Part Two includes several sections on how to make the most of your voice and use it better. In these you’ll learn how to:

• Prepare your voice for the day.
• Make the best use of your voice at rehearsals.
• Give your best performance.
• Learn how to transfer all the Better Voice benefits into your voice when you speak.
• Deal with microphones.
• Understand vocal fatigue, and measure how Better Voice reduces and then avoids it.

Here’s an extract from the section on performance:

Make a start: give your best performance

The section in Part Two will also tell you what you can do ahead of time to make sure you perform at your best, and ways you can calm any pre-performance nerves, but here are some tips for when the moment actually comes.

Don’t think they apply only to soloists. Being a good performer even in a large choir will make the performance more enjoyable for both you and the audience.

• Own the space, don’t let the space own you. Just as confident people feel entitled to occupy as much space as they want, so adopting an expansive posture can help boost your confidence. Take up a posture that allows you to feel well balanced and relaxed. Have your feet at least hip width apart, toes forward or facing slightly outwards, knees relaxed, shoulders dropped and arms slightly away from your sides.
• If you have to hold a music folder, check periodically that you’re not creating upper body tension by gripping it tightly or clutching it to your chest.
• Remember the audience is there to have a good time, not to criticize you, and they want you to do well. They also don’t know if you sang better in practice.
• Make eye contact with the audience. Choose people who are clearly enjoying the performance, and sing to them: their positive feedback will give you a boost.
• If you make a mistake, go wrong with confidence. It’s amazing what audiences don’t notice if you don’t let the mistake show in your face.
• Finally, enjoy the privilege of sharing your gift of singing with others, and let the audience see and share in that enjoyment.