By Deborah A. Genovesi, Accredited PR Veteran/Former TV Reporter

Hello all! I’ve shared these tips with many people over the years and know they’ll be helpful for many of you who are doing teleseminars, radio shows and speaking on stage.

My specialty is communications and branding, more specifically media and speaker training. I started as a TV reporter and then moved into corporate PR for 15+ years at global PR agencies in New York,Cleveland and Los Angeles.

These tips will make your voice sound its best and are great if you have a cold or allergies, or before any speaking engagement. I learned these as a reporter and find the tips helpful when I do voiceover work too.  In fact, I reported on-camera a few times with colds and even pneumonia (not recommended!) and you could barely tell because I used these tips!

Before you speak:

1. Green Apple: Eat a crisp green apple right before you go on. They’re slightly acidic and clear out all the “stuff” from your vocal chords. Voice-over studios have bowls of these around for just
this reason.

2. Nasal Spray: Use a few sprays of decongestant nasal spray to clear out sinuses right before you go on (I prefer Afrin).

3. No Dairy: Avoid dairy for several hours before a performance. It promotes mucus in your throat—which sounds disgusting and forces you to keep clearing your throat.

4. Hot Tea: When possible, keep very warm tea with lemon by your side and sip it often, as you are speaking. If you dislike tea, warm lemon water works.

5. Hydrate: Remember to HYDRATE—often! Your voice is like your skin—much prettier when you drink lots of water, especially when you are talking a lot. And alcohol is not your friend at a cocktail party, FYI. It dries out the throat and dehydrates you.

6. Breathe Deeply: You also may inhale some eucalyptus oil to open up your breathing passages. In a pinch, a menthol lozenge (like Hall’s) will help. You may not smell great but you will sound great!

Now go on and put your best voice out there!

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Deborah A. Genovesi, APR “Your Communications Copilot” is an accredited PR veteran and former TV reporter helping professional women become known as experts in their fields so they can attract ideal clients and increase income. Reach her at www.commscopilot.com.