Elocution Exercises for Clearer Speech

Our speech is made by muscle movements, just as a dancer's movements are made by muscle movements. A dancer's movements will only be graceful and expressive if the muscles are flexible and strong. And our speech only be clear if our speech muscles are flexible and strong.

However, many of us have become rather lazy with our speech muscles - and the result is that they become stiff, flabby and unable to move quickly and cleanly. The muscles prefer not to move very far, so we keep the mouth closed and the teeth close together. Keeping the mouth closed prevents our voice from being properly amplified. The result is that our voice is flat and thin, without rich resonant tones, and our speech sounds are unformed and floppy. And we feel we are speaking in a muffled, mumbled or clumsy way. This can even affect our mind and make us feel we can't string our words together or think in clear sentences.

But you do not need to accept this situation. Your speech muscles can learn to stretch our and get fit really easily - much more easily than getting your body fit in the gym!

Working with one of specialist voice and speech trainers can help you achieve much greater range, expressiveness and clarity of speech within a relatively short time. Call the number above if you'd like to find out more about our teaching. In the meantime, why not try a few 'sure-fire' exercises to get your speech muscles back to fitness and your speech up to par.

All of these free materials are strictly copyright to Morwenna Rowe and Speak Easily and are offered as a resource to our clients and website visitors. They may not be reproduced in any way or used for any purpose other than individual personal practice and information.

IMPORTANT We advise people to undertake this training in the presence of one of our highly qualified Voice Coaches. We offer these simple online exercises for your information only and you need to apply common sense when using them and take responsibility for your body. It is very unlikely you will have any adverse reactions, but we accept no liability whatsoever for anything that may happen as a result of your personal exploration of these exercises and suggest you query any special needs or doubts with your doctor.

Read more about Elocution

Which muscles do you need to work on?

You need to strengthen the Obicularis Oris around the mouth, and the Buccinator in the cheeks.

And you need to release and lengthen the jaw muscles, such as the Masseter and the Temporalis marked on the right.

If the jaw muscles are longer, the teeth can be naturally further apart, and this gives greater space in the mouth for resonance. Resonance is what amplifies and enriches the tone of your voice.

If the Obicularis Oris and Buccinator muscles are strong, you can strongly form the vowel sounds (such as food, put, your, dog, go, now and pure). This really clarifies your speech.

You also need to work on your tongue. You need to stretch out the base and root of the tongue. To get more space in the mouth and a richer voice. And you need to point and strengthen the front of the tongue (the tip in particular) to create clearer, sharper consonants.

Below are 4exercises. One to strengthen the lips. One to help open out the jaw. One to release the back of the tongue. And one to work on the strength and accuracy of the tongue tip. Try these Mouth Yoga exercises daily for a bit and see how your speech clarifies.

EXERCISE 1 - Yawning, Lapping and Chewing

This sequence really helps the voice as well as the clarity of your speech. The aim of it is to take out excess tension from the back of your tongue, and also loosen the muscles of the jaw and the face.

It's ok to feel some mild discomfort at the root of the tongue - even a slighty moment of the 'gag reflex' when the tongue is sticking out. But unless you are doing this exercises under the guidance of a coach, use common sense and listen to your muscles to know how hard you should work. Like any form of exercise you have to work to the point where the muscles feel is, but it's better to make 'little and often' progress than go for a massive shift all at once. In particular be careful if you have any problems with your jaw.

Yawns are great for your whole vocal tract and also a good warm up for the next exercises.

Don't do polite little yawns. Really go for big, overdramatic, full-on yawns to get the best result.

Yawn 5-10 times in a row. If you have to fake the 'actual' yawn bit - then do so, but feel the huge stretch each time.

Then try yawning with you teeth gently touching at the front. This will really open up space between the back teeth. Again - about 5-10x.

Yawn with your lips in a strong tube shape pointing forward. Again - about 5-10x. This will also open up space at the back of the mouth.

Then yawn with your lips touching at the front. Again about 5-10x.

Then try lapping like a cat - with the tongue hanging right out of the mouth. And combine this with yawning. Lapping and yawning at the same time.

You'll probably feel a real stretch between the top of the mouth and the back of the tongue. This is a good thing - it's a muscle that can be very tight for some people and really muffle the voice.

Chewing is also a great warm up and helps to soften and strengthen the face muscles and unlock tension in the jaw muscles.

IMPORTANT: Don't swing your jaw from side to side as you do this exercise. It's not meant to move like that. Also - listen for any unnatural discomfort and be very cautious if you've ever had any problems or accidents with your jaw.

Imagine chewing a tiny toffee between your front teeth. As you continue to chew, imagine it growing in size to about the size of a grape.

Then the size of a plum, a tangerine, a small apple, an orange and even a mango! Really feel the stretch through the muscles as you try to chew through the mango sized piece of toffee. Give your cheek and jaw muscles a massage afterwards.

EXERCISE 2 - Tongue Sticking Out Exercise

This is the single most effective exercise I know for an immediate impact on your voice and elocution. If done correctly, it really brightens up the tone of the voice, loosens the jaw and works out the speech muscles.

You may feel a slight 'gag reflex' during the exercise. Don't worry about this, so long as you don't feel too uncomfortable, it shows that you are reaching the tension at the back of the tongue.

There are three points of focus.

Doing all three of the above, say your name, address and telephone number as clearly as you possible can, 3x without stopping. On the fourth time, continue exactly as before but let the tongue slip back into the mouth.

This is to trick you into experiencing your voice differently after the exercise. If you stop before speaking normally you are likely to 'correct' back to your normal way. You should find that the voice seems louder, clearer, brighter and more spacious at the back.

EXERCISE 3 - Using the Lips

A lot of people have very stiff and unmoving lips. This can mean that lip consonants (especially the /w/) can be rather weak, but it also means there is often no lip movement on vowel sounds. This really takes away from the vibrancy of the voice. Lip tension can also dampen down the resonance of the voice. And it makes your face less expressive.

Getting the lip muscles to work with more energy can improve your communication lot. This exercise will help. But be warned. If you habitually pull back the lips and 'glue' them to the upper teeth, this exercise will unlock the tension, but it won't stop you reasserting the habit once you stop. You have to do it often and choose not to re-tense the lips afterwards. Or come and see one of our voice coaches for precise personal coaching...

Squeeze your lips forwards as much as possible. You are contracting the lips (using the Obicularis Oris muscle shown above) but also pushing them forwards.

Then read the following text 3x maintaining the squeezed lip position.

If you genuinely keep the lips squeezed throughout the three repetitions, the lip muscles will begin to burn slightly. And when you read the text normally for the 4th time, you will notice the muscles have 'woken up' and are much more active.

What a to-do to die today
At a minute or two to two
A thing distinctly hard to say
And harder still to do
For they'll beat a tattoo at two today
A rattatattoo at two
And the dragon will come when they beat the drum
At a minute or two to two today
At a minute or two to two

EXERCISE 4 - Getting the Tongue-Tip Working

Finally - it's a great idea to get the tongue tip working more crisply. The most common consonants in English (S, Z, T, D, N, L and TH) are all made with the tongue tip, so it pays for it to work well.

This exercise is simple. Stick your tongue directly out of the mouth and try to make a clear little point with the end of it. Check the tongue is not touching your lips or your teeth, but sticking directly out the middle.

Then, without any help from the lips or teeth (you may need to put a finger on your chin to stop your jaw moving), move the pointed tongue tip to touch the middle of the upper lip. Then move the tongue tip to touch the chin. Upper lip, chin. Upper lip chin. Without any help from the jaw via the teeth and lips.

Then do the same thing saying la, la, la. Each 'l' is pronounced as the tongue leaves the upper lip. Try to make faster rhythms - still without using the jaw.

Then return the tongue to the inside of the mouth and say la, la, la again. It should feel a little easier after struggling to make the bigger movement of the tongue outside of the mouth.

Lastly - consider visiting one of our Specialist Voice and Speech Coaches. Or look for a voice coach in your area. Be very sure to check that any coach you choose has undertaken at least a year of full time training, specifically as a Voice Coach, either at Central School of Speech and Drama London, or the Guildhall London. Or another directly equivalent course. They will have either an MA or a PG Diploma in Voice.

People who have taken part time courses, or actors trying to adapt their own training, are not qualified to a professional level and you would be advised to avoid them.

If you wish to find out more about your voice, or how to take a private session with one of our Voice Specialists. Just call the number below.

Happy practising!

The Speak Easily Team

Email Us to find out more or call 0207 299 4247