How to Develop the Perfect Voice for Effective Communication?

Miroslav Czadek
Nov 23, 2020
5 min read

One of the primary tools of effective personal communication is your voice.

Together with techniques for gaining physical and emotional confidence, clarity, and dynamic presence, I’ve prepared several tips from voice coach Roger Love. I personally recommend buying his program The Perfect Voice, which will take you further. His techniques will help you significantly improve voice quality, balance your voice, movement, and energy so that you can easily and exceptionally effectively express your intentions and purpose.

So stop paying attention to the nonsense people around you push into your head and look at the following examples that actually help!

Start with the Basics

It’s best to begin with the basics of proper breathing, maintaining good posture, and drinking plenty of fluids.

Belly Breathing

Use the diaphragm when breathing, because this is how you control the airflow coming out of your mouth as you speak.

It’s important to breathe into the belly and limit chest movement.
Always inhale only through the nose.

If you can control airflow, you can also control the sound when you speak.

Speak only when air is flowing out!

When you speak, you should create a continuous stream of air flowing out of your mouth.
The air should come out as you press your belly back in.
Practice diaphragmatic breathing and speak only when your belly moves inward.
Inhale through your nose and then slowly exhale through your mouth.

Maintain Good Posture

Stand or sit upright and don’t slouch, otherwise you’ll restrict airflow.

The water you drank the day before helps you the next day!

Drink lots of water!

Almost 2 liters a day!

Common Mistakes People Make:

Using so-called upper-chest breathing
Continuing to speak after they run out of air and trying to force the last words out — it sounds terrible
Creating tension in the upper belly
Holding in air and trying to make it last longerr.

The Three Voices in the Human Voice.

When the chest voice and head voice combine, they create the perfect modal voice.

Head voice: placed above the normal speaking voice
Chest voice: lower, where everyday speech takes place
Modal voice: a specific combination of the two above; the most common register for speaking and singing. When pitch rises in this register, the vocal cords stretch, tension increases, and the edges thin out.

See for more information: vocal register

Voice Types

Six main expressive vocal types that appear in almost everyone:

The Nasal Professor – everything is in the nose. Many misunderstand how and why voices sound nasal. Part of it is true: as pitch rises, some air travels below the oral cavity wall and some above the soft palate into the nasal area.

“THE ROCKY BALBOA” – the opposite of the nasal professor. Happens when too little air enters the nose. Think Sylvester Stallone in Rocky: a low, blocked nasal tone - likely the result of a boxing punch. You may have mild nasal tones without realizing it until you hear your voice recorded.

The Creaky Hinge – a rough, gravelly sound. Speech starts strong but becomes coarse as you continue—like crumpling paper. This irritates the vocal cords, making them red and swollen.

Marilyn - reminiscent of Marilyn Monroe’s breathy tones. Very demanding on the vocal cords.

BIG BRASS - say “braaaaass” and hold the “aaa.” You’ll likely get a tone with too much extra noise. Under the right conditions, this vibration becomes the foundation of a wonderfully resonant tone.

The Gravel Voice – like Louis Armstrong. Throaty, raspy, crackly. This damages the vocal cords. Even a few seconds can cause pain and swelling.

Recommended Voice Exercises to Develop the Voice

A. Belly Breathing Exercise

Many people are afraid to breathe into the belly and hold tension there because they don’t want to look like they have a big stomach.
Let go of that fear!
Exhale from the belly and let the air flow out like a very soft, slow whistle.
Let a little air escape without pressing on the stomach.

B. Birthday Candle Exercise

Imagine a birthday cake in front of you with candles.
Blow them out one by one, pushing your belly inward with each exhale.
Avoid any tension in your belly — let it come and then relax…….

C. Fingers-and-Air Exercise

Place your hand in front of your mouth and speak.
Air should not come out in bursts but smoothly and without obstruction.
Roger Love uses “I need to connect all my words together,” but you can say anything you like.

D. Speak Low and Adjust the Larynx

Find your Adam’s apple. The larynx (“vocal cords”) is just behind it.
Swallow — it should rise.
When speaking, the larynx SHOULD NOT rise, as it restricts your sound.
Place your finger on your Adam’s apple and speak. It shouldn’t move more than a quarter to a third of an inch - not like when swallowing.

This can be corrected with low-larynx exercises like:

Repeat “mama” in a Yogi Bear or Sylvester Stallone voice
Repeat “mama, mama, mama” in a low tone

E. Volume Exercise

To increase volume, simply let more air out of your mouth.
Place your hand in front of your mouth and count from 1 to 10, making sure more air flows with each number.
But it shouldn’t be breathy (like Marilyn Monroe) — it should be a full voice.
To ensure vocal cord activation, repeat “caaaaaant” until you feel vibration at the back of your throat.

F. Pitch Exercise

To restore pitch, say “yes” and continue into “ooo.
”Place your fingers on your belly under your ribcage and press quickly.
Your “ooo” should start vibrating up and down.
Then try staying on a high tone and move down the scale.

G. Mouth Physiology

Some of us smile or spread our mouths too wide when pronouncing certain words (especially “e”).
Smiling pushes air into the nasal cavity and makes the voice sound worse.
To correct this, place your index fingers on both corners of your mouth and press inward as if wiping your lips.
Speak like this and recite the alphabet.
You don’t need to smile to say “e.”
Say “u,” hold your mouth in that shape, then say “e.”