Public Speaking

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.

If you are looking for de real tips and “secrets” for speaking well and especially making yourself understood, you have finally found them. 

If you have already tried to educate yourself on this topic, you have surely noticed the repetition of solutions and explanations that have nothing to do with “speaking,” that is, using your voice, and especially with making sure that you have been understood: you will have found more tricks and wiles that do not consider at all the way you speak.

Every time we meet someone new, we put them through a kind of “evaluation” through all our senses. Contrary to popular belief, the information we gather through our eyes are not the most important. No wonder it is said that “the clothes do not make the man.” The most important information actually comes from our ears and the interaction that takes place during the meeting. The same happens not only on a personal level, but also on a social, romantic and especially on a work level. In fact, when we show up for a job interview, what may be mistaken for a simple chat is a truly this kind of meeting. So what is the assessment session that Inborn Voice offers?

Milena Origgi is one of more than 100 CEOs who have decided to volunteer their time and international experience to shape and mold a number of women who have set their sights on becoming leaders in their field. Among the initiative’s godmothers, in addition to Mylena Vocal Coach, we also find prominent influencers such as Clio Zammatteo.

Who doesn’t dread the moment when someone, perhaps during a job interview, asks you to briefly introduce yourself? 

Yet, the subject we are asked about is the one we should know better than any other: ourselves. 

Out of the thousands of things you could say, which could be the most interesting to make an impression? Surely the key point is just how to start a kick-off speech. 

This first step will define your personality, at least for your interviewer: the employer. 

What is the mistake to absolutely avoid during a job interview? Do not repeat what you have already written in your Curriculum Vitae, partly because it has already been evaluated before the face-to-face meeting, so it is important to add new information that on paper may not transpire.