Avoid

Because

              Instead

Clearing your throat or coughing habitually.

These actions cause the vocal folds to contact one another forcefully and can lead to tissue damage.

Swallow slowly, sip ice water, and/or suck on ice chips or hard candy to ease irritation in the throat.

Smoke, alcohol, & caffeine.

Cause irritation and drying of tissues as well as thick mucous. Can also cause increased reflux. Smoking is the leading cause of laryngeal cancer.

Drink a lot of decaffeinated fluids (water & sports aids are great), maintain environmental humidity of approximately 30%.

Screaming, excessive loud voice use, cheering.

These actions cause the vocal folds to contact one another forcefully and can lead to tissue damage.

Use gestures, noise, or instruments to attract attention from a distance. Whistle or clap to show enthusiasm. Consider vocal training if you have to talk or sing loudly, or speak extensively for your job or hobby. Vocal endurance, like athletics, requires special skills.

Speaking over loud noise (music, TV, parties, restaurants, airplanes, cars, etc.) for a long period of time.

It’s hard to monitor your loudness when there’s background noise. Can lead to vocal fatigue and increased laryngeal tension.

Reduce background noise when possible. Choose quiet restaurant, booths, or tables in the corner. Face the person. Make sure your face is well lit, and over-articulate. Consider using an amplifier in noisy environments.

Talking when you feel pain or discomfort in your neck or throat.

Leads to further muscle tension and strain. Voice can become harder to produce and begin to sound “tighter” or more hoarse.

Take a “voice nap”, listen for a while, breathe easily and allow your neck muscles to relax, gently massage your neck, yawn silently, sip ice water.

Talking a lot when you have a cold.

Thick mucous and sometimes swelling of the vocal folds make it harder to produce voice. Forcing voice can lead to tissue damage.

Rest your voice and yourself when you can. Drink lots of caffeine-free liquids. Drink more if taking anti-histamines. Keep sleeping air humidified. Whispering is not better than talking.