When you read something in your head, you can skim and rush over words and your mind gives it no second thought. However, speaking something out loud at the same pace you would read it in your head doesn’t work well. Your sentences might get faster and faster until you have to stop and heave for breath. Don’t let your hastiness to continue hinder your ability to speak clearly. [3] X Research source
Try to pace yourself. If you are reading a short poem it’s fine to move along at a slightly quicker pace. On the other hand, if you are reading a novel out loud, reading too quickly can easily misconstrue the action and confuse the listener. [4] X Research source Don’t overdo it or you will risk boring your audience. Speak with firmness, but with a light tone.
Relaxing your ribcage doesn’t mean you can slump your shoulders. Instead, pull them back.
As you get more comfortable reading something short (like a sonnet) out loud, you can gradually increase your time reading aloud by choosing longer pieces and reading out loud for longer periods. This step-up method will help you get better at reading out loud by practicing over time.
Try drinking water instead. Hydrating your throat will have a much more beneficial effect than dehydrating it with caffeine.
This includes lemonade and orange juice. Instead, try drinking pineapple juice. It doesn’t have the citrus content that orange juice does, but it still contains the vitamin C boost you’re looking for. Pineapple juice can also be very soothing for your throat.
Avoid talking unnecessarily. Don’t call your mom for a long chat right before you need to read out loud for a long period of time. Let your voice rest until you need to use it.
When you are in a standing position, place your hands on your throat and speak normally so that you can notice any tenseness that occurs during your regular speech. Also pay attention to any tightness in your jaw. Open your mouth wide and yawn. As you finish yawning, say out loud “ho-hum,” drawing out the last syllable of the phrase for a few seconds. Let your jaw hang as loose as it can with your mouth still closed and move your jaw from side to side while you continue humming with your lips closed. Repeat the yawning and humming. Pay attention to how your throat muscles feel. They should be more relaxed and feel less strained. Hold on to this feeling of looseness and move on with the vocal exercise by repeating the following words: “hang, harm, lane, main, lone, loom. ” Exaggerate your mouth and jaw movements as you say the words. Open your mouth wide and drop your jaw as loosely as possible. If your throat feels tired, stop the exercise and yawn again. Knead the muscles in your throat with your fingers to help get rid of any residual tightness. Drop your jaw and relax your throat as you repeat the following sounds: “nah, nay, nee, no, noo. ” Exaggerate the length of the sounds.
Take a few minutes to hum a tune. It can be a silly one like “The Wheels on the Bus” or any song of your choosing. Run your voice through some scales – like “do re mi fa so la ti do. ” Imagine you are chewing gum and take your mouth and jaw through the motions. Chew slowly and softly to help loosen up your jaw muscles. Swish your tongue around inside your mouth. This can help loosen your tongue and relieve some of the tension that often builds up in the back of your tongue.
Exhale all of the air from your lungs and continue pushing the air out even after you feel like it’s totally gone. When you can’t exhale anymore, your body will automatically inhale. Breathe in deeply and notice how the air rushes in. Repeat this step three more times. Exhale normally and take a typical inhale breath, but one that does not fill up your lungs completely. Hold the air in for fifteen seconds and then exhale slowly. Repeat this exercise several times. As you continue with this exercise over a period of weeks, gradually increase your holding time from fifteen seconds to twenty, then to thirty seconds. You can even go up to 45 seconds if it is not too uncomfortable for you. While standing upright, inhale five times with short gasps through your open mouth. This will force you to use your diaphragm. Exhale in five quick puffs of air. Repeat this process, but inhale and exhale the gasps of air through your nose.
