How to Talk With a Deeper Voice

Co-authored by wikiHow Staff | Reader-Approved | 19 References

Updated: March 29, 2019

Explore this Article Projecting Your Voice Trying Techniques in the Moment Controlling Your
Breathing Article Summary Questions & Answers Related Articles

Whether you’re trying to become a radio announcer or improve your sense of authority over your
new puppy, talking with a deeper voice can be very useful. Quite a bit of information on this
topic exists, and luckily, we’ve done extensive research to find that controlling your breathing is
the #1 way to do it. You can also speak deeply by projecting your voice and trying out particular
techniques in the moment, such as swallowing before you speak.

Part 1

EditProjecting Your Voice

1.
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Speak in front of a mirror. Stand up straight and tall. Hold your chin up. Then, say your
name and listen to how it sounds. Alternately, you can read a passage from a newspaper
or a book. Consider the volume, tone, breathiness and especially the pitch of your
voice.[1]

o The pitch of your voice is determined by how much your vocal chords vibrate.[2]
o If your voice sounds high or has a high pitch, it means your vocal chords are
vibrating at a high frequency.[3]
o If your voice sounds low or deep, it means your vocal chords are vibrating at a
lower frequency.[4]
2.

Relax your throat. When you try to speak lower than normal, your voice is less likely to
crack. Aim to relax your throat as much as possible, so that you do not tighten your vocal
chords.[5]
 o Moisten your voice box and keep it sounding clear by working up a little extra
saliva occasionally and swallowing.
3.

Perform reading exercises. Choose a passage from one of your favorite books or
articles. Practice reading the passage slowly and with a low voice. If you find yourself
reading too quickly, you may notice your voice will lose its timbre. Keep your chin up,
breathe through your belly and read the passage.[6]

4.
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Do voice exercises with a mobile application. There are a variety of mobile applications
available for smart phones or tablets, which you can use to train your vocal chords on
your own time. These applications allow you to train towards specific goals and to
monitor your performance. For instance, you could try one of the following applications:
[7]

o Vocular allows you to measure how deep your voice sounds. It tells you how deep
you are speaking and even lets you compare your voice to celebrities with similar
sounding voices.[8]
o Eva is designed for transgender users who are currently transitioning and want to
change the sound of their voice, such as pitch, tone or breathiness.[9]
5.
 5

Try humming. Hum deeply from your throat, with your lips parted and your chin
pointed down toward your chest, to warm up your voice. Humming is an excellent warm
up for musicians and singers, as well as anyone who wants to improve their speaking
voice.[10]

o Raise your chin slowly while humming and then begin speaking directly from that
humming voice, so that it sounds deeper.
6.
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Speak through your mouth. Instead of speaking through your nose, you should speak
through your mouth. Although you can have a deep voice that is nasal, it sounds better to
have a deep voice that does not have a nasal quality.[11]

o Avoid using an overly airy, soft, smooth, too hollow-resonance or echo-like sound
that you can feel in your chest (called a chest voice).
7.
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Practice projecting your speaking voice. Learn to talk so that you hear your voice out
in front of yourself. Don't hold your stomach in while learning this technique. Breathe
from your diaphragm. You should feel your breath moving from your belly upwards
through your chest and then out of your mouth.

8.
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Practice gradual changes to your voice. Avoid making harsh efforts to change your
voice, so as to prevent any straining of the vocal cords. At the start, only work your voice
out for short periods of time, and do so only a couple of semitones below your normal
pitch. Over time, carefully lower your practice pitch, and allow yourself extra time.

o Have fun and experiment with friends and family to see how they react (they're
more likely to be forgiving). Try funny voices and odd tones to learn better
control. And keep aiming to ensure that your voice sounds as you prefer it.

Part 2

EditTrying Techniques in the Moment

1.
 1

Keep your chin up. Good posture will help you maintain a deep and authoritative voice.
Instead of letting your head fall down or to the side while you speak, you should try to
keep your head up straight and your chin up.[12]

o Your posture is important for achieving a good speaking voice.

2.
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Swallow before speaking. One trick to attain a deeper voice is to do a swallowing

motion just before you speak. You don’t need to actually swallow anything. Imagine you
are swallowing something and then say the words. Your voice should be slightly lower
than usual.[13]

3.
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Speak slowly. Try speaking slower than usual. Lower your voice at the beginning of a
sentence and then just speak slowly. If you find you want to speak too quickly, it could
raise the pitch of your voice.[14]

4.
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Avoid speaking with a growly or raspy voice. This practice can damage your vocal
chords. It could also be a symptom of a medical condition such as strep throat. [15]

o Avoid smoking. Although smoking can give you a raspy or breathy voice, it will
do long term damage to your health, including your vocal chords and lungs. [16]
o If you have a raspy voice that does not go away, you should seek medical
attention.

Part 3

EditControlling Your Breathing

1.

Breathe naturally. Take a moment to notice the quality of your breath. Notice if you are
breathing in through your mouth or through your nose. For now, don’t try to change your
breath. Just notice how it feels and breathe naturally.

2.
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Experiment with your breath. Try breathing in through your nose and down into the
lower depths of your belly. Then, while you are exhaling, say “hello.” Listen to the pitch
and depth of your voice. To compare, try the same exercise but breathe into your chest or
your throat. It should sound very high pitched when you breathe into your throat, medium
pitched when you breathe into your chest, and deep when you breathe into your lower
diaphragm.[17]

3.
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Use diaphragm breathing. Breathe deep into your lower diaphragm. As you exhale, say
something you want to say. Your voice will sound deeper if you breathe into your lower
belly. [18]

o Open your mouth quite naturally, in order to speak normally. Do not purse, cup or
shape your lips or cheeks.