Breathing for Speech Exercises

What are ‘breathing for speech’ exercises?

You have been provided with breathing for speech exercises as you have been assessed as having reduced breath to support the voice. This may mean that you have a quiet, breathy, rushed or harsh voice. This does not necessarily mean that you have a lung condition; it may mean that your body has learned to use less breath to support speaking.

Before starting the following exercises, ensure that you are comfortable, either lying down or sitting up. If you are sitting up, push your feet backwards and under the chair. Remember not to slouch. Place your hand on your lower tummy and the other hand on your rib cage. Blow all of the air out of your lungs slowly.

Exercise one

• Breathe in for a silent count of three
• Hold for a count of three
• Breathe out for a count of three
• Aim to make the movements as smooth as you can.

Tip: Remember to feel relaxed and in control.

Exercise two

• Breathe in for a silent count of three
• Breathe out over four counts
• Gradually work up to breathing in for three counts and out for 10 counts.

Exercise three

This time, breathe in for a count of three seconds, hold for a count of three seconds and then breathe out making the sounds (holding the sound for as long as you can on one breath). Ensure the sounds are controlled and smooth:

• Sssssssssss
• Shhhhhhhhh
• Fffffffffffffffffff
• Zzzzzzzzzzzz

Exercise four

Using the same counting to breathe in and hold the breath as before, try the following:

• As soft as you can on ‘sssss’
• As loud as you can ’sssss’
• Start soft and go louder – sssssSSSS
• Start loudly and get quieter – Ssssssss

Exercise five

Take a deep breath and count aloud up to 35 in groups of seven ‘topping up’ the breath every seventh number.

Tip: If you cannot count up to seven, try in smaller groups of numbers first.

Exercise six

Take a deep breath and say:

• The days of the week
• The months of the year
• The colours of the rainbow.

Tip: If you need to take a deeper breath – imagine you have a ball underneath your armpits that you need to keep there by squeezing hard.

Exercise seven

Try using ‘ssss’ in a rhythmic pattern.

—— = long ‘sssss’

— = short ‘ssss’

• —— — — —— — — —— — — ——
• — — —— — — —— — — —— — —
• — — — — —— — — — — —— — — — —
• —— — —— — —— — ——
• — — — —— — —— — — —— — —

Contact numbers

Your speech and language therapist is:

Please ring the Speech and Language Therapy Department on 01305 255165 for assistance.

About this leaflet

Author: Speech and Language Therapy Department
Written: January 2021
Approved: September 2021
Review date: September 2024
Edition: v1

If you have feedback regarding the accuracy of the information contained in this leaflet, or if you would like a list of references used to develop this leaflet, please email patientinformation.leaflets@dchft.nhs.uk