Coaches rely heavily on their voice to service clients. If you also give teleclasses or workshops, voice maintenance needs to be one of their top self-care priorities. This information also applies to singers, speakers, or sales professionals.
During flu and cold season, vocal cords become highly sensitized and need as much care as a valuable instrument. Think of your voice, and we should, as an expensive, rare violin. If you were going to play the violin the next day -- same relation as having a speaking engagement or a full day of coaching -- you wouldn't expose that violin to a night in a smoke filled room, lay cigars or pour alcohol all over it and expect it not to suffer from the abuse the next day.
Antibiotics don't help viral infections or laryngitis -- a common result from a viral infection caused from a cold or flu. Recently, I suffered got the flu and suffered from a severe case of laryngitis. I had to cancel a teleclass, lose a week of work, and almost a paid speaking engagement. The more I self-treated through media knowledge or recommendations, the worse the laryngitis got.
It took over 20 days before I improved and then two weeks later, it returned. After great frustration, I finally visited my ear, nose, and throat specialist, only to learn that everything I was trying was actually contributing the extended suffering. Let me pass along some of my learning so you don't need to go through this. Like me, some of it will surprise you.
Food and Beverages
Warm or hot beverages work best. Cold beverages with ice produces the voice center to spasm generating coughing that results in laryngitis. Stick to drinking room temperature water.
Black Currant Pastilles, which are glycerin-containing lozenges for adults, keeps the throat moist. Pastilles are perfect to take before, during, and after flying or traveling from one temperature extreme to another, say New York to Florida in winter. It is good to have these on hand since they are difficult to find. Many professional singers use Black Currant Pastilles 24 hours before their performance.
Avoid anything with mint or menthol.
Throat CoatŪ Tea, designed specifically for voice professionals, is rated higher than Pastilles. The tea contains licorice root, which is widely used to enhance throat and upper respiratory tract health. Any beverage that affects your stomachs acid level, like caffeine, will also affect your vocal cords. Caffeine is a mild diuretic and dries the throat and vocal cords. Coffee, including decaf, due to its natural oils causes acidic results that cause vocal damage. This includes chocolate. If you suffer from acid reflux disease, you need to take extra care of your voice since it cause permanent damage. Sodas also cause acid reflux and damages vocal cords.
With a cold or flu, we usually drink orange juice. This acidic beverage actually lengthens laryngitis. So does the amount of lemon you use in water. A tiny bit of lemon in warm water with a small amount of honey is a great elixir that actually smoothes the vocal cords.
Dairy increases throat mucus for some people. If after you drink milk, you feel even a little mucus in your throat, you probably have a very mild milk allergy. This will affect your vocal health and can length laryngitis. Nuts have the same allergy affect.
Common Causes of Voice Strain
It's common knowledge that shouting, screaming, and excessive talking strains voice cords. But, did you know that whispering, coughing, loud sneezing, crying, laughing, and throat clearing could do the same damage?
Emotional or environmental stress also causes voice strain. Especially major changes like separation/ divorce, new job, kids going off to college, grieving, not enough sleep, moving, and even hormonal changes in adolescents or maturing adults. If you add any of these with the need for a quality voice, you will need to take extra care in order not to bruise or damage your throat center or vocal cords.
Voice Maintenance
When experiencing laryngitis, limit unnecessary talking, and pause frequently to swallow and remoisten your throat, even during speaking engagements. Relaxation techniques, like yoga always help, yet conscious aware of your posture and breathing during speaking can save or further bruise voice projection especially if your voice is weak from a cold.
One of my favorite exercises that I do every morning or while driving to a speaking engagement is a vowel review. Stretch your neck comfortable upwards and recite the vowels -- a, e, i, o, u. Let your vowel trail off after each one especially the "u." If experiencing laryngitis avoid whispering. Whispering actually stresses vocal cords reducing recovery significantly. If you smoke or visit smoke-filled rooms, triple your maintenance plan, smoke is very damaging.
If you lose your voice, you will require additional rest time over a 4-7 day period. This means limiting your voice to 15 minutes a day. Looking on the bright side, listening skills will definitely improve. Keep phone calls brief; avoid all non-speech voice use, including throat clearing, coughing, and sneezing or any odd sound effects. Snoring also doubles strain.
Over-the-Counter
Even though they give brief relief, throat sprays and medicated lozenges dry the throat and extend recovery. If used for an emergency, you must follow with extreme care.
Herbs can also cause side effects. You will want to discuss their use with your doctor or herb practitioner. Herbs like barberry reduce inflammation and infection caused from respiratory infections, but can also cause an allergic reaction especially if already using another remedy. Herbs like eucalyptus, German chamomile, goldenrod, goldenseal, licorice, marshmallow, peppermint, saw palmetto, or slippery elm are remedies for vocal cord inflections. Adding garlic and ginger to your foods also reduce cold symptoms including sore throat and don't need professional advice.
Support Team
If your voice is vital to your income, you will want to have an ear, nose, and throat physician familiar with your medical history and working with singers. With an ongoing relationship, it's easier for them to provide advice when out of the area.
Last year, while experiencing a mild case of laryngitis, I saw my doctor before I left for a speaking engagement but I didn't know to mentioned I was traveling to a high elevation. By the time I checked in at the hotel, I was in bad shape. An emergency call and I was armed with new instructions. The next morning I was fine. Did you know that most taxi companies will pick up and deliver called-in prescriptions usually at the same rate as a cab ride?
(c) Copyright 2005, Catherine Franz. All rights reserved.
Catherine Franz, a eight-year Certified Professional Coach, Graduate of Coach University, Mastery University, editor of three ezines, columnist, author of thousands of articles website: http://www.abundancecenter.com blog: http://abundance.blogs.com
My name is Steve Brummet and my business is to... Read More
GOOD BUSINESS COACHING: Clearly, the right kind of coaching can... Read More
Whether it is irritability or unmitigated rage, anger is an... Read More
Being self-content means accepting and acknowledging who you are at... Read More
Do you have a self-development toolbox? Do you have a... Read More
How Do You Learn Something New?If you could learn fast... Read More
Three years ago, Paul left his corporate job to launch... Read More
Coaching is perhaps the most effective method of increasing performance... Read More
The intriguing Human psyche - more complex than the metamorphosing... Read More
Why are you in business? Hopefully you enjoy what you... Read More
I am remembering and have a desire to share with... Read More
In our daily lives as well as in our businesses,... Read More
Successful people have always had clear, focused goals that guide... Read More
People have a difficult time letting go of the past... Read More
Have you considered hiring a personal coach? Jack Canfield, in... Read More
Direct Answers - Column for the week of July 29,... Read More
The fear of saying something silly and feeling embarrassed stops... Read More
When Zack and Tiffany started counseling with me, they were... Read More
"There is a certain combination of desire and discipline in... Read More
If you feel the heat of burn-out, it is possible... Read More
You undoubtedly go through this, too. A few times a... Read More
Every 12 months, as the New-Year rolls around, we all... Read More
Suppose that the human mind is nothing more than a... Read More
In the 1950s Abraham Maslow published a book entitled "... Read More
Be conscious, aware, and alert. Pay attention. Remember when you... Read More
It does make you wonder sometimes, doesn't it? You know... Read More
Some people are not in a position to work with... Read More
Do you find yourself striving upward in life yet making... Read More
Knowing more about who you are will give you the... Read More
How many people do you know who, in January, enthusiastically... Read More
IntroductionThese days in corporate sector, everybody is talking about the... Read More
More and more people have less and less time, but... Read More
"Nothing is more practical than for people to deepen themselves.... Read More
How many people do you know who, in January, enthusiastically... Read More
No matter how wonderful you are sometimes other people will... Read More
The subject of positive self talk regarding our goals and... Read More
Knowing more about who you are will give you the... Read More
Every human feels anxiety on occasion; it is a part... Read More
If you've been around the Internet for more than two... Read More
When you feel self-conscious it means you are putting too... Read More
Most of us find coaching employees to be an effective,... Read More
Small talk used to be really hard work for me.... Read More
I'm almost always a calm and collected person. Or at... Read More
I thought I'd begin this article by stimulating your mind... Read More
When we are ill and don't know it, we are... Read More
Each and every day as we are building our businesses,... Read More
Preparation: If you desire advertising the group, announcements need to... Read More
"The meaning of life is that it stops." -Franz Kafka... Read More
Dogs distrust hot air balloons. I gathered this tidbit as... Read More
Updating my will has been on my mind for quite... Read More
Most people have no idea where their money goes. They... Read More
Do you feel you are in charge of your life... Read More
I am a "Loser". You're gonna learn from this writing... Read More
GOOD BUSINESS COACHING: Clearly, the right kind of coaching can... Read More
This article is for those of you who coach or... Read More
An recent article in Money Magazine said that "A coach... Read More
Often our clients refer someone to us for Executive Coaching... Read More
Nobody will stop you in the hallway at work to... Read More
You Are What You Listen ToCan music really help you... Read More
As a Master Certified Relationship Coach, I work with singles... Read More
One day when I was in school, many years ago,... Read More
Let me quote something you wrote. "When you reach the... Read More
Who is the Best Coach For Achieving Your Goals?A friend... Read More
An awful lot of fantastic coaching has been coming out... Read More
Ten years ago I was fortunate enough to be heavily... Read More
I'm calling you out. Issuing a Challenge. Relax, It's not... Read More
Coaching |