Can a Candidate's Voice Win an Election?

A political candidate's voice is one of their most powerful tools of persuasion. Here are 10 tips to help candidates protect and empower their voice, and keep it working through a tough and stressful campaign.

(PRWEB) February 16, 2004 --The campaign trail is paved with incredible stress and pressure-on candidates' bodies and their voices. They rely on their voice as one of their most valuable tools to generate voter acceptance, create excitement and maintain momentum throughout their campaign. Losing their voice can cost them the election!

According to National Voice Coach and Vocal Makeover expert Linda Shields of Raleigh, NC, candidates can use these TOP TEN" Tips to nurture the voice and keep them at their best, in the midst of jam-packed schedules, long flights, little rest, speaking over noise, and energizing votes with a forceful, loud voice in a variety of hard-to-handle settings. In fact, these tips are good for anyone who uses heavy speaking as part of their work.

l.   Become aware of all your voice-robbing situations and prepare a "game plan" to protect your voice as much as possible.
2.   Make periods of vocal rest" a top priority. Reduce consultations with advisors on buses, planes, etc. The rest need not be long, just as frequent as possible.
3.   Practice Vocal Yoga" during your rest periods (drink water, inhale steam in the hotel rooms, use meditational breathing exercises, take a power nap).
4.   Avoid sugar and dairy products as much as possible. They create mucous and may result in excessive throat-clearing, which is rough on those vocal cords!
5.   Reduce or eliminate intake of substances that act as diuretics and dry out your vocal cords (caffeine, certain medications, alcohol).
6.   Stand up straight, shoulders back. Alignment ... the relationship of the head to the torso, plays a large role in voice production-not to mention image!
7.   Practice proper breathing techniques. This is not only a stress reducer; proper breathing allows you to project with power!
8.   Learn to speak with an open vocal tract (using proper voice exercises) in order to increase resonance, enhance persuasive power, and create a relaxed voice.
9.   Decrease jaw tension (excessive smiling will do it!) by learning relaxation techniques.
    
And number 10-the most important of all: HYDRATE, HYDRATE, HYDRATE!!!!!
Keep bottles of water available at all times! When you have consumed all the water you can possibly drink-drink 3 more glasses!
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Linda Shields, M.S., CCC-SLP, is a nationally-acclaimed executive voice coach, keynote speaker and author. Her clientele reads like a Whos Who" of the entertainment, media, business and government worlds. Her award-winning book: The Voice That Means Business: How to Speak With Authority, Confidence and Credibility Anytime, Anywhere (ISBN 1-893095118) is available through Amazon.com or Liberty Publishing Group. Contact Linda at SpeakAuth@aol.com and learn about her by visiting http://www.libertypublishing.bz