How do I breathe correctly while speaking?

With belly or diaphragmatic breathing: breathe deeply and quietly down into the belly so the belly wall bulges forward and the shoulders stay still. While speaking, meter the exhalation finely and top up air only at the sense boundaries (comma, full stop). That way you never run out of air mid-sentence, and the voice sounds calm and carrying.

What is diaphragmatic breathing?

The diaphragm is the large breathing muscle beneath the lungs. In diaphragmatic breathing it contracts downward on the in-breath, the lungs fill deeply, and the belly bulges forward. This deep breathing delivers plenty of air and a finely controllable exhalation – ideal for speaking. It is our natural way of breathing, easily trained again.

What is breath support?

Breath support is the slight resistance of the breathing muscles during exhalation: instead of simply letting the air escape, you hold the width in belly and flanks for a moment and meter the out-breath. The voice rests on this “support” – which makes it carry and keeps it from dropping at the end of a sentence.

Why do I run out of air when speaking?

Usually because you breathe shallowly into the chest, breathe too late, or “gasp” in the middle of a thought instead of breathing at sense boundaries. Deep belly breathing, a metered exhalation and deliberate top-ups at commas and full stops solve it. The sibilant and candle exercises train exactly this long, controlled exhalation.

How long should I practise breathing exercises?

Just 5–10 minutes a day is enough. Practise lying down or seated first, until belly breathing feels effortless, then transfer it to standing and speaking. After a few weeks of regular training, deep speech breathing becomes a habit – even in stressful situations like a talk or a phone call.

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Breathing correctly while speaking: diaphragmatic breathing exercises

When you breathe correctly while speaking, you sound calmer, carry further and never run out of air. The key is diaphragmatic, or belly, breathing. With these seven exercises you build a resilient breath support – the basis of every good voice.

Reviewed byMarkus KästleVoice actor & speech trainer7 min read

Why the breath is the basis of every voice

Every sound we speak is produced on the out-breath: air streams up from the lungs, sets the vocal folds vibrating – and that becomes sound. The breath is therefore the fuel of the voice. If it is shallow, hectic and scarce, the voice sounds thin, pressed and restless too; you “gasp” for air mid-sentence and lose power at the end. A calm, deep breath, by contrast, carries the voice evenly to the last word.

The breath is not an accessory to speaking but its foundation. Master your breathing and you lay the basis for a carrying voice, an assured speaking pace, and calm, meaningful pauses. And the best part: correct speech breathing – diaphragmatic or belly breathing – is purely a matter of practice. It is even our innate way of breathing; we only need to reclaim it. The following exercises show you how.

The breath is not an accessory to speaking but its foundation.

Chest breathing vs. belly / diaphragmatic breathing

In shallow chest breathing it is mainly the ribcage that lifts, the shoulders pull upward, and the breath stays short and high. This is the breathing of tension – it supplies fast oxygen under stress, but is poorly suited to speaking: it delivers little air reserve and makes the voice high and rushed. Many people breathe this way all day without noticing.

Belly or diaphragmatic breathing works the other way around. The diaphragm – the large breathing muscle beneath the lungs – contracts downward on the in-breath, the lungs fill down to the deep regions, and the belly wall visibly bulges forward. The shoulders stay still. This gets far more air into the lungs, and the out-breath can be finely metered – exactly what the voice needs. Babies breathe this way naturally; lying down, almost everyone does. The aim of the exercises is to make this deep breathing natural while sitting, standing and speaking too.

Common mistakes: gasping and raised shoulders

The most conspicuous mistake is the raised shoulder: on the in-breath the shoulders jerk upward instead of the belly widening – a sure sign of shallow chest breathing. Add to that gasping: audible, hasty gulps of air mid-sentence, often because breath is taken too late and too little. A third mistake is paradoxical: breathing in too much. Fill the lungs to the brim and you press the surplus air back out while speaking and come across as strained.

The fix is more relaxed than you think. Breathe deeply and quietly downward into the belly, without moving the shoulders. Take only as much air as the next sense-unit needs – and top it up deliberately at the sense boundaries, where a comma or full stop sits in the text. That way breathing becomes part of the speaking melody instead of a panic reaction. Calm breathing in the right place takes the rush out of the voice and the nerves out of you.

Train these breathing exercises with guidance – in the Besser Sprechen app.

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7 exercises for correct speech breathing

Practise lying down or seated first, with no pressure at all – the deep breathing should feel effortless. Later you transfer it to standing and speaking.

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Exercise 1
Hand on the belly
Place one hand on your belly and one on your chest. Breathe in deeply through the nose and make sure only the lower hand rises – the belly bulges forward, chest and shoulders stay still. On the out-breath the belly sinks again. This simple check puts you into belly breathing right away.
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Exercise 2
Lying down with a book on the belly
Lie flat on your back and stand a book on your belly. Breathe so that the book visibly rises on the in-breath and sinks on the out-breath. Lying down, almost everyone breathes with the diaphragm automatically – this anchors the feeling you then carry into sitting and standing.
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Exercise 3
The candle exercise (blowing)
Imagine a candle flame and blow at it with a long, even stream of air so that it leans but does not go out. The aim is a fine, controlled out-breath over many seconds. This trains metered exhalation – the basis for not running out of air mid-sentence.
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Exercise 4
Sibilant exhalation “Ffff – Ssss – Shhh”
Breathe deeply into the belly and let the air out on a long, even “Ffff”, “Ssss” or “Shhh” – as slowly as possible. Feel how the belly and flank muscles gently brake the exhalation. Time the seconds: over time you hold the sibilant longer and longer – a direct gauge of your breath support.
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Exercise 5
Building the breath support
Place your hands on the lower ribs at the sides. Breathe in deeply so the flanks widen, and on the out-breath speak a firm, toned “So!” or count aloud. Hold the width in the flanks for a moment instead of collapsing at once – this slight resistance is the breath support, the springy foundation on which a carrying voice rests.
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Exercise 6
Breath phrasing: breathe at sense boundaries
Take a short text and mark where sense-units end (at commas and full stops). Read aloud and breathe deeply only at those points – not in the middle of a thought. This makes gasping disappear, your speech gains calm and structure, and the pauses seem assured instead of random.
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Exercise 7
Quick top-up through the nose
Practise topping up your breath between two sentences lightning-fast and silently through the nose into the belly – the “reflex breath”. The belly widens briefly, without the shoulders twitching. This quick, noiseless refill ensures you never audibly struggle for air even in long passages.

The breathing exercises of the Besser Sprechen app

Breath training is easier when someone sets the rhythm. The Besser Sprechen app guides you with coached breathing exercises through in- and out-breath, helps you lengthen the exhalation, and builds the breath support step by step. Instead of counting the seconds alone, you follow clear guidance – a few minutes a day are enough to make diaphragmatic breathing a habit.

Because breath and voice belong together, the app links the breathing work directly with speaking and voice exercises: you learn to speak on the support, breathe at the right points and phrase your sentences meaningfully. The built-in recorder makes progress audible, and on request a real professional speaker gives you personal feedback. Free to start – without expensive private lessons.

Coached breathing exercises – in- and out-breath at a set rhythm
Exercises for breath support and a longer, metered exhalation
Breath, voice and speaking meaningfully connected – including phrasing
Pro voice check: personal feedback from real coaches

Reviewed by real professional speakers

Breathing correctly is the tool of every professional in front of the microphone. Reviewed by Markus Kästle – voice actor and speech trainer – and joined by Dietmar Wunder (the German voice of Daniel Craig as James Bond), Irina von Bentheim, Silke Haas and Ulrike Völger.

Dietmar Wunder

Dt. Stimme von Daniel Craig (James Bond)

Irina von Bentheim

Synchronsprecherin & Schauspielerin

Silke Haas

Sprecherin & Stimmtrainerin

Markus Kästle

Sprecher & Sprechtrainer

Ulrike Völger

Sprecherin & Coach