Speech Exercises for Nasal Voice

This week I give you three easy and fun exercises to strengthen up your soft palate so that your voice sounds less nasal. This can be a problem for people after stroke, brain injury, other neurological disease, and cleft palate.

EDIT: pinching off the nasal passages creates a hypernasal voice, not hypernasal. Hypernasal speech sounds more like air is escaping during speaking.

[adamlindfors]

0:00 This woman is straight up speaking guitar

[LTD.Edition]

I had no idea your soft pallet was meant to close off to your nasal passage when speaking. This feels like an entirely new way to talk for me... the diagram showing it was just a massive lightbulb moment. Mind blown.

[RexJawzz]

I was born with cleft palate. I get made fun of because of it. I even got speech therapy all my life, although it didn’t work at all. But this… I can feel my palate actually touching/closed when doing the exercises. I keep thinking to myself that I need surgery even though I’ve had it a couple times, but maybe this might help if I constantly do this. Thank you, I’m 100% doing these every day so it can improve my voice

[Journiewithree]

Omg what you explained makes so much sense. My speech is nasally and ironically whenever I vomit it also comes out of my nose! I hope this helps. Thank you!!

[EntertainmentwithTrisha]

Thanks. I am also Speech and language therapist. But I m fresh graduate. I had a voice problem patient who has nasal voice. Tnx for a nice video.

[injured_lion]

I don't understand! when I close my nose and talk my voice doesn't change that's mean I have no naselty but when I record it it sound a bit nasly or lazy and sleepy 😕

[ColonelFlickage]

As soon as you said food and drink it became all too clear this has been what I'm dealing with. Appreciate the help!

[yeezynpc]

This video might have saved my life. I didn’t know I needed speech therapy. Thank you.

[shreya]

😮 OMG I've sounded like a kid my entire life, and just 5 minutes after doing this, my voice sounds so clear and confident! Amazing ❤ thank you so much!

[jasonf]

that humm exercise is gold! I will definitely use it with my Chinese students struggling to pronounce 'l'!

[haseki-r-imansure-imuhamme]

i've finally learned how to make a nasal sound thanks to this beautiful witch woman <3 i've been literally watching everything on the internet and still wasn't able to get it right <3 thank you my queen

[doodbro]

I feel like another cause of a nasally voice is mouth breathing. There has been a ton of studies done on mouth breathing and how it messes up your skull/jaw/chin development and physical structure, how it ruins your posture, it leads to development of snoring and sleep apnea, and is overall bad for humans because that's not how we evolved. We evolved to breathe through our noses. So I feel like if mouth breathing can do all that, , and physically change your skeleton, then then it is probably able to cause a underdeveloped or weak soft palette and therefore cause a nasally voice.

[alsims]

Thank you, I had cleft palate before and I had surgery five years ago but my speech although improved a lot is nasally and it causes me to feel insecure. I will try these exercises and update after a while.

[馬屋兎屋八]

. It is great for me to reach your knowledge. I’m glad that you are updating useful exercises. Thank you.

[GatherYeRosebudsWhileYeMay]

I didn’t realise why I was so mesmerised by this video then I realised … the hat 🤩

[leenioacuna]

you solved years of my problem. thank you!

[hansalvarado]

How long are we supposed to do this exercises?

[enriquekahn]

Thanks for your educational videos. Can you suggest exercises/solutions for people with hyponasality?

[happinesstrades]

How much time will it take to speak non-nasally?

[IdolEyes]

Thank you :)
I have sinus/allergies and blocked eustation (ear) tubes.
I have a slightly nasal speaking and singing voice, mostly I can tell when I'm tired/just woken up or there's nasal issues.
How many times per day would I do these exercises?
What would be the approximate time it would start fixing it, and would I keep doing this (as maintenance)?
I use a balloon to pop pressure in my ears, and sometimes use saline spray, but nothing is really helping the crackling sound as I open my jaw/yawn.
Would these exercises help? My voice is clearish (I sound like a little 5 year old sometimes lol) I just want to get the little bit of nasal out.
Thank you. :)