How I found my voice without sounding awkward (and how you can too)

Published: 2/17/2026

I still remember my worst speech. I was 11, I had just tried asparagus for the first time, and I was going to regale my classmates with how awful it was. I expected to deliver one knee-slapper after another, receive a standing ovation, and maybe become king of the world.

Instead, I felt like the punchline. I don’t remember exactly what I said, but I can still recall how small I felt in front of the class, how my voice stuttered, and how I hurried through my speech just dying to get it over with.

That day, my voice deserted me. So I vowed to get it back. Ever since then, I’ve identified three keys to finding your voice: confidence, presence, and projection. Better yet – mastering these tools is easier than you might think!

Building a confident foundation

Before your vocal chords vibrate, your mentality and body language already shape how they’re going to sound. I’ve said it many times – stand tall and firm, use expressive, open gestures, look at friendly faces in the audience, and smile. You’ll be amazed at how these tweaks to your body language make you feel and sound more confident instantly.

Then practice your talk until you’re totally comfortable with it. Some people might want to memorize every line. Some of us do great with just the key ideas and a little improv to stitch them together. Either way, the better you know your material, the more relaxed you’ll feel, and the more natural your voice will sound.

Maybe you have to present about something serious, technical, or boring. That doesn’t mean you can’t practice speaking about topics you enjoy! Talk about your hobbies, vacations, family, dog, cat, iguana, whatever it is that excites you. Speak out loud for a minute (even to yourself), and notice how you feel – how do your body, face, and mind shift when you get into a subject you love?

Then, before a serious talk, put yourself in that mental state of excitement and enthusiasm for your favorite topic. Even if you don’t smile, you’ll sound fully prepared to speak, which translates into confidence and authority in your voice.

The gift of presence

Being present is the foundation of audience engagement. It means you stay out of your head – How do I sound? Did I just make a mistake? Is anyone even listening to me??? – and connect with the people in front of you. Make eye contact, pay attention to their facial expressions, and reference them whenever possible during your talk.

Then you sound like a person having a conversation, not a robot repeating a script, or an embarrassed seventh grader trying to rush off stage. This is automatically more natural and listenable, and kills most awkwardness before it starts.

But presence is more than just carrying yourself a certain way or making 2.7 seconds of eye contact at regular intervals. It also comes from – you guessed it – your voice.

Projection starts from the chest

See how much goes into your voice before you ever even say anything? Now that we’ve come this far, we’re ready to polish the centerpiece of your speaking.

Your voice can come from either your head or your chest. Most people don’t even know the difference, let alone how to control it. But today we’re going to unlock your chest voice, which is the source of your power.

Chest voice is deeper than head voice, and you can actually feel the difference in your head. Start with a long hum at conversation volume. Raise your pitch until you feel the vibration in your cheeks, nose, and upper lip. Then go lower until the vibration moves down to your throat. There it is – you’re using your chest voice!

Now, try saying the same sentence twice, once with head voice, once with chest voice. Which one feels more resonant? Which one gives you more volume without straining your voice? Which one makes you feel more confident? I think we all know the answer.

If you’re having trouble finding your chest voice, you can try jumping. Yes, jumping. As you land, say a syllable, and push the air out of your lungs hard. Try a simple sentence, such as “I love speaking,” one syllable per jump. Now you’re using 100% chest voice.

Practice makes perfect

Speaking takes practice, but it’s one of the easiest things to exercise. You don’t need a basketball court, an electronic device, or special equipment. You just need to speak, anywhere, any time, and pay attention. Where is your voice coming from? How do you feel about the topic? How are you standing/sitting/moving while talking?

The more you get accustomed to noticing and practicing in your daily life, the easier it is to deliver your talks with presence and authority on stage. You’ll simply slip into your chest voice like an old pair of shoes, and you’ll have bandwidth to focus on your content and audience engagement.

Chest voice: find it today. Keep it forever.