Care of the Professional Voice: A Management Guide for Singers, Actors and Professional Voice Users

'This remarkable book shows a real knowledge of the unique fear and stress performers feel for their voice, and it gives them invaluable advice on understanding and caring for it more effectively.
Patsy Rodenberg, Head of Voice, Royal National The

An extremely readable, interesting book, which has opened my eyes to the number of factors that affect one's voice. Lots of good, expert advice, very well worth knowing.
Kiri Te Kanawa

Mr Garfield Davies (co-author of Care of the Professional Voice) has great sympathy for those of us faced with getting our point across authoritatively, brightly and clearly at business meetings, speaking engagements or from the conference platform. His specialty is looking after professional voice users who include opera singers and actors. In this context he heads the Voice Department of the London Clinic which has sophisticated equipment for the investigation of voice disorders. For those of us not required to hit high notes but profit targets he maintains that many of the same problems and remedies apply. 'Stress, muscle tension, diet, routine, exercise, sleep all play a part in the way we sound' says Dr Davies. 'It is so easy to aggravate our vocal folds (the correct term for vocal cords) and the damage done will certainly cause instant problems. Often a business schedule will include a meeting/dinner on the evening of arrival. Many people will find that their voices are already slightly strained from the dryness of conditioned air, perhaps the necessity to talk for hours to a colleague on the plane, and the general stress of preparing for a meeting. To help overcome this I suggest that, before retiring for the night, you run a bath of very hot water and let the steam drift into the bedroom, helping to gently moisten the throat, and also use a simple salt water spray for the nose.

The late night dinner can have a devastating effect on the early morning voice. It is is really unavoidable then opt for non-spicy foods and steer clear of spirits, coffee, tea, cola and chocolate.' If the ultimate sacrifice is called for - a visit to a karaoke bar - something which causes Garfield Davies to shake his head mournfully, then the Mick Jagger stance of head flung back and the microphone held high is definately to be avoided. The voice just can't take it. You don't have to be 'Ol' Blue Eyes' to emulate the crooner and speak softly into the mike. It may not win you a recording contract but is could well protect your voice sufficiently to win the presentation the following morning. Simple, everyday habits like clearing the throat, coughing, talking loudly for any length of time will all cause distress to our long-suffering vocal folds, they must be treated gently and they will respond far better to us if we are relaxed in the first place. Neck and shoulder tension, often the result of stress and anxiety, will cause the voice to lose resonance. The best treatment for pre-presentation stress is preparation, preparation, preparation. Someone confident of their subject will be far more relaxed and sound more convincing. Garfield Davies advocates the clever use of the question break which can be vastly beneficial to someone whose voice is flagging. It may only buy 30 seconds or so but even that can help and give a chance for a sip of water. Always have a glass handy, a dry throat is not a happy throat.

Speed', he says, 'is another trap for speakers. No matter how slowly you begin to speak there is no doubt that you will speed up as you go along. Pacing is all important and we should not try to get too much mileage out of one breath, something which is a symptom of nervousness. Speak as if you are reading, take a breath after a comma or any punctuation mark. Use short phrases, and never, ever speak as you take in breath rather than as you exhale. A well-prepared, well-practised speaker will not sound nervous, can relax into their subject and forget about the stress that surrounded the weeks of preparation beforehand.' In a world which is getting ever noisier with restaurants, the business travellers' second office, being a top offender, one of the main things a business speaker should avoid is, you guessed it, noise. Trying to compete with extraneous sounds means we have to raise our voices, if we raise our voices they hurt and we strain them, if we strain them they will not perform as well as they should. Here's an ambassadorial hint courtesy of Garfield Davies. 'Wherever my patient went he had to attend receptions and parties, all buzzing with noise he always chose his own timing. So he arrived early and left early. Duty was done at a time when things were quieter and the ambassadorial tones were saves for another round of talks.
Extract from Business Life, April 1999