Just wanted to share this with you. Maybe it can help. There was this call for help:
Question: “I have a presentation tomorrow and lost my voice. What can I do? I can barely talk and it hurts, too. I sound like a horrible smoker mixed with a teenage boy, because my voice keeps cracking or going to a whisper. It’s kinda humiliating. I can’t present another time, it must be tomorrow. How can I make my voice better?”
Answer: Tough one. Been there. Not sure your profession, but if you know about vocal production you have a fall back.
If not, here are some “quick fixes”. Ha, not really, but I’m trying:
- You MUST take pressure off your throat. That means: Use your abdominals and intercostals (tummy muscles) like your life depended on it (maybe it does?). Using your tummy muscles (practice hissing s-s-s-s-s, and FEEL how your tummy muscles are working) will take pressure off your throat, and it will open more, ergo less stress there.
- You MUST speak (almost sing) “ABOVE” the throat, or where the discomfort is. That means imagine there being an arc over your ears, bypassing your entire throat. That one. Speak THERE. That could mean for practice you do some kind of sing-song on just vowels (always powered by your tummy muscles, never by your throat). Play with your voice. Pretend you’re someone else, and have a different voice. Find a spot that doesn’t hurt or cut out.
- Say a (silent, inward) prayer. Seriously. Give it up to a Higher power. If you’re supposed to speak, crash, or soar, the only way to do it right is to totally surrender and TRUST. There are no mistakes, only experiences that suck or rock, and both make us grow. Good luck, and enjoy whatever IS.
