If your shoulders and chest rise when you inhale, you are breathing using only your lungs, which prevents proper projection. [2] X Research source
Yawn to open your chest and larynx. Big yawns help us open up our chest to facilitate a deep breath. Stretch your torso while you do it, and make big vowel sounds as you expel the breath to practice projecting as you speak. Laugh. There’s a reason a good laugh is referred to as a “gut buster. ” Laughing is a function performed by diaphragm, and is a fun way to practice the deep breaths necessary to project your voice. Laugh heartily, using big open vowel sounds as you expel your breath. Alternatively, laugh with your mouth closed. This makes it harder to use only the breath in your chest so you learn to utilize the diaphragm instead. Count or say whole sentences in a single breath. The higher the number you reach or the longer the sentence, the more you will need to use your diaphragm to support it. [3] X Research source
Pay attention to how you pronounce words ending in ‘ing’ like driving, drinking, or working. Say them out loud. Did you pronounce them as ‘driv-in’, ‘drink-in’, and ‘work-in’? Failing to enunciate the last syllable of the word causes you to mumble which inhibits voice projection. [6] X Research source Actors in Shakespearean plays–who need to project their voices across auditoriums–are known to enunciate so much that they actually spit on the first few rows! Enunciation to this degree is unnecessary, but exaggerated enunciation will definitely help your audience understand what you are saying. [7] X Research source
Stretch your cheeks to open your mouth as wide as possible, then smile as big as you can. To exercise your tongue, practice rolling your R’s.
Stand straight with your chin up and shoulders back to project your voice out to the audience. Sitting can make voice projection more difficult, so proper posture is critical. Make sure to sit towards the front edge of your chair with your back as straight and elongated as possible. Pretend there is a string at the top of your head holding it up and straight.
Imagine that your throat and mouth are huge, as big as the room you’re speaking in. This will help the muscles inside your throat pull away and relax as they do when you yawn, so a bigger voice can emerge.
