• clearing your throat and coughing a lot

• drink water, swallow, hum, cough silently

• speaking over background n​oise or from a long distance

• turn down noise
• choose quiet restaurants or find a quiet corner at a party
• be no more than an arm's length away from the person you're talking to
• use an intercom system or walkie-talkies between rooms at home

• yelling, screaming, and cheering
• making unusual noises (e.g., animal noises, special effects, forced whispering, harsh laughing)

• use noise makers, clapping, foot stomping, or hand signals to get someone's attention

• talking too fast, too loud, too high, too low, or when you're almost out of air

• speak in a comfortable pitch range, keeping muscles relaxed in your shoulders, neck, jaw, tongue, and face
• breathe easily and often while you're talking and make sure you take a breath when you run out of air
• breathe from your belly to help make the sound of your voice

• clenching your jaw or teeth
• holding the telephone between your shoulder and chin

• let your jaw move easily
• open your mouth when talking
• use a telephone headset

• talking or singing to large groups without a microphone

• use an amplification system that's loud enough for the room

• talking too much
• talking a lot when you're ill or when your voice is already strained

• ​give your voice rest breaks throughout the day
• ​spend less time talking
• ​rest your voice if it takes effort to talk
• ​do more listening

• caffeine, including pop, coffee, tea, chocolate
• alcohol

(these may dry the throat)

• ​drink 7 to 10 glasses of water a day
• ​drink herbal tea or non-caffeinated drinks

• any foods that give you heartburn or acid reflux (stomach acid going back up your throat can damage your vocal chords)

• ​talk to a doctor if you're often hoarse, have heartburn, or feel like you have a lump in your throat
• ​wait 2 to 3 hours before lying down after eating if you tend to get heartburn

• using throat lozenges (they may numb your throat and hide a problem)

• drink water
• suck a non-medicated hard candy
• talk to a doctor if your sore throat doesn't get better

• smoking, second-hand smoke, and other air pollutants

• ​don't smoke
• ​stay away from polluted environments

• anything that causes you a lot of stress and upsets you
  

• ​practice relaxation techniques for your body, especially your head, neck, jaw, and shoulders
• ​think about talking to a health care provider if you're worried about your level of stress or emotions

• singing beyond a comfortable pitch or loudness range

• ​warm up your voice, starting softly with mid and low pitches, then gradually go higher and louder​​​