"In order to express a most delicate and largely subconscious life
it is necessary to have control of an unusually responsive,
excellently prepared vocal and physical apparatus.
This apparatus must be ready instantly and exactly to reproduce most delicate and all but intangible feelings with great sensitiveness and directness.
That is why an actor of out type is obliged to work so much more than others, both on his inner equipment, which creates the life of the part, and also on his outer physical apparatus, which should reproduce the results of the creative work of his emotions with precision."

An Actor Prepares
Constantin Stanislavski.

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When it come to training your voice for:- clarity, precision, diction, strength, and versatility,
one thing is certain. You need to practice. If you don't, your voice can become lazy, and develop annoying faults (annoying to the listener that is.)

Always warm up before you perform. and that does mean "warming up", as opposed to wearing out. Shouting and screaming might be good to get you in character but it isn't good for your voice. Warming up is about giving your mouth and your vocal range a good stretch.
All this can be done quietly.

Here are a few tongue twisters to get your lips and tongue limbered up.

Moses supposes his toeses are roses,
but Moses supposes erroneously.
For Moses, he knowses his toeses aren't roses,
as Moses supposes his toeses to be.

I wish I were what I was
when I wished I were what I am.

To begin to toboggan first, buy a toboggan.
But do not buy too big a toboggan!
Too big a toboggan is too big
a toboggan to buy to begin to toboggan.

A flea and a fly flew up in a flue,
Said the flea" Let us fly!",
Said the fly "Let us flea!"
So they flew through a flaw in the flue!

A skunk sat on a stump.
The stump thought the skunk stunk.
the skunk thought the stump stunk .
What stunk the skunk or the stump?

Bob boxed big blue berries
on new bleached beach blankets

Freaky Frank's friend Francis
eats three foot fruit
while Freaky Frank's friend
Franchesca prefers frozen French fried frogs

Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers,
if Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers,
wheres the peck of pickled peppers
Peter Piper picked?

Red Leather Yellow Leather Red
Leather Yellow Leather
Red Leather Yellow Leather....

Red White Red White Red
White Red White Red White.....

Sunshine City Sunshine City Sunshine
City Sunshine City Sunshine City

Willie Wilder went wild while
we went wading in the water.

I saw Susie sitting in a shoe shine shop.
Where she sits she shines,
and where she shines she sits.

The thirty-three thieves thought
that they thrilled the throne throughout Thursday

If you're keen on stunning
kites and cunning stunts,
buy a cunning stunning stunt kite.

Mo mi mo me send me a toe,
Me me mo mi get me a mole,
Mo mi mo me send me a toe,
Fe me mo mi get me a mole,

Mister kister feet so sweet,
Mister kister where will I eat !?
The big black bug bit the big black bear,
but the big black bear
bit the big black bug back!

Aluminum, linoleum, aluminum,
linoleum, aluminum, linoleum

How about a speech or two every
day to keep things working.

A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM

OBERON
I pray thee, give it me.
I know a bank where the wild thyme blows,
Where oxlips and the nodding violet grows,
Quite over-canopied with luscious woodbine,
With sweet musk-roses and with eglantine:
There sleeps Titania sometime of the night,
Lull'd in these flowers with dances and delight;
And there the snake throws her enamell'd skin,
Weed wide enough to wrap a fairy in:
And with the juice of this I'll streak her eyes,
And make her full of hateful fantasies.
Take thou some of it,
and seek through this grove:
A sweet Athenian lady is in love
With a disdainful youth: anoint his eyes;
But do it when the next thing he espies
May be the lady: thou shalt know the man
By the Athenian garments he hath on.
Effect it with some care, that he may prove
More fond on her than she upon her love:
And look thou meet me ere the first cock crow

THE MERCHANT OF VENICE

PORTIA

The quality of mercy is not strain'd,
It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven
Upon the place beneath: it is twice blest;
It blesseth him that gives and him that takes:
'Tis mightiest in the mightiest: it becomes
The throned monarch better than his crown;
His sceptre shows the force of temporal power,
The attribute to awe and majesty,
Wherein doth sit the dread and fear of kings;
But mercy is above this sceptred sway;
It is enthroned in the hearts of kings,
It is an attribute to God himself;
And earthly power doth then show likest God's
When mercy seasons justice. Therefore, Jew,
Though justice be thy plea, consider this,
That, in the course of justice, none of us
Should see salvation: we do pray for mercy;
And that same prayer doth teach us all to render
The deeds of mercy. I have spoke thus much
To mitigate the justice of thy plea;
Which if thou follow, this strict court of Venice
Must needs give sentence
'gainst the merchant there.

THE TEMPEST

PROSPERO

You do look, my son, in a moved sort,
As if you were dismay'd: be cheerful, sir.
Our revels now are ended. These our actors,
As I foretold you, were all spirits and
Are melted into air, into thin air:
And, like the baseless fabric of this vision,
The cloud-capp'd towers, the gorgeous palaces,
The solemn temples, the great globe itself,
Ye all which it inherit, shall dissolve
And, like this insubstantial pageant faded,
Leave not a rack behind. We are such stuff
As dreams are made on, and our little life
Is rounded with a sleep. Sir, I am vex'd;
Bear with my weakness; my, brain is troubled:
Be not disturb'd with my infirmity:
If you be pleased, retire into my cell
And there repose: a turn or two I'll walk,
To still my beating mind.

ROMEO AND JULIET

JULIET

The clock struck nine when I did send the nurse;
In half an hour she promised to return.
Perchance she cannot meet him: that's not so.
O, she is lame! love's heralds should be thoughts,
Which ten times faster glide than the sun's beams,
Driving back shadows over louring hills:
Therefore do nimble-pinion'd doves draw love,
And therefore hath the wind-swift Cupid wings.
Now is the sun upon the highmost hill
Of this day's journey, and from nine till twelve
Is three long hours, yet she is not come.
Had she affections and warm youthful blood,
She would be as swift in motion as a ball;
My words would bandy her to my sweet love,
And his to me:
But old folks, many feign as they were dead;
Unwieldy, slow, heavy and pale as lead.
O God, she comes!

Another tip for daily practice, is to just read aloud.
Pick a passage from a book you are not familiar with, or an article from a newspaper and speak the words out loud.
It works wonders.

The subject of voice training is large and involved;
this page only scratches the surface.
If you are serious about acting,
and wanting to improve your voice
we have many good books on the subject.
See above for four we recommend