Berne Media Enterprises BLOG Are Allergies Hurting Your Voice?

Are Allergies Hurting Your Voice?

Here’s a neat trick to combat allergies: Strip it! That’s right, it’s a little trick I’ve learned over the years as an audiobook reader, which has helped me maintain the quality of my read during the height of allergy season. And one I will share in today’s blog.

If you’re a speaker or a voice over artist, you know how frustrating it can be to get congested because of allergies, and have that affect the quality of your speech.  You get to your voice over gig or audition, and all of a sudden you start getting congested and because of that, you sound all nasal.  Here’s a quick fix for this: use a nose strip!  Within minutes of putting it on, you will notice how you’re able to breathe easier, and how you’ll sound more like your normal self.

I’m using this neat trick right now, as I’m voicing the audiobook version book “La Fiesta Del Chivo,” by the Nobel Literature Prize winning author Mario Vargas Llosa.  One note: I don’t start the session with the nose strip on.  It’s only when I notice that I start sounding congested and nasal, that I put it on.

And for speakers, while the above might work well for a teleclass or a radio interview, what do you do when you’re in front of an audience?  Here’s what you do: give yourself extra time before your engagement to use a Neti Pot to irrigate your nostrils and have some Green Tea with honey. The Neti Pot will clear your nasal passages and the hot Green Tea will loosen all the muscles in your mouth and nose and allow for easier breathing.
Try these tricks for yourself the next time you feel congested before a Voice Over gig or speaking engagement and please share your experience in the comments section.

And until next time, may “The Voice” be with you and thanks for spreading the word!

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