Breath and support

Breathe low and speak on the out-breath, so a sentence never runs out. Lesson 24 of 70: Articulation, every level.

Breathe low

• Most nervous speakers breathe high, into the chest and shoulders: short breaths, a tight throat and a voice that wobbles. Breathe low instead: put a hand on your stomach and feel it move out as you breathe in, and in as you speak. That is the diaphragm doing the work, and it gives a steady, relaxed voice.
• In for four… and speak on the way out. (Speak on the out-breath)

Speak on the out-breath, and plan the breaths

• Take a breath before you start, not after the first word. Speak a thought group on one breath, then breathe again at the natural pause. Running out of air at the end of a sentence is why last words go quiet and get lost: breathe more often, not more deeply.
• A long sentence is easier to say well as two short ones.
• The results are good. / The question now / is what we do next. (A breath at each slash)
• Tip: If your voice shakes, slow your out-breath. It is almost always breath, not nerves, that you hear.

Lines to have ready

• Let me take a breath and start again. (A calm reset)
• The short answer is yes. (One breath, one thought)
• Here is what I suggest. (A clean start on a fresh breath)
• Thank you. Any questions? (Landing on the out-breath)

Your turn to speak

• Choose a paragraph from something you are reading. Mark a slash wherever you will breathe, then read it aloud and record it, breathing only at your slashes. Listen back: did any sentence fade at the end?
• I marked my breaths before reading
• I breathed low, not into my shoulders
• No sentence faded at the end

Related

• Lesson 23: The five-minute warm-up
• Lesson 25: Projection without shouting
• The whole English course

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