voice.

Signs of LPRD may include: hoarseness in the morning, sour taste in the mouth, frequent coughing or throat clearing, voice quality issues, burning in the larynx or choking.
Ear Nose and Throat specialists can diagnose reflux by viewing your vocal folds and larynx.
Treatment options may include a behavioural, pharmacological or surgical approach. The latter two are best managed by your doctor. If your speaking voice is impacted, behavioural lifestyle management in conjunction with voice therapy sessions with a speech pathologist to optimise your vocal technique is very effective. These lifestyle management tips may include:

• Remaining upright for one hour after eating or drinking
• Avoiding spicy foods
• Cutting down on caffeine, chocolate, high fat foods and alcohol
• Giving up smoking
• Wearing loose clothing around your abdomen.

Voice therapy sessions may focus on moving your resonance forward, reducing throat clearing or coughing, eliminating tension in the larynx or learning safe voice projection techniques.

This article written in conjunction with Kathleen Connell, Singing Teacher. You can visit Kathleen’s website here:http://www.kathleenconnell.com.au/

Linguists, commentators and people interested in pronunciation have been arguing about the pronunciation of certain English words for an eternity. Our pronunciation and accent were mostly influenced by where in the world we grew up and how our friends spoke. Felicity Cox, an expert on the Australian accent at Macquarie University (and who incidentally lectured me in linguistics) believes friends have the biggest influence on your accent. Sharing an accent helps to show you are connected to your friends and interestingly kids are very important in creating new accents.

Some English words have two pronunciations, one more common in Britain and the other in America. Others have two pronunciations that these days have no particular use based on location (varied). Australian English pronunciation, whilst initially more closely linked to British pronunciation, is fast becoming a mix of both British and American – such is the dynamic nature of language!

So which is the proper pronunciation you ask? The good news is, you can take your pick between two different pronunciations – both are acceptable (to most!).

Let’s look more closely at some words clients often ask me how to pronounce properly. Certain pronunciations are more common in the UK or the US but with the globalisation of language you will find both in most locations, including Australia. Some pronunciations are more common than others around the English-speaking world e.g. for ‘often’ we have O-fuhn (more common) vs OFF-tuhn (less common) which does not necessarily mean the former is more ‘proper’.

My advice to clients, is to choose if you want to lean more towards British or American pronunciation and use that which is more common in that region.

A book I can recommend if you want to read more about this topic is “You Say Potato – A Book About Accents” by renowned British linguist David Crystal and his actor son, Ben Crystal.

We’re sharing what you can do to maintain a clear and functioning voice. Not just to ensure a caffeine fix, but for all the ways we use our voices – to speak and sing, for our daily working lives and to connect with the people we love.

To use our voice, we rely on the delicate bands of muscle called vocal folds that stretch across our larynx. They’re only about two centimetres long and vibrate when air passes through them. On average they vibrate 220 times per second in women and 120 times per second in men or tens of thousands of times during half an hour of speaking or singing.

That’s a lot of work for such small muscles!

So it’s important we take care of them, but let’s first look at what can go wrong when we don’t.

Vocal nodules are the most common problem caused by continuous vocal abuse.

They are single, whitish lumps that develop on the edge of your vocal folds and prevent them from vibrating properly. The nodules create bulk on the vocal folds which disrupt their vibration pattern resulting in a lower speaking or singing pitch, hoarseness and lack of power and resonance.

People with vocal nodules often feel compelled to clear their throat, which further exacerbates the vocal abuse and they often report vocal fatigue as the day continues.

The good news is that vocal nodules are treatable through voice therapy with a speech pathologist. However, it’s important to seek help early as there is a greater chance of success when nodules are in their early stages.

Larger, more established nodules may require surgery, but it’s still important to seek voice therapy to resolve any vocally abusive behaviours and optimise your vocal technique.

So what are the abusive behaviours we often unwittingly inflict on our voice and how can we best take care of it? We’ve devised a list of Dos and Don’ts:

DO

• Drink plenty of water
• Limit alcohol
• Avoid cigarette smoke
• Use clear articulation
• Use a variety of different sounds, including a low, slowed-down pitch and a louder, faster tone. Learn where emphasis and pause are needed when speaking and singing.
• Avoid foods that are high in acids especially before bed
• Avoid pollen and dust
• Laugh!
• Warm up before a singing performance or speaking presentation.
• Use amplification when speaking or singing to larger groups

DON’T

• Clear your throat or cough excessively
• Use excessive tension in your jaw, throat and tongue
• Scream or use your voice at high volume for long periods
• Speak in the lower range for too long
• Sing or speak with an inflamed sore throat

At the top of each list are the two most important behaviours to keep in mind. It’s critical to keep hydrated, as lubrication of your vocal folds will prevent them from becoming irritated. Drink plenty of water to ensure adequate saliva. A dry mouth is common for singers and presenters, particularly due to nerves, but a good tip is to gently bite your tongue; this will help get your saliva going.

On the flipside, it’s best to avoid clearing your throat or coughing excessively, as it can irritate your vocal folds. Often throat clearing becomes habitual, so it’s important to break the habit and swallow your saliva instead.

Authors:

Lana McCarthy is a Sydney-based communication coach and speech pathologist. Lana can help you manage voice problems effectively for speaking and singing including tension, fatigue, hoarseness, nasality and vocal nodules.

Kathleen Connell is a Sydney-based singing teacher and vocal coach who trains both aspiring and accomplished singers in technique and vocal skills. She is a writer, PhD candidate at Griffith University and pursues regular professional development.

As a singing teacher, Kathleen Connell often sees the effect of vocal overuse and poor speaking habits on her students’ singing voices. It’s certainly not uncommon for people who work all day in a sales role or spend a lot of time on the phone to show signs of speech issues.

In fact, she listens and watches very carefully to her students’ speech and body language from the moment they walk in the door. Here are some of the tell-tale signs:

• Tension in the throat, shoulders and neck.

• Vocal fry, a creaky sound that stems from constriction in the throat.

• General poor breathing – often shallow and high.

• A girly, breathy sound – common in women, particularly those who work in childcare or teaching.

• An artificially dark, pinched and nasal sound – common in men.

Even professional singers are not immune to these problems. During Kathleen’s days as a professional opera singer, she spent a lot of time working on her voice with a speech pathologist. It was when her children were young and the only time she didn’t use her voice was when they were asleep!

With her speech pathologist, she worked on raising her soft palate, combining front and back sounds and ensuring her consonants and vowels cooperated. In fact, she put singing lessons on hold for a few months to attend weekly sessions with a speech pathologist and then religiously worked on her exercises.

It’s why she often refers singing students to a speech pathologist, as tackling voice issues first is sometimes the best way to build a strong vocal foundation.

Lana McCarthy, communication coach and speech pathologist from Word of Mouth in Sydney, is one of Kathleen’s preferred partners and she spoke with Lana recently to get her take on this issue.

“Taking time to do technical work on your spoken voice is a good place to start to improve your singing voice,” said Lana. “And the most common cause of voice issues that I see is muscle tension. Tension in the shoulders, neck, throat, tongue, larynx, face and jaw. Even postural tension.

Awareness

“Fixing it starts with awareness; making people aware of poor habits like holding tension in their larynx or shoulders,” said Lana. “I sometimes use mirrors to visually show the problem, such as not opening their mouth wide enough. Or it can be a matter of contrasting various grades of tension, by allowing them to feel the difference on a scale ranging from constricted to open.”

Laugh quality

“Getting speakers and singers to use a laugh quality is another key way to release tension,” said Lana. “Laughing requires ‘good and open’ muscle effort in the throat, so it’s a matter of gradually pulling that technique into your spoken and singing voice.”

Breathing low in the body

Another cause of tension is poor breathing technique. “What people often do is drive their voice from their throat,” said Lana. “Singing teachers will often ask me to help their students release throat tension. What singers need to do is drop their breath into their lower lungs or abdominal area. They can then power their voice from there, ease it through their throat and then the sound comes up and forward into their mouth.”

As you can tell, these changes take time and practice to master, as well as professional support. But it’s well worth the effort and can not only benefit your singing, but also help you to maintain a strong and stable speaking voice in other areas of your life.

It has certainly helped Kathleen as a singing teacher. What she learnt from her sessions with a speech pathologist still holds her in good stead today, especially on those days when she has a 9-hour stretch of lessons!

You can visit Kathleen’s website here:http://www.kathleenconnell.com.au/

Warming up your voice is fundamental to optimise your voice quality throughout your day.  Try my voice warm up every morning whilst you are in the shower or before an important speaking engagement and hear and feel the results.  All you need is 3 minutes.

• Blow raspberries/ bubbles for 1 minute gradually varying the pitch up and down. If you find this difficult, prolong the sound ‘m’ (like humming) feeling the vibration forward in your nose and mouth, gradually varying the pitch up and down.  This technique places your voice forward in your mouth.

• Laugh aloud or giggle heartily for 1 minute. This technique opens the throat.

• Siren with your tongue pulled back in the ‘ng’ position (the last sound in the word ‘sing’) up and down your pitch range, lightly and quietly. Keep it going for 1 minute.  This technique elongates and shortens the vocal folds.

As you practice each of these steps, pause and take a breath whenever you need to.  Practice in any order.  After 3 minutes you should be feeling vocally warmed up and ready to perform!!

You can practice the same exercises for a either a singing or speaking voice warm up.

Stuttering is a speech disorder that causes interruptions in the rhythm or flow of speech. It affects more males than females and usually begins in childhood.  Stuttering may vary across the lifespan with changes in type and severity and may increase or decrease or seem to go away for periods of time.  It also tends to run in families.

There are many theories and popular beliefs about what causes stuttering.  Despite extensive brain and behavioural research into stuttering over the past 50 years, the exact cause still remains unknown. Stuttering is thought to be a physical disorder and importantly not thought to be caused by psychological or psychiatric factors such as nervousness, anxiety, stress or self-esteem issues (except in rare cases).

Interestingly, bilingual speakers or people who speak multiple languages and who stutter, commonly report that their stutter is more apparent in their first (dominant) language.  This may have something to do with the relative automaticity of the first language which does not occur until they have reached greater proficiency with subsequent languages.

We also know that when people who stutter, speak using an accent or in a way that is not their usual style, when they sing or when they speak on their own, without an audience, they may not stutter at all.  Some actors or singers who stutter when they speak in their normal voices, may not stutter at all when they speak in the voice or accent of their character, or when they sing. I recommend watching Megan Washington’s TED talk about her ability to sing fluently although she stutters when she speaks. Here’s the link:

What can be done?  Clinical trials show that ‘speech restructuring’ is the most effective treatment for adults who stutter.  This involves using a novel speech pattern to control stuttering, aiming to sound as natural as possible.  Speech Pathologists help clients learn the pattern which starts as a slow drawl and moves towards ever more natural sounding fluent speech.  Have a listen to some examples of the slow pattern used initially in the training model for the Camperdown Program, an Australian speech restructuring program.  If you have a stutter, try and imitate it.  Does it feel like you have more control of your speech?  Here’s the link:

http://sydney.edu.au/health-sciences/asrc/downloads/index.shtml

Lana specialises in helping adolescents and adults who stutter using this and other treatment approaches.  Get in touch.

Good communicators think before they speak and monitor what they say as they speak.  This is the key to you eliminating these pesky words, to mastering an effective speaking style that helps you to project an air of confidence and achieve clarity of message.  Here are some tips to significantly reduce your use of fillers when you speak:

• To get started, challenge yourself and record your voice (likely using the voice recorder on your smart phone or other device) when you are speaking on another phone or in conversation with someone face-to-face. Listen back to the recording and establish when, where and which fillers you use.  Now at least you have some data to help you set more specific goals.  Write down that/ those goals and set a time-frame.

• Next, choose a topic and talk to yourself (without an audience) for 1-3 minutes focusing on slowing your speech and eliminating the fillers. Add some pauses between your ideas and feel comfortable with the silence.  Record yourself and listen back.

• Now you’re ready for ‘real world’ practice. Choose short, easy-going and slow-paced conversations, either face-to-face or on the phone and focus on avoiding the fillers.  Listen to yourself as you speak so that you monitor the words as you say them.  If you notice a filler, just keep talking but try next time to stop yourself saying it.  Add pauses with silence.

• Gradually build up to longer, faster, more complex and stressful conversations or presentations with multiple listeners. Remind yourself as you go into each situation about your goal.

• Ask other people to give you feedback about your use of a particular filler at a time you specify.

• Choose a ‘speech buddy’ or someone you have regular contact with during the day, for example a colleague, who you can focus on achieving your goal every time you speak with them. They don’t need to know you have chosen them.  Choose someone at work and at home.

• Keep up the regular recordings to track your progress and keep your focus on your goal!

Your voice is like a musical instrument that needs to be handled with care and maintained to ensure its long-term optimum performance – whatever your age.  Your voice is vital to maintain your livelihood, your relationships, your connections to society and your wellbeing.  Looking after your voice is paramount.

Here are 10 actions you need to take today, and every day, to keep your vocal instrument healthy and performing well:

1. Let go of neck, shoulder or throat tension
2. Speak gently with little effort, especially in the throat
3. Keep your throat moist by sipping water frequently throughout the day to hydrate your whole body
4. Swallow or sip water instead of clearing your throat or coughing
5. Avoid prolonged periods of loud talking, screaming or shouting
6. Turn down or move away from background noise
7. Support your voice by using hand gestures over noise
8. Don’t smoke, avoid other peoples’ smoke and avoid recreational drugs such as cocaine
9. Rest your voice or limit your talking if you have a cold or sore throat
10. If your voice feels tired, rest it!

Slow Your Speech Rate

English pronunciation is compromised in most fast speakers, even native speakers.  Is your speech rate generally fast and/or do you speed up when you are under pressure or speak with certain people?  Listen to news readers, radio announcers, politicians, senior business people, all of whom are in the business of communicating.  Most of them speak using a moderate speech rate and as a result, we do not have to listen too hard to understand their message.

Start your practice by reading aloud at a moderate rate (like a newsreader).  Add in appropriate pauses between your ideas.  Record yourself using the voice recorder you likely have on your smart phone.  Move this practice into monologue contexts where you can choose a topic and talk to yourself for several minutes.  Record yourself again and judge your performance.  Could you speak at that pace in the ‘real-world’?  Next try and integrate this practice into everyday conversations, face-to-face and on the phone for longer periods.

Work the Final Consonants

Consonants are sounds such as ‘m’, ‘p’, ‘ch’, s’.  Making these sounds clearer at the ends of words in English, means it is easier for the human ear to hear individual words and listeners do not have to work so hard to decipher your message.

Start your practice using a highlighter pen to mark the consonants at the ends of words in a piece of written text, for example a short newspaper article.  Then try reading it aloud, working your lips and tongue harder when you come to one of the highlighted sounds to pronounce the final consonants clearly.  It is OK at this point if it sounds a little over done.  Now see if you can do the same thing with a piece of unmarked text.  Then move into monologue and conversation practice as above.  Combine the slow pace with the clear final consonants and record yourself. Continue to focus your efforts to integrate these objectives into more and more everyday speaking contexts.

Open your Mouth

Opening your mouth by dropping your lower jaw and increasing the space between your teeth when you speak adds clarity to English pronunciation and helps you to project your voice.  Fast speech rate will make this more difficult so you may need to work on step 1 above first.

Start your practice by doing five wide mouth opens that you can hold for five seconds each.  This will stretch out your masseter muscles that open and close your mouth.  Try reading newspaper headlines or say some short phrases and open your mouth a little more at the places it naturally opens.   This will happen more on the vowels and diphthongs (gliding two vowel combinations), for example ‘ay’, ‘or’, ‘ah’.  Use a mirror to check that you are achieving greater opening and allay your fears that it might look a little odd to people you speak with.  Again, move your practice into reading aloud, monologue and conversation.  Keep focused in everyday contexts for example when ordering your lunch, asking a colleague a question, making a comment in a meeting.  Then work at combining all three strategies and keep up the practice.  With diligent, daily practice and focus in everyday contexts you will be well underway to polishing your English pronunciation.