I do a bit of public speaking, and I occasionally have weeks, like this last one, where I have to speak for an hour, 3-4 times in a day, all week. It was 16 sessions this week.
I try to do some basic things: sleep well (not always easy with travel); avoid alcohol beforehand; drink plenty of water before, during, and after; and use microphones, even in smaller venues. But the crowds can get loud, and I sometimes find myself straining my voice to be heard (say, when I need to get them back under control). I managed to not lose my voice this past week, but I think it was a near thing once or twice, and my throat is still somewhat sore. In previous years, I have regularly lost my voice after similar (or lesser) stretches of presentations.
So … any advice on how I can further fight laryngitis? A fellow speaker I met last week recommended taking a Chloroseptic throat lozenge before each speech (she used to lose her voice a lot, and she says that the lozenges helped tremendously). Any other advice? Do medicated lozenges likely do anything more for this than, say, Lifesavers candy?
I did motivational speaking and you strengthen your vocal cords through practice. I used to tape myself to try to learn to speak better.
If you’re straining to be heard, there are other issues. Are your microphones set up properly? Are you in the right kind of room for your speaking and audience numbers?
I would Google around for “Strengthen vocal cords”
I was imagining that you would keep the mental image to yourself.
Though, in fairness, for most of us, picturing a roomful of schoolkids naked is not going to help anything. Maybe you can find some attractive adult audiences?
Depending on your audience, raising your voice to try to gain control may be counterproductive - if they’re all just chatting, they may get louder so as to still be heard over each other and over you. You need a way to grab their attention, then they should shut up and listen.