If you’re a voiceover artist or a broadcaster, you’re probably wondering why a voice specialist would tell you to be silent. After all, you make your living by talking! But in the coming year you might do better work if you observe silence in two important ways.

The first way is to take a short time each day to sit in silence. Even as little as a couple of minutes can help clear your mind and calm your body so you can be more present and productive.

Sitting in silence without talking or using any electronic equipment isn’t easy. A recent study at the University of Virginia found that 67% of men tested and 25% of women hated the idea of being silent for just 15 minutes. They said they would actually prefer a mild electric shock to having to sit alone in silence.

This dislike for silence is not a new thing. Blaise Pascal, a French philosopher in the seventeenth century, said, "All human evil comes from this: our inability to sit still in a chair for half an hour.”

So consider mastering the art of  sitting in silence a few minutes each day in 2015. You don’t have to chant, "Om,” or become a mystic, just slow down and tune out once a day.

The other valuable time to be silent in the coming year is if you have a sore throat or vocal fatigue. Silence (vocal rest) is what’s called for in these instances. To read more about the value of vocal rest, see my post, Restoring a Fatigued Voice. 

Vocal rest is especially important if you have to be on the air or tape a voiceover. In the time that you’re not in front of the mic, practice silence. Let your damaged vocal tissue rest so it will heal faster. Don’t force yourself to make sound when your vocal folds clearly don’t want to.

I encourage you to try letting silence work for you in the coming year. You may find that you are more productive and less likely to have vocal problems.