I recently coached a group of professional women on presenting themselves powerfully and authentically. Several of the women had very effective m
essages but spoke at a very low intensity or tended to trail off in volume toward the end of their utterances. In today’s fast paced dynamic society, we are used to hearing people speak loudly into their cell phones and even louder in noisy environments. But we are often faced with speakers who are reticent to speak or are unaware that their voice is so soft in volume that we have to lean forward or ask the speaker to repeat the message. Seinfeld’s you tube video ‘Low Talker’ illustrates this point: http://goo.gl/UgSHuZ.
During the workshop, we worked on inhaling air into our lower ribcage and then speaking on exhaled air with a relaxed throat so that our sound was lower pitched and resonant rather than high pitched and shrill. Our ribcage expanded slightly as we inhaled rather than our shoulders rising. We also concentrated on relaxing our jaw or allowing space between our molars or back teeth when speaking rather than speaking through clenched teeth. I encouraged the group to watch themselves in the mirror when speaking on their cell phone to see if there was space between their teeth when they spoke and whether their lips moved to form sounds.
We work so diligently to be certain that our messages are correct but often fail to work on delivering our messages with a strong vocal tone and clear articulation. Practice warming up your voice every morning by pretending to recite the Gettysburg Address to a group of 30 listeners or say the alphabet several times in succession. You may wish to call and leave a sixty second message on your office phone from your cell phone. When you enter the office, listen to your message and see if your voice is easily heard and portrays the articulate professional that you are.
Contact us if we can help you to project your voice without feeling that you are yelling. Consider our new video-coaching program which you can access in the comfort of your home and office.
