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Ahead of the Italian Song Festival, San Remo, I always get interviewed by some reporter looking for some tips for their readers. This time it is the turn of Oggi, which presents 5 tips to keep your voice from aging.

Here is an excerpt; you can read the entire article in Oggi Number 5, Feb. 2, 2023.

Taking care of the voice is not just for singers. Vocal cords suffer from the wear and tear of time, cold, dry environments and irritating foods. To keep them in shape, follow 5 tips inspired by the routines of artists and vocal coaches.

No to icy or hot drinks. Let’s dispel the myth of hot milk with honey: milk increases mucus production and heat dilates the tissues of the vocal cords. Cold, on the other hand, makes them contract too much. Either way, the voice suffers. Hydrating the vocal cords is essential, explains vocal coach Milena Origgi: “Drinking water goes down the esophagus and does not touch the vocal cords, which are in the larynx. But at least two liters of water a day hydrates them from the inside.” 

Little “singers’ herb.” Sore throat lozenges made from erismus, the so-called “singers’ herb,” act as an anesthetic: reducing pain, they give the perception of speaking or singing better, but they lead to straining the voice. No alcohol (and no smoking). Alcohol dehydrates the vocal cords, affects their tone and, by producing a brief vasodilation, gives the il- lusion of having a warm apparatus. If one “warms” the voice by drinking, after a few minutes of speaking or singing there will already be a need to clear the voice.

What is meant by the term diction? What does diction teach and why is it important to have good diction?

Before answering these questions, let’s start with an important premise: the key to any form of communication is the integral reception of the message you want to send.

Just as good calligraphy serves to make a handwritten message easier to read, good articulation and pronunciation serve to make an oral message fluid and more understandable.

It should be understood early on that diction in the strict sense is only an embellishment, an element that facilitates communication, and not a substantial part of it.

Virtually everyone, at least once in their lives, has experienced the excitement of having to speak in front of a small or large audience. A birthday, an exam, a job interview. Some have been shocked, others thrilled. A lot has probably changed since that first time, and if you are looking for answers related to public speaking, you probably belong to the former category.

Don’t worry, here at Inborn Voice we help hundreds of people just like you every day who are wondering how to learn public speaking, where it is possible to take one of our courses, or how to speak in public without getting flustered. We would like to say right away that our approach differs substantially from that of the mainstream. In fact, for us it is more important, indeed fundamental, to make yourself understood by everyone: no one else will educate you on how to make yourself understood, how to deliver your message with authenticity.

Anyone can experience a “stage fright” which is the fear of facing an audience or public.

What was once referred to as “stage fright” or “rookie panic,” today is referred to as “microphone panic” because it is an element that usually connects all of these events.

It happens all the time to actors, singers and entertainment professionals, even those who don’t even have to speak, like dancers or extras.

It is something that has existed since the dawn of time: we can read of similar episodes already in the accounts of the ancient Greeks and Romans, the “creators” of Theater and Oratory.

Every artist has faced this problem at least once in his or her career. In fact, as Mylena Vocal Coach says, stage fright goes hand in hand with the desire to express oneself and communicate in the best possible way.

Philosophy, psychology, and common sense have tried to give some kind of explanation as to why when we are in an altered state of aggression, fear, or joy, we tend to raise the volume of our voice disproportionately.

First of all, it is appropriate not to consider behaviors that may very well be “transmitted” or acquired by observing others. Certainly those who grew up in an aggressive environment may have learned that to intimidate people it is sufficient to raise the volume of the voice. A bit like howler monkeys, the one who screams the loudest usually has the upper hand not because his voice overpowers the others, but because typically those who have learned to use their voice aggressively have done so as a passive subject subject to the aggression of someone else and know perfectly well that it is good to be quiet and not respond when someone attacks us with words.