Lately, I've been obsessed with a variety of accents and tones of voice since they have different melodies and rhythms as I can feel them. We may talk about the beauty or attractiveness of each accent but the beauty itself is abstract. We can't have a grasp of our voice but it's deeply linked to our state of mind. It also displays a perfect fusion of our emotions and thoughts. Generally speaking, if you are frightened or intimidated by some kind of unpleasant situation like you get startled by the silly prank of a little kid or in the worst-case scenario, you might be chased down in a quiet street by a creepy stranger, your voice will definitely be cracked with panic and your breath will be shallow as if you are choking up on oxygen. The point is that our voice is remarkably complex and diverse even though we normally think that we have a regular pace and pitch. Depending on the situation we are in or the people we interact with, our moods and attitude shift our voice in a way that seems uncontrollable or changed back to our normal voice.
There are a lot of times when intense emotions wash over me to the point that even the simplest questions catch me off guard. In this case, I try to navigate the awkward silence by changing the subject or coming up with something to ask but oftentimes, words fail me. One of my worst nightmares would be getting up on the stage and delivering a speech or a presentation while maintaining eye contact with hundreds of people whose stares are fixed on me. Having said that, why do some people manage those nerve-wracking situations very well? Are there any secret ingredients for their vocal control or communication skills? I'm not an expert at this so, I don't have concrete answers for this. But, what I believe is that our voice can be developed and kept under the control by using the right methods at any time.
Breathing exercise is a go-to for a lot of people as we all know that it has the power to calm down our nervous system and generate positive feelings. To my surprise, it is capable of affecting our voice quality drastically. As I mentioned above, your shaky voice and trembling body gestures will not certainly serve you well even if you have lots of good ideas to share. The quick fix is taking at least one minute to five minutes prior to the social setting, breathing in and out, and then, setting your attention on the present moment. Don't let it get sidetracked into your intrusive thoughts or any other time period. You will start to feel the mental weight off your mind. Then, you are all set to express yourself. There is another exercise we all can do is physical activity before walking on the stage in a crowded social event. Unlike vigorous exercise that one might normally do at the gym or their home, short physical warming up exercises can regulate our blood pressure and produce endorphins which is one of the feel-good brain chemicals that improve our mood and reduce anxiety-inducing thoughts. These are the two quick exercises that I would like to consider to deal with the panicky voice as well as nervous body movements.
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I like your advice. I'll definitely try them out the next time I'll present something because at that time I feel exactly how you described it. I see how your vocabulary range is expanding. You used a lot of new words and almost never repeated them. Well done! Seems like there's gonna be another part, so I'm looking forward to reading it.
You should try them before a meeting with some native speakers :) It's a form of relaxation. If your mind and body are at ease, there is nothing that can stop you from speaking naturally and calmly.