Using Your Voice Effectively
Have you lost your voice during the COVID-19 pandemic? I don’t mean a sore throat or some illness. I’m asking you to reflect for a minute on what has happened to how you use your voice after an extended period of comparative isolation. Could you be speaking more clearly, with greater impact and more authentically? Has your ability to fully communicate with others using your voice become, well, mediocre?
Voice Matters
Research has shown that spoken communication is processed in our brains for emotion first, and then for logic. People won’t remember what you say to them unless what you say makes them feel something. Our voices are critical to that process.
In one sense, email, texting and social media started “stealing” our voices long before COVID-19 emerged. People stopped talking as much to each other as we used more silent communication methods. Emojis were an attempt to add emotional expression back into these conversations. But emojis aren’t a substitute for communicating live, in-real-time meaning and emotions.
When you come out from behind the screen and actually talk with others, your voice is an important part of the impression you make. Whether it’s your first or your 100th interaction with someone, you have the chance to set the stage for success. You don’t want to miss this opportunity by misusing your voice. You need to portray yourself in a way that supports your intentions.
Using Your Voice to Connect With Others
In Roger Love’s “Speaker Guild” teachings, he recently shared three secrets to a science-based, heartfelt, NEW school of communication. In his lessons Roger discussed the following ideas.
Secret #1 – Identify the outcome that you want
Decide what you want to achieve. Knowing how you want things to turn out at the end of a conversation is crucial. Have a clear motive.
Secret #2 – Define emotional mapping
Once you’ve defined what your outcome is for the conversation, decide how you want people to feel along the journey. What feelings might the person you’re speaking with have when you begin the conversation? Are they happy, sad, scared, tired, frustrated? Next, consider what emotion might be best suited to achieve the outcome you have in mind. Just becoming more aware of reading people’s emotions, and knowing that you can influence them, will help lead you to your desired destination.
Secret #3 – Pick the right words
Speak less. Speak specifically about one important thing at a time until the other person feels something and indicates that they understand what you’re talking about. Short phrases, more commas. Brief supportive stories. Showcase more emotions.
Next, follow these six specific steps to deliver a deeper level of communication from your voice.
Practice proper breathing.
Diaphragmatic breathing is key and will produce an immediate positive effect. Breath in through your nose, not your mouth, making sure that your tummy expands as if it’s a balloon being blown up. Exhale out through your mouth as you speak.
Unlock the sound of your voice.
You don’t have only one voice, you have three: chest (deep), middle (mid-tone) and head (high). Find your middle voice, and then learn to use all three voices as you communicate. This will add a melody to the sound of your voice.
Tune your volume.
Pay attention to what happens when you speak softly and loudly. Watch for cues from your listeners to guide the volume of your voice in each situation. Doing this will allow you to amplify your message.
Watch your pace.
Slowing down or speeding up the pace will help you emphasize what you’re saying. Adding energy or clarity to your message can be as easy as a simple adjustment in vocal pace. Beware of too slow of a pace, as it can appear that you’re talking down to others or you might lose their attention.
Add variety to your tone.
Airy or brassy tones complement each other, so strike a balance in the sound of your voice. All of one isn’t good. Too much air makes you sound meek, weak and less confident. Too much edge in harsh, brassy tones sounds bossy, degrading, annoying and difficult to listen to.
Minimize the monotone.
A monotone is one note that all sounds the same. Your message has no emotion to support its meaning/intent, and it quickly becomes boring, lifeless and potentially sad. You can add authenticity and emotion to your voice by using ascending (low to high) or descending (high to low) tones.
To use your voice effectively, be mindful of how you sound. The key is to get familiar with the spectrum of what your voice can produce. To begin this process, start with a soundbite of your current voice by recording yourself speaking. Recite your 30-second elevator pitch or record part of your next Zoom meeting. For the following six days practice/be mindful of each of these voice specifics. Then make an “after” recording of your voice and compare. We’d love to hear about your results!
