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The power of your voice

One of the most powerful tools you have for creating successful outcomes is your voice. Although many people don’t realise this, your voice and how you use it, represents 40% of the power of your communication. Over the telephone this figure, according to UCLA studies, increases to an incredible 84%.

People who have a great voice are a pleasure to listen to and, subconsciously, will influence us at a deep level. In advertising this power is used to great effect and I’m sure you can think of one or two people who are famous for their voice quality. The reverse is also true and an unpleasant voice is something we prefer not to hear and such people are at a disadvantage when it comes to making the right type of impact.

Making sure your voice sounds at its best helps you become more persuasive. It allows you to articulate your ideas better and come up against less resistance when interacting with others. It increases your confidence because others respond to you better.

When you think about it there are many variables to the way we can sound. We can speak in or out of rhythm. We can vary our tonality, volume, pitch, inflections and tempo. Because our voice comes from how we use our bodies our posture and movement is important. How we think, how we breathe and what ‘state’ we are in all influence our sound.

There are many ways to check your voice sounds great at the right time and I’ve listed a few here that are easy to follow:

Check your posture. When your body is aligned sound comes out with more power, resonance and projects better.

Drink plenty of water. It helps your vocal folds to stay well lubricated. Avoid dehydrators like tea, coffee or cola.

Put emphasis in your words. When in conversation put good emphasis on words so they really have ‘feel’. By putting the emotion into the word this helps to fully engage the listener. Right now just say ‘smooth’, ‘slow’, and ‘gorgeous’ and you’ll notice what I mean.

Use livelier body language. More animation adds energy and enthusiasm to your communication (though don’t over do it!)

Add tone and inflection to your voice. Do you remember how comedians used to make fun of John Major and his monotone voice when he was Prime Minister? ‘Yes Norma I think we’ll just have a quiet night in tonight and watch some paint drying or better still perhaps we can watch test card’.

Prepare in advance for your meetings and telephone calls. Before important calls and meetings run through them in your mind so you project more confidence and don’t find yourself pausing with too many ‘mmm’s’ or ‘eeer’s.

Overall, with a little thought and preparation you can significantly increase your persuasive powers when you pay attention to how you sound.

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