how do I avoid losing my voice after lecturing for hours?
Not tea; avoid caffeine. Maybe hot herbal tea, though: I’m partial to chamomile with ginger. Make sure you have plenty plenty plenty of water and drink it often, particularly if your environment will be climate-controlled and therefore likely pretty dry. Take frequent breaks if possible. Your audience can probably use them, too. For you, though, the breaks should be a chance to rest your voice. Avoid talking too much when you first wake up. Start with humming in the shower; warm your voice up gently. Take care with your voice starting now so that it will be rested and strong when it comes time to lecture. If you can get someone — a singer friend, a voice coach — to show you how to speak with good breath support, that’s really going to help you. However, if you’re talking for six hours, then you really want good support to be habitual. Good support is often employed as a way to make one’s voice stronger or louder. You’re probably using a microphone for lecturing, but supporting will s
I have been in exactly your position: 6-hour lectures, back-to-back days, no voice at the end. The big shift in my thinking about it was when someone pointed out to me that doing these long lectures is, essentially, an athletic performance, and you have to treat it like one. Minimize your use of alcohol and caffeine for a few days leading up to and then during the talks. These diuretics reduce your body’s ability to keep the vocal cords lubricated. Alcohol, in particular, can take a couple of days for your body to bounce back from. Get plenty of sleep, leading up to and during the talks. Doing these talks takes a lot of energy even when you’re not suffering or recovering from a sleep deficit. While you’re talking, drink lots and lots of water. I literally don’t set the water glass down, and sometimes will pour several before the talk so I can switch smoothly when the glass is empty. Make sure you’ll have access during the talk to all the water you’ll need. (I go through about half a li
