How to Change Your Voice | “I Want to Change My Voice”

Many clients have said to me, “I want to change my voice”. Not liking the sound of your own voice is a common problem, which can be corrected with time and effort. In this lesson I will teach you a voice training exercise to improve the way your voice sounds.

“I Don’t Like My Voice Because…”

There are many different reasons for not liking the way your voice sounds. For example, your voice may sound too thick / shrill / gravelly / breathy / raspy.

All voices can be improved by doing regular vocal training exercises and speech practice. But for some people, this won’t be enough to bring the desired result of changing the voice. This is because a problem with the voice can be a manifestation of an underlying health condition or dietary issue.

The link between the sound of the voice and health issues is demonstrated by the example of a person with food allergies. Food allergies may result in a person having a ‘thick’ voice that is caused by excess mucus in the nasal passage. To remove the unpleasant thickness from their voice, the food causing the allergic reaction must be eliminated from the diet.

“How Can I Change My Voice?”

Changing your voice is possible but it requires time, effort and lots of practice. It’s not possible to improve your voice merely by reading about how the voice works. You actually need to do the work or else your voice will not change.

To Change Your Voice, Record Yourself Speaking

Recording yourself and then reviewing the way that you sound by listening again is one of the best ways to improve the way your voice sounds. The point of recording yourself is so that you can listen again, which allows you to closely observe how your voice sounds. Over time you become really familiar with the sound of your own voice. Doing this allows you to observe the aspects of your speech that you would like to improve.

Whenever you listen to an audio recording of your voice, you should aim to give yourself constructive feedback. It’s a waste of energy to be self-critical about what you hear in your voice. It’s a much better use of your energy to focus on the potential improvements you can make to your voice. This is what helps you to stay motivated and enthusiastic about doing voice work.

“Changing My Voice Will Make Me More Confident”

When you don’t like the way your voice sounds, it can stop you from growing and fulfilling your potential. This is because your negative feelings about your voice may make you avoid speaking in public or situations in which your voice may be recorded.

People with communication blocks who have always struggled with issues related to speech and communication (such as shyness) will benefit greatly from recording themselves. This is because when you see or hear yourself in a recorded speech performance you may have an important realisation about the way you express yourself. This will lead to positive change, and feeling more confident about your speaking voice.

When you listen to recordings of your voice, there are many things you could discover. You might find that you are not as expressive as you had previously thought. You may realise that your speech is flat or boring. Having realisations like this makes you aware of how you sound to other people. This motivates you to change your voice by putting more effort into your speech.

Recording Yourself Should Be Fun!

Recording yourself is a useful method for changing your speaking voice as it allows you to experiment with your voice in a way that may not be possible in your everyday life. It’s a good idea to keep your voice work fun and interesting because it will help you maintain interest in what you are doing.

“To Change My Voice, I Have to Do Voice Exercises”

In order to change your voice, you will need to do physical voice training exercises. There are the type of exercises that professional actors do to improve their vocal resonance, breath and vocal power (voice projection). Doing vocal exercises like this regularly will improve the way your voice sounds.

Extend Your Learning

Many people don’t believe that it is possible to change one’s voice. In the video below, I talk about the reasons who this is incorrect. You can change your voice, by doing regular speech practice:

◼️ Learn a technique for Warming Up Your Voice via the National Theatre.

◼️ Download my Coaching Resource Pack