Should I record a video when I have a cold?

If your voice is only mildly affected and the deadline is fixed, yes, with adjustments. If speaking hurts or your voice keeps cracking, postpone.

What helps your voice when you have a cold?

Rest your voice, sip warm water, keep the room humid if you can, and avoid whispering, which strains the voice more than speaking softly.

Can I fix a blocked-nose sound in editing?

Only a little. Gentle EQ can help, but the best fix is a shorter script, a slower pace and a good microphone close to your mouth.

How to Record a Video When You Have a Cold or Sore Throat

Winter brings colds, and deadlines do not wait. How to protect your voice, adjust your script and record a clear video when you are under the weather, and when to postpone.

Colds arrive at the worst moments: the week of a client video, a course recording or an important update. Sometimes you can postpone. Often you cannot. Here is how to record a clear, professional video when your voice is not at its best, and how to tell when you should not.

Decide whether to record at all

Postpone if:

Speaking is painful.
Your voice cracks or drops out mid-sentence.
You are coughing every few seconds.

Pushing through real hoarseness can make it worse. Speech and voice professionals generally advise resting a strained voice, and the UK's NHS has general guidance on laryngitis, the usual cause of a lost voice. If symptoms last more than a few weeks, see a doctor.

If your voice is just a little rough or nasal, recording is usually fine with a few adjustments.

Protect your voice before you record

Sip room-temperature or warm water in the hours before.
Do not whisper to save your voice. Whispering strains the vocal folds more than soft speaking.
Keep the room humid if you can, for example with a bowl of hot water nearby.
Do a gentle warm-up, humming and lip trills, not shouting. See vocal warm-up before recording.

Shorten the script

The quickest win is fewer words. Cut anything that is not essential, aim for shorter sentences, and avoid long lists that need a lot of breath. A three-minute script trimmed to two minutes is far easier to deliver well when you are unwell.

Record in short sections

Instead of one long take, record a paragraph at a time and rest between them. Sip water between takes. Editing the sections together is easier than fighting a tired voice for five minutes straight.

Get the microphone closer

A blocked nose and a rough voice sound worse through a distant microphone. A lapel microphone or a USB microphone a hand's width from your mouth captures more of your voice and less of the room. See microphone for phone video.

Slow down

Illness makes many people rush to get it over with. A slower pace sounds calmer and hides a rough voice better. Pause at every full stop. Our guide on how to pause for effect helps.

Look after the picture too

Colds show on camera: red nose, tired eyes. Soft, even light from a window is kinder than a harsh overhead bulb. A little extra light from the front reduces shadows under the eyes.

Use a prompter to save energy

When you are unwell, memorising is the last thing you need. A phone prompter close to the lens lets you read without strain. Cue's sentence focus mode shows one sentence at a time, which keeps reading easy when concentration is low.