Have you ever observed someone singing without a microphone and wondered how the person’s voice managed to reach people near and far? What about actors on a stage who speak their lines quietly yet can still be heard by everyone in the theater? These individuals use projection— “booming” their voices across a forum to reach all audience members.

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To project, use the air you exhale from your lungs to carry the sound of your voice across the room or auditorium. Projection is all about the mechanics of breathing. To send your voice clearly across a large space, first maintain good posture: sit or stand up straight, with your shoulders back and your head at a neutral position (not too far forward or back). Also, exhale from your diaphragm—that sheet of muscle just below your rib cage—to push your breath away from you.