***Constant Clearing of Your Throat May Be a Sign of Vocal Abuse

By Nancy Daniels, The Official Guide to Public Speaking
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If you find that you are clearing your throat frequently when you speak, it may be a sign of vocal abuse. Ignoring it will not make the abuse go away because the process of talking is creating the problem. Therefore, the more you talk, the more you are irritating your throat and vocal folds (cords).

While it is quite possible that post nasal drip or Gerd is the cause, I would suggest that you first go to a doctor and see if you have medical issues. If the physician finds no physiological reason for the irritation, then you need to change the way you are producing voiced sound.

In the majority of cases, vocal abuse is the result of excessive wear and tear on your throat (pharynx) and vocal folds. It may be caused by speaking loudly throughout your day or yelling or shouting. It is also possible that it is the result of speaking for great lengths of time in a normal volume of sound. Teachers and coaches are prime targets for vocal abuse. Unfortunately, many are not aware of the problem until middle age.

I know a man named Aldo who clears his throat after every 5 or 6 words. When I first noticed the problem, I was unsure of the cause. When we talked, he told me that he had no allergies so I was able to cross that off the list. I pushed him a little further and discovered that he had coached soccer for many, many years. That was the answer. Certainly his former position as a butcher had not caused the problem – coaching had.

Vocal abuse affects people differently. It is a very individual thing. There are those who can yell all day long and never do any damage. Sadly, that is not true for all of us.

Some people suffer hoarseness; others a persistent sore throat. And, there are a few who actually lose their voice by the end of the day. While no longer coaching and pushing his voice hard on a daily basis, Aldo is left with irritation of the vocal folds which is most noticeable when he speaks.

If you are suffering any of the above symptons, the answer is to learn to power your voice by means of your chest cavity which will immediately relieve the pressure on your vocal folds and throat. It is amazing how this change in placement will solve your problem.

You can’t live without a voice but you can live without vocal abuse.