Many of my accent reduction clients tell me that their accent gets worse when they feel nervous.

Even my clients who have made big improvements with their spoken English tell me they speak too fast, get hoarse, or stumble over their words when they’re nervous.

So what can you do to prepare for high-stakes speaking situations like key meetings, phone calls and negotiations?

Here are three easy-to-implement ideas.

1. Breathe

When people have to speak in front of a group (or even in a virtual meeting), they often get so nervous that they forget to breathe properly. Lack of proper breathing will not support a strong, pleasant voice.

When you feel nervous about speaking in “high risk” situations, be sure to take a deep breath. This will calm him down and give him the air he needs to support his best voice.

2. Warm up your voice

There are some easy exercises you can do to warm up your voice before you speak. These warm-up exercises will make your voice loud, help you focus your energy, and help you calm down.

One exercise is humming. Hmmmmmm… feel the vibration in the area of ​​the face mask between your mouth and nose. Humming will warm up your vocal chords and bring a nice resonance to your voice.

Breathe and hmmmmm!

You can even hum up and down the musical scale a few times. Just be sure to breathe from your diaphragm while doing this.

3. Lip flapping

I first read about lip flapping in Susan Berkley’s book, Talk to Influence. Then my voice teacher recommended that I do this to warm up my vocal cords before my Skype calls (I sound a bit froggy sometimes).

To do lip flutters, purse your lips and push out the air. Try to push the air out from your diaphragm, not from your mouth.

I love to do this vocal warm-up before talking to people… but my cat really hates it!

Once I started breathing, humming, and moving my lips before my Skype training sessions, my voice sounded louder and clearer. This in turn made me feel more confident and relaxed.

Try to warm up and calm down with these three simple voice tips the next time you have an important talk, meeting or presentation. They are sure to help you sound clearer and more confident when you speak.

As I often tell my clients, speaking at a slower pace and richer tones will make you sound more confident and in control.

Speaking in a loud, rapid voice will make you appear rushed and nervous. You don’t want to sound like that!