ABSTRACT
We use our voices every day and rarely give thought to how to take care of them. Only when problems emerge do we begin to wonder what we are doing wrong. It is worth reading this section even if you haven’t encountered these problems yet – it will give you some tips for looking after your voice. People always seem to want advice about what to eat and drink before a broadcast, and I have included some suggestions based on the collective wisdom of other voice specialists and broadcasters. Please do not imagine though that we are all so saintly that we never allow diary products to pass our lips, never sip a glass of wine, or have never taken a puff on a cigarette in our lives. We may know that these things are not good for our voices, but we are after all human. My own belief is that most voice problems are caused by poor posture and tight breathing, so the best way of looking after your voice is to look at the way you are using your body to produce it, in the widest possible sense. Changing your diet may help solve some problems for some people, but it cannot strengthen a weak voice in the way that changing your posture can. You should never feel that you have to push your voice to give it power – power comes from relaxed body use and deeper breathing. Forcing your voice leads
only to vocal cord damage. So please bear in mind the advice in Chapters 2 and 4, if you want a healthy voice.
