Having a strong, authoritative voice will win you instant respect. On the other hand, a weak and feeble piping speech sound will undermine your credibility. We are programmed to hear deeper, steadier voices as more commanding.
Change your voice
Politicians hire vocal coaches to help slow their speech, lower the pitch of their voice and deal with unwanted regional accents. Professor Yuki Sato at Hosei University in Japan has a simpler way – use software. He has found a way to process recorded speech to make it sound different. It’s not what you would describe as the perfect solution, but try it for yourself. Here are two voices from his website:
The original sample of Miss Sugimoto
The sample modified to make her sound more ‘manly’
Recordings only
As New Scientist reported in a 2002 article, Sato’s work has so far only been able to modify recordings. So this is not the solution to boost your performance in your next platform speech at your company’s annual conference. For that, you will need to work a little harder.
Vocal Skills
An effective voice has three things, says Richard Payne, author of the Vocal Skills Pocketbook:
- Vitality
How to sound really interesting by using really good words and a varied voice to build rhythms and patterns - Audibility
Being heard. Sorry, being heard - Clarity
Not mmmbblnnng
Hmmm, still much to learn for me then.
I’ll try again …
- Vitality
A few deep breaths before you start, regular pauses to catch your breath and create emphasis, and a well crafted script can bring your speech to life - Audibility
Good breathing and posture can help you to project your voice at the right volume. If the room is too big for you, use a microphone. - Clarity
Taking your time and rehearsing will help you get your words and your overall message across clearly. Practicing some of Richards Vocal Exercises will improve the way you pronounce tricky vowel or consonant combinations.
A Pocketful of help
This book really is an excellent help for anyone contemplating public speaking, with 26 speech exercises that will certainly help develop your skills. But here are three extra tips from my experience sitting in conference rooms at break times:
- Beware clip-on radio microphones
Turn them off when someone comes to the front at the break, to ask you a private question - Beware clip-on radio microphones
Turn them off before you head out of the room, walking right in front of a speaker - Beware clip-on radio microphones
Please turn them off before you take a comfort break
So here’s the deal
Public speaking is a challenge, so prepare for it by preparing your most important tool. Chefs sharpen their knives, carpenters hone their chisels, and engineers calibrate their micrometers. So too should a speaker rehearse their voice.
Other Management Pocketbooks you may enjoy
- The Impact & Presence Pocketbook
- The Communicator’s Pocketbook
- The NLP Pocketbook
- The Presentations Pocketbook
- The Body Language Pocketbook (due late 2010)