Winter has well and truly arrived here in Australia, and for those of you who may be planning to jump on a microphone and record your voice at some point during the colder months, you need to be aware that it can be harder to record clean, crisp audio narration during this period.
Why’s that you may ask?
Well, catching a cold can leave your voice weak and inconsistent, making it difficult to record that killer training or promo video you’ve just spent the last few weeks scripting!
The colder months may also lead to a reduction in the amount of water you drink.
I’m no doctor but I suspect this may be because you’re not prompted to drink more water by heat-induced thirst. As a result, you may not feel the urge to keep drinking water.
So what’s the big deal if you drink less water in winter?
Well, when your daily water intake drops significantly, this ends up leaving your body dehydrated, and that’s rather bad for voiceover because you’re left with a dry mouth. A dry mouth often leaves you with those rather annoying (and highly distracting) mouth-clicks on your audio recording. Overly present mouth-clicks on your audio alerts your audience to the fact that they’re probably listening to an “amateur production” (perception is reality after all!)
So my advice to you here is simple.
It’s time to rug up, stay warm, drink plenty of water and avoid the coughing / sneezing masses like the plague.
Easier said than done however, so let me tell you a little story…
In the space of a week the temperature here in Sydney has dropped so much that I’ve gone from wearing t-shirts to overcoats.
In fact, early this morning the wind blowing across Sydney Harbour was so icy cold, that in the 15 minutes it took me to walk from the Opera House to Australia Square, I could barely feel my nose. I could also barely avoid the coughing / sneezing masses, which seemed to be spluttering their common cold virus everywhere I turned.
So if you can’t avoid catching a cold this winter, here’s a simple little natural remedy that may be able to help you get “match ready” quicker.
It’s a natural and inexpensive remedy that has never failed me yet.
Here’s what you do….
Nibble on thin slivers of raw, fresh Ginger about 12 hours before you need to step into your session (even better if you can do it 24 hours before).
That’s it. Simply nibble on raw thin slivers of Ginger.
It’s not for the feint hearted, because raw Ginger has quite a spicy kick to it and can literally feel like it’s burning your throat as it goes down.
So if spicy ‘heat’ is not your thing, perhaps best to steer clear of this one! I’m a huge fan of Ginger beer so the taste and kick of raw Ginger is fine.
Depending on the severity of the cold, generally 1 or 2 slivers (approx 1mm thick), nibbled slowly over 30mins is enough to do the trick.
I don’t know how readily available raw Ginger is other countries but it’s cheap and plentiful in Australia (and most of Asia) so a valid option for those of us in the Asia-Pacific region.
Just make sure that the raw root purchased is fresh and flexible, not dried out and hard, as the effectiveness of the remedy drops significantly with the latter (personal experience).
For anyone who may decide to give this remedy a go, let me know how you go in the comments below.
I’d love to hear about your experience.
Speak Up. Be Heard.
Con
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