Care of the Executive Voice

By Eugene O'Reilly

Considering the importance and value of voice usage in the professional workplace, this article is being offered as a guideline for maintaining a healthy and natural voice quality. What is voice quality? It is the label we ascribe when we listen to someone's voice. Some examples would be "hoarse," "gravelly" or "raspy." Laryngitis and the hoarseness that accompanies it are warning signs that the vocal cords have been affected negatively. There are basically two different ways that the vocal cords can be affected. The first way is by a medical disorder of some kind. Chronic colds, reflux that burns the vocal cords and any kind of infection that might cause the vocal cords to swell. These are all influences from outside of the body.

The second way that laryngitis can be caused is by voice abuse or misuse. Voice abuse, misuse or overuse can be caused by the following:

1) One incidence of shouting or screaming can cause the vocal cords to become swollen. When hoarseness follows, voice users often push their voice so they can continue using it. This causes the vocal cords to develop a different size and shape. A callous called a vocal nodule can develop. Sometimes they can cause a complete loss of voice which might eventually require surgical removal.

2) Becoming dehydrated and pushing the voice. It is recommended to drink at least two glasses of water at each meal. The vocal cords don't get wet when we drink. It takes about an hour for the water we drink to turn into the fluid that keeps the vocal cords moist. We use up 10% of our body water each day simply by breathing so it is wise to sip water periodically throughout the day.

3) Chronic use of a pitch outside of one's natural range. Once again, this can cause the vocal cords to rub together in a way that causes swelling, changes in size and shape and produce a voice quality that is compromised by hoarseness.

4) Shallow breath support or restricted airflow while using the voice can also cause the vocal cords to be overworked and produce a voice quality that is less than melodious and will often sound strained or "all choked up".

A good guideline for knowing if your voice is healthy or not would include the following:

A) Your voice should be easy to produce and you should be able to become loud with little effort.

B) After using your voice for nine hours it should not feel tired or sound strained.

C) Your voice quality is consistent day after day.

D) NO hoarseness, frequent throat clearing, chronic coughing, and upper or lower respiratory difficulties. These are all signs or potential causes of vocal health difficulties

If you suspect you have a voice disorder I suggest visiting an ear nose and throat doctor who can look at your vocal cords with a fiber-optic scope to determine what might be occurring. Your vocal cords are only about the size of your thumbnail and require gentle care and consideration to work well.

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