“Speech therapist lessons for adults” consultation on speech therapy on the topic

A well-trained voice is needed not only by professional vocalists. It is necessary for anyone who wants to get the maximum effect from communication.

After all, a person’s voice can influence listeners twice as much as the meaning of his message. In addition, people with pleasant voices are perceived by others as more successful and attractive.

In this article you will find exercises that will help you sound great.

To open your voice

Your voice may not actually be yours. The reason is due to tension or an incorrect way of speaking (for example, using only the ligaments). The exercises below will help you overcome these issues and discover your true natural voice.

Sound engineer

First, understand how others hear you. To do this, you can simulate a recording studio. Your left palm will be the earphone - press it with a “shell” to your left ear; the right one will be a microphone - hold it near your mouth at a distance of several centimeters. Start trying: count, say different words, play with the sound. Do this exercise for 5-10 minutes for nine days. During this time, you will understand how your voice really sounds and you will be able to improve it.

Q-X

To open your voice, you need to free your throat and transfer the main work to your lips and diaphragm. To do this, pronounce the syllables “qu-ix”. On “Q,” round your lips; on “X,” stretch them into a wide smile. After 30 repetitions, try making a short speech. You will feel that the ligaments are less strained, and your lips follow your commands better.

Yawn

The easiest way to relax your laryngeal muscles is to take a good yawn. Do this simple exercise for 5 minutes a day and you will notice how blocks and tension in your voice disappear.

Exhale-groan

This exercise will help you discover the natural sound of your voice. Its essence comes down to voicing your exhalation.

Position: feet on the floor, jaw slightly open and relaxed. Start inhaling air, and as you exhale, make any sound. Do this without any effort - if everything is correct, you should get a groan.

When the exercise is performed correctly, the sound comes from the solar plexus. It is from there that you need to speak so that your voice is voluminous and expressive.

When adults turn to a specialist

If parents bring a child to a speech therapist, or his speech development is examined in kindergarten or school, then adults independently seek advice. The exception is aphasia, because the causes of this disorder are serious, it is treated in medical institutions where comprehensive care is provided.

Adults can contact a speech therapist if a person:

• strives to improve the quality of his speech;
• speaks frequently in public or interacts with people;
• feels psychological discomfort due to his deficiency.

The main task of the specialist is to motivate the patient to improve speech and create a situation of success. The specialist clarifies the reason why the adult turned to him for help, in order to find an approach to him and increase the effectiveness of correctional work.

To make your voice pleasant

The following exercises will make your voice more harmonious.

Three smiles

This exercise is performed in the same way as the previous one, but observing the rule of three smiles. Smile with your mouth, forehead and imagine a smile in the solar plexus area. After this, begin to exhale with sound. Just 5 minutes a day - and your voice will begin to sound more pleasant and trusting.

Yoga exercise

This training is practiced by Indian yogis to achieve a deep and beautiful voice.

Position: standing, feet shoulder-width apart. First, take a few calm breaths and exhalations, then take a deep breath and exhale sharply with the sound “ha-a.” The exhalation should be as full and loud as possible. In this case, the body can be slightly moved forward.

Long syllables

Take a deep breath, and as you exhale, say protractedly “bom-m”, “bim-m”, “bon-n”. Draw out the last sounds as long as possible. Ideally, vibration should occur in the area of ​​the upper lip and nose.

A similar exercise can be done with the syllables “mo-mo”, “mi-mi”, “mu-mu”, “me-me”. But in this case, first pronounce them briefly, and only then protractedly.

Both exercises are best done every morning for 10 minutes. They will not only make your voice more pleasant, but will also help strengthen your vocal cords.

Long tongue

Stick out your tongue. First, point it down as far as possible, trying to reach your chin. Maintaining this position, tilt your head down. Then stretch your tongue upward, trying to reach the tip of your nose. At the same time, raise your head as high as possible.

Features of correctional work for various disorders

When correcting a speech defect, the etiology of its appearance must be taken into account. By eliminating the cause of the violation, you will eliminate the defect itself. The speech therapist draws up the structure of classes after the diagnostic results.

• If sound pronunciation is impaired, the main emphasis is on articulatory gymnastics and the formation of speech breathing. Speech therapy work in this case consists of a preparatory stage, staging, sound automation, and differentiation. Another important area is work on phonetic-phonemic processes.
• For voice, timbre and diction disorders, classes include articulation and breathing exercises; expressive reading, pronouncing phrases with different pitches of voice; pronouncing tongue twisters with clear pronunciation of sounds.
• When stuttering, work is carried out in the following areas: normalization of muscle tone; formation of speech breathing; articulation gymnastics; formation of communication skills; creating speech patterns for specific situations; correction of the tempo-rhythmic side of speech.
• Corrective work for aphasia depends on its form. The main task of speech therapy work is to restore the ability to use speech components.
• With dysgraphia and dyslexia, the structure of classes depends on the form of the disorder. The emphasis is on correcting the motor sphere. If necessary, work is carried out on the pronunciation side of speech, phonetic-phonemic processes, or the formation of optical-spatial representations.

The effectiveness of training depends on correctly selected methods. The speech therapist also gives homework assignments so that an adult can consolidate the acquired skills.

To make your voice stronger

These exercises will give your voice strength and energy. You will begin to sound louder and more powerful.

Sounds “i”, “e”, “a”, “o”, “u”

Exhale, then take a deep breath and on the second exhale say a long “i” sound. Do this freely as long as you have enough air. Do not force the air out of your lungs. Pronounce the remaining sounds in the same way: “e”, “a”, “o”, “u”. Perform three repetitions.

The sequence of these sounds is not random: they are distributed in height. Accordingly, “i” is the highest (activates the upper area of ​​the head), “u” is the lowest (activates the lower abdomen). If you want to make your voice lower and deeper, practice the “u” sound more often.

Tarzan Exercise

Complete the previous task, only now beat yourself in the chest with your fists, like Tarzan. The exercise is designed to fill your voice with energy and clear your bronchi, so if you feel like clearing your throat, don’t stop yourself.

Moo

This exercise activates the chest and abdomen. Exhale and inhale. On the next exhalation, begin to pronounce the sound “m” with your mouth closed. Perform three approaches: first moo quietly, then at medium volume and finally at very loud volume.

Growl

Raise your relaxed tongue to the palate and begin to pronounce the sound “r”. It should turn out “r-r-r”, like a tractor. Repeat the exercise three times, then expressively read about a dozen words that contain the sound “r”. Be sure to accompany the reading with a rolling “r”.

A simple growl will not only give your voice strength and energy, but will also improve your diction.

Exercises for diction and development of articulation in adults

04/19/202112.07.2021 Elena LitvinenkoPosted in Oratory

Diction is an important element of speech culture. And everyone understands that it must be clear, especially if you are teaching, filming video presentations, or performing live in front of an audience. Developing articulation and diction exercises is a process that is never too late to start.

What is diction, articulation and how to understand whether they are well developed?

The word diction comes from the Latin dictio - pronunciation, and implies a clear pronunciation of sounds, words and phrases of speech. And you can train it at any age, and not just in childhood, as some people mistakenly believe.

Articulation, that is, the movement of organs involved in the formation of speech, is directly related to diction. Training the muscles of the tongue, lips, soft palate, larynx, and lower jaw is often called speech fitness. And professional actors, announcers and people in other speech professions more often talk about classes in speech technique.

However, many people have false beliefs about how to deliver a speech. The problem is that the Russian language differs from many other languages ​​in its “lazy” articulation.

Let's see how the Anglo-Saxons speak: a wide smile and very “lively” articulation. What do we say? Our lips are often only slightly parted, and our lower jaw is clenched. Many people tend to pronounce words “through clenched teeth.” However, such a low-energy presentation prevents viewers from fully accepting the information.

There are simple ways to check whether your diction is good or not. Possible causes of unclear diction:

1. Insufficiently developed facial muscles responsible for articulation;
2. False beliefs that do not allow you to actively convey information (open your mouth fully);
3. The specific structure of the speech apparatus.

I bring to your attention a video from which you will find out whether your articulators are well developed. And also get acquainted with several simple and useful exercises for developing diction.



If you couldn’t watch the video or it was inconvenient to check the articulators while watching, pick up a mirror and check by reading the text:

1. Lips. There is a simple way to check if your lips are moving well. Look in the mirror and pronounce the vowels in turn (I, E, A, O, U, Y). Does your lip configuration differ when you pronounce different vowels?
2. Language. To check the mobility of your tongue, try “rolling it into a tube.” If you fail to complete this exercise, do not rush to blame everything on a congenital feature. With the help of training, you can easily develop the muscles of your tongue.
3. Lower jaw. Check how well you open your mouth. Fold your palm as if for a handshake, open your mouth wide and insert four fingers (excluding the thumb) between your lower and upper front teeth. Were you able to complete this exercise without effort? Great! This means you have a well-developed lower jaw that opens without clamps. And if not, then you also need to work on developing these muscles.

The first step to developing diction is articulation gymnastics for adults

People have been concerned about the development of diction for a long time. For example, the ancient Roman orator Marcus Tulius Cicero put pebbles in his mouth and recited passages from the works of poets by heart in order to achieve excellent diction.

To make your speech clear, distinct and intelligible to the ear, of course, you can practice with pebbles. However, today programs have been developed for any of the speech disabilities. And we shouldn’t start with tongue twisters!

To develop the maxillofacial muscles, tongue and lips, gymnastics is used, which is called articulation or speech. Since initially, like all the best, it was intended for children, many of the names of the exercises are funny, but clearly associated with the actions. Speech therapists who work with speech impairments in children have developed and use dozens, if not hundreds of exercises.

But for adults who, in principle, pronounce all the letters well and are interested in sharpening the clarity of their speech, it is enough to learn and repeat at least a dozen exercises more often.



Articulation gymnastics for adults - a set of 10 exercises:

1. We alternate the “proboscis” and “smile” positions;
2. “scratch” your lips with your teeth (lightly, carefully and one at a time);
3. massage the gums with the tip of the tongue from right to left with closed lips;
4. With the tip of your tongue under your lips, make a rotational movement clockwise and back;
5. “Pendulum” depicts our tongue jumping from one corner of the lips to the other, while the lips are extended into the letter “O”;
6. A “tube” into which we sometimes roll up and then unfold the tongue;
7. “Snake” is putting the tongue forward, making it narrow as if we want to put an end to it;
8. smoothly move the lower jaw left and right;
9. “Monkeys” - we smoothly extend the lower jaw and return it to its original position;
10. Rotate the “proboscis” clockwise and back.

These are the funny, but very useful exercises of articulatory gymnastics that I recommend you master, and most importantly, repeat daily for the first 3-4 weeks of classes. And be sure to use it before speeches or other responsible speaking.

The second step is training speech and diction with plosive consonants

There are quite a few videos on the Internet in which TV presenters demonstrate how skillfully they manage complex tongue twisters. Why should professionals “break their tongues”, since they already have excellent diction?

Because articulatory gymnastics for adults is an important step, but the tone of the maxillofacial muscles must be maintained with systematic training. Therefore, after you have strengthened your articulatory muscles, move on to diction exercises with plosive consonants.

They were called explosive because they are formed when an air stream actively breaks through obstacles in the form of:⠀

• shutter of both lips (B-P);⠀
• upper teeth (sounds V-F and D-T);⠀
• the root of the tongue pressed against the upper palate (G-K sounds).

Experts have discovered that training complex letter combinations is more effective if you combine clear pronunciation with some natural movements. Exercise “Abetka” is very useful to do using the speech-manual reflex. To put it simply, for each link, bend your fingers like a fan.



Exercise for diction “Abetka”⠀

Bee-be-be-be-beeb,⠀ be-be-be-be-bab,⠀ ba-ba-ba-ba-bab,⠀ bo-bo-bo-bo-bob,⠀ boo-boo-boo- boo-boob,⠀ would-be-would-be-byb.⠀⠀ And the rest of the explosive consonants, connecting with the vowel system: I - E - A - O - U - Y.

Try to do this exercise as actively and energetically as one of the students at our Training Center. And be sure to write in the comments how it turned out for you?



Get the mini-course “Acting Diction” for free!

Game exercises for diction with complex sound combinations

If you are expanding your area of ​​activity, that is, starting to conduct live broadcasts on the Internet, consultations, webinars or recording your video presentations, then your diction must be especially well developed, because any technical means mercilessly distort both the voice and the clarity of your speech.

Make a sound recording of at least one of the proposed exercises and listen carefully. Your harshest judge is yourself. Few people like their own audio recording. Look for flaws, be sure to get rid of them, and then just maintain your excellent speech form.

And the next step in honing your diction can be exercises with complex sound combinations. Using the same vowel system and, e, a, o, u, s, you need to slowly but clearly build a phrase from sound combinations of consonants. First, voiced (B, V, G, D) then voiceless (P, F, K, T) and complex consonant affricates (C, CH), accompanying the pronunciation with certain movements of the arms and legs. When clear pronunciation and movements are synchronized, speed up the tempo.



Exercise "Hammer"

When performing this speech exercise, imagine that we have a small hammer in our hand, with which we hammer imaginary nails, while pronouncing sound combinations:

Bdgi! Bdge! Bdga! Damn! Bdgu! Bdgy! Gbdi! Gbde! Gbda! Gbdo! Gbdu! Gbdy! Dbgi! Dbge! Dbga! Dbgo! Dbgu! Dbgy!

Exercise “Horse stomp”

We chase an imaginary horse, waving a whip in our hand with sound combinations of 3 voiceless consonants. You can add Kpti foot tapping! Kpte! Kpta! Kpto! Kptu! Kpty! Birds! Ptke! Bird! Ptko! Bird! Birds! Thump! Tpke! Whew! Whoa! Whoa! Thump!

When all this has been mastered and no longer causes difficulties, begin diction exercises with problematic consonants. Pronunciation of the Russian sounds “ch” and “ts” is the most common speech impediment. Instead of a clear and distinct “ch” we often hear “sch” (chelovek, quality), and instead of “ts” we often hear “s” (settle, light).

Why is this happening? Try to stretch out these sounds slightly and you will understand that when stretched, the plosive consonant “t” is lost. But, as you know, every poison has an antidote. This drawback can be eliminated by training sound combinations where “Ch” and “C” are located next to or between other plosive consonants. For example: “kchki, kchke, kchka, kchko, kchku, kchky” or “tptsi, tptse, tptsa, tptso, tptsu, tptsy.”

Exercise "Plates"

Pronounce these complex sound combinations, accompanying the movement, as if you were throwing a boomerang or plastic plates.

KchkI! KchkE! KchkA! KchkO! KchkU! KchkY! Kchki! Kchke! Kchka! Kchko! Kchku! Kchky!

Then you can get creative and combine these consonants in the most bizarre way; it would be nice to include the sonorant sounds “r” and “l” in this process, like:

lrI, lrE, lrA, lrO, lrU, lrY! RLI, RLE, RLA, RLO, RLU, RLA!

These are undoubtedly complex sound combinations, and it is unlikely that both of these options will work out well enough for you the first time. Experience shows that for different people the most difficult combinations of sounds are completely different. I recommend identifying combinations that are difficult to pronounce in your speech, and more often repeating those that are more difficult.

When training all kinds of combinations of consonants, do not do diction exercises formally, mechanically, add intonation, it is not for nothing that the exercises use the game aspect. When you feel your power over complex sound combinations, then you can move on to tongue twisters.

This may be useful to you too:

How to protect and not lose your voice - practical advice from professionals

Speech voice development: exercises for changing pitch

How to correctly use oratorical gestures. Gesture development

How to prepare for a public speaking and answer questions adequately

Chaliapin's exercise for tuning your voice

The great Russian singer Fyodor Chaliapin also began every morning with a growl. But he did not perform it alone, but together with his bulldog. After training the sound “r”, Fyodor Ivanovich began to bark at his pet: “av-av-av”.

You can repeat Chaliapin’s exercise or, if you can’t relax your larynx, replace it with a villainous theatrical laugh. This is done simply. With your mouth open, as you exhale, you laugh evilly: “a-a-a-a-ha-ha-ha-ha-a-a-a-a.” The sound should come out easily and freely. At the same time, you can jump and beat yourself in the chest with your hands. This exercise will instantly clear your voice and prepare it for work.

Types of disorders and their etiology

Not all types of speech defects occur in the older age category. Most often this is the incorrect pronunciation of a certain group of sounds. Usually, adults turn to a speech therapist with a request to correct burrs or incorrect pronunciation of the sound R. Less often, with violations of the pronunciation of whistling and hissing sounds.

This defect may be a manifestation of an erased form of dysarthria, which was not paid attention to in childhood, or it may be the result of incorrect correctional work.

Another group of speech disorders for which people seek speech therapy help are voice and diction disorders. They can manifest themselves in:

• impaired voice strength (weak, too loud);
• timbre disorders - the voice has a nasal tone (nasal sound);
• accelerated or slow pace of speech;
• unclear pronunciation of sounds.

The cause of these disorders is the improper functioning of the organs of articulation or the peculiarities of their anatomical structure.

A more complex speech disorder is stuttering. Correction of this defect can take a long time, so a comprehensive intervention by a speech therapist and neurologist is necessary. Adults may need the help of a psychologist. Often a person with a stutter is embarrassed by his defect and worries if after the first lessons there is no noticeable result. Causes of stuttering:

• the appearance of convulsions in the articulatory apparatus during speech;
• unformed speech breathing;
• features of the nervous system;
• fright

When working with people who stutter, it is important to create a situation of success and explain the importance and purpose of each activity.

Another complex speech disorder is aphasia, or speech breakdown. A person has formed speech means, but due to organic damage to the centers of the cerebral cortex, a defect in pronunciation and understanding of speech occurs. This can be caused by head injuries or stroke. In this case, the speech therapist re-teaches the person to communicate and compose statements.

Less often, people with dyslexia and dysgraphia – disorders of the reading and writing processes – turn to a specialist. Typically these are clients seeking to improve their literacy levels. After all, errors in reading and writing are not always associated with difficulties in mastering grammar. A speech therapist will help correct these deficiencies in written speech.

Language division

The purpose of this exercise is to learn to generalize and separate the meanings of objects.

Let's take your computer. In itself, it belongs to the technology class, but is also divided into classes - stationary, laptop, all-in-one. These categories are divided into brands and models.

That is, we “assemble” a computer to the class of equipment, or “disassemble” it to the class of laptops, for example. Or we move away from technology into other items - phones, cars, microwaves. In general, the essence is clear.

This exercise requires two people. One is the leader, the second is the player. The presenter selects objects in the room and gives the player a task - to sort the object into lower classes, raise it to higher classes, or come up with an analogy for it (go into other class objects).

We work for 5 minutes with one subject. The main thing is not just to jump from computers to laptops, and then to Macs or Asus, but also to go to the side. For example: laptop → asus → phone → push-button → elevator → cargo → car → Audi → brand → wine → red → banner…

Video marketing guide: what videos to shoot for business

Talker

This exercise is designed to develop your voice and improve your diction.

You take a 2-3 sentence passage of text and read it once in a loud voice, the second time in a quiet voice. Then you select the average value - your “comfortable” volume - and read in a normal voice.

Now you re-read the same passage as quickly as possible, and the second time slowly, stretching out each word. The third time you read at normal speed.

You repeat the same procedure with a high and low voice. You read the passage in squeaky high notes, you read in bass, you read in midrange.

Repeat three passages a day.

How to quickly improve your speaking technique?

If you want your speech to become beautiful, clear and correct, you need to regularly attend special lessons. This is not surprising, because the teachers know their subject very well. You've probably attended lectures more than once and listened to a very boring and inarticulate speech that made you want to sleep. A professional speaker uses all the capabilities of his speech apparatus to constantly hold the attention and attract the interest of listeners. Stage speech lessons will be equally useful for both future artists and businessmen, politicians and other specialists whose activities are directly related to communication.

To quickly learn to fully control your voice and improve your diction, perform simple stage speech exercises daily. It won't take you much time, but it will bring the desired effect. For beautiful speech, breathing is no less important than clear diction. That is why in stage speech lessons you will not only pronounce tongue twisters and read texts expressively, but also perform breathing exercises.

Exercise “Tongue without bones”

Do you want to remember your childhood and have a little fun? Then start doing an exercise to develop the articulatory apparatus, which from the outside looks like ordinary antics. To prepare for a stage speech lesson, you need to do a little warm-up first.

Articulation gymnastics has a lot of advantages, namely:

• Your tongue begins to work very clearly;
• The feeling that you are talking with your mouth full disappears.
• The pronunciation of sounds becomes clearer and more correct.

To perform the “Boneless Tongue” exercise, you will need a regular mirror. Stand in front of him and start warming up.

• Open your mouth a little. Use the tip of your tongue to make circular movements in different directions. Perform 10 rotations clockwise and counterclockwise.
• Open your mouth wide, stick out your tongue completely and gently lift its sides up. You should end up with a kind of tube. Now try moving your folded tongue and blowing into it.
• Use your tongue to clean the surface of your upper and lower teeth. Try repeating the exercise with both your mouth closed and open.

Lightly biting the tongue helps to slightly relax this muscle. Do these manipulations before speaking in public, and then your speech will be clear and intelligible.

How to choose a landmark

Children learn more simply, easily and quickly, but if they wish, adults will also be able to master the rules of diction and develop beautiful speech. If you start breathing exercises and speech production from childhood, the results will not be long in coming. It is especially worth thinking about the choice of “idol” in diction. Your favorite announcer or TV presenter will help you master the complexities of the craft with your example, so you should pay special attention to the speech of professionals. To determine your own mistakes, you can record your speech on a voice recorder and listen to it to understand exactly what mistakes you are making.

So, based on the speech of a professional and your own speech, you can find a middle ground, understand how to train diction and strive to achieve the ideal.

And tongue twisters, for example, will help with this, which are a truly universal means for developing speech: “The clatter of hooves sends dust flying across the field,” “Our head over-headed your head, out-headed,” “Klara the king crept towards Lara” and many others . The effect will be enhanced if you put walnuts in your mouth before doing this. When you learn to pronounce tongue twisters clearly and clearly with nuts in your mouth, your diction will improve many times over.

Share this article:
I liked the article

Why do they barely open their mouths in the videos?

Students often ask why we learn to sing with a mask, although in the videos many performers sing with their mouths barely open. The answer is simple: in the videos, the singers do not sing, but simply move their lips to the music. To see the real work of the articulatory apparatus, you should watch the song performed live.

Performed by the group "VIA Gra"

For example, let’s take the song of the group “VIA Gra” “Don’t leave me, my love.” In the video, the girls sing, barely opening their mouths, and sometimes even stop mid-sentence. Another thing is a concert where they sing live. It can be seen that all the performers sing with a smile, open their mouths wide and show their upper teeth.

A smile (or vocal mask) allows you to reach high notes and direct sound into the resonator, so mastering it is simply invaluable for a singer.

Performed by Sia

Should you always open your mouth wide when singing? No! For example, let's watch a video of Sia singing live. During the performance of the verse, the mouth almost does not open. Only on the chorus she uses a wide mask. Note, however, that this is an exceptional case.

The fact is that some singers, in particular Sia, use a style of closed singing: vowel sounds sound closed and directed into the hard palate - with a characteristic nasal tint. With this performance, you need to master the resonator and be able to correctly direct the sound. Let’s say right away: if you are fluent in resonators and know how to direct the sound where it is needed, you don’t need a mask that is too wide!

Read more about Sia’s performance in the article “Texts of the song Sia - Chandelier and full analysis” >>>

Performed by Billie Ellish

The Billie Ellish video is a completely different story: the sound is delivered with an absolute exhalation. The song sounds relaxed and sluggish, the mouth is motionless, as if numb. This performance, together with Billie's mermaid image, hypnotizes the listener. But don’t forget: in the right places she articulates everything clearly, all the words are legible. In addition, the video shows a masterful command of sound direction and resonators. The sound still goes where it needs to, and the combination of singing and frequent aspirations creates an absolutely complete and colorful picture. It is clear that the singer spent a lot of time on exercises for diction and voice.

I knit as I want (for the pros)

This exercise is similar to the previous one, but with one nuance.

Again we take three participants. The first names an object from memory, the second finds an object in the room, the third says what they have in common. So this has already happened? Yes. But now look.

Once you name the connecting part, participants ask how the function or individual part of one item is similar to the function of another and how they are connected.

Example:

– How is a hedgehog similar to a moped?

– A moped has spikes on its wheels, and a hedgehog also has spikes.

- Fine. What are the spikes on a moped for?

- Yes, it's easy. The wheels are protected from skidding by spikes so that the driver remains safe. The needles protect the hedgehog from the dog so that he too remains intact.

Do it 1-2 times a week for 20 minutes. Soon you will explain to anyone what a marketer and a polar bear have in common and why they learn Zen together.

We develop websites. More details