One of the most annoying vocal characteristics also happens to be the easiest one to fix. I’m speaking now about the sound of nasality. We all have a friend or two that sound like they have colds all the time. They have a certain nasal quality, a cross between Jerry Lewis and a stuffed nose. We have gotten used to hearing people who speak like this, but it’s time to look at that particular sound and suggest a simple solution to fix it. Bottom line, when you hear someone speak that way, you are less interested in engaging in longer conversations, less attracted and generally feel less comfortable around them. They may be the nicest most intelligent people in the world, still the nasal sound is perceived as being abrasive, biting and not pretty. So why do so many people have a nasal voice? Is the world suddenly full of sinuses that are full? Do more people have colds? Is it allergy season all year long? Whatever the cause, the antidote is quite simple. If you have a nasal voice, we need to lower your larynx/Adams apple. Put your finger on your Adams apple and start to speak. If the Adams apple goes up more than a quarter of an inch, you are closing off your throat and sending too much sound into your nose, and sounding nasal. You need to practice lowering your tongue until you can make your Adams apple drop lower in your throat. Then you must learn to speak while you still keep the Adams apple down. That’s the way to open up the back part of the throat and not allow too much extra air to head toward the sinus area and make you sound nasal. All you have to do is to keep practicing keeping your larynx down. With the help of this voice therapy your nasality will be gone and you will sound round, warm, beautiful, strong and open.
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