The human voice is one of our most prized possessions - it defines who you are as a person. Last week, we conducted a poll to see who you thought had the best and worst male and female speaking voices. The results are below with a little synopsis on their voices and what makes them good or bad. Enjoy!
WORST MALE SPEAKING VOICE: GILBERT GOTTFRIED
Gilbert Gottfried is a comedian commonly known for his roles as Iago, the parrot from Disney's Aladdin, and the Aflac duck. His Brooklyn accent, mixed with the raspy, at times annoying, tone of his voice is likely the reason he was selected as the worst male speaking voice. While his voice may be funny for comedy, in a conversation, it could get very irritating, very fast.
WORST FEMALE SPEAKING VOICE: KIM KARDASHIAN
It is of no surprise to me that reality star Kim Kardashian was voted the worst female speaking voice. She is the perfect example of the blog I wrote about last week on vocal fry and uptalk. Kim ends some statements with her voice getting groggy and other statements with her voice increasing in inflection, as if she is asking a question. Someone in her business position, having a business empire as large as hers, should speak with confidence and full breathe support - not as though she is a stereotypical "valley girl," as some would call her.
BEST MALE SPEAKING VOICE: MORGAN FREEMAN
There is no doubt why Morgan Freeman is constantly being offered narrating gigs, whether they are for a movie or commercial - his great vocal quality is unlike anyone else. He can sound very soothing, almost mesmerizing, or he can sound very angry and forceful. It takes a gifted voice to reach these vocal extremes and Freeman excels at this. I think that the gentle full tone associated with his voice is what listeners remember and like so much.
BEST FEMALE SPEAKING VOICE: MICHELLE OBAMA
First Lady Michelle Obama, in my opinion, has grown immensely as a speaker since President Obama announced his candidacy in 2007. She speaks with great poise, utilizes pauses, has power in her voice and exudes confidence in everything she says, whether addressing a group of kids or members of the military. All politics aside, she has a lower pitched resonant tone which makes her a great female speaker.
Thanks to everyone who voted for this week's blog! We were surprised by the agreement in whom our voters thought had great and not so great speaking voices. We enjoyed analyzing the vocal characteristic of these voices, especially since they are so prevalent in the media spotlight. A voice is what makes someone unique.
Hear what your voice sounds like! Record yourself on your answering machine and play it back. If you don't like the way your voice sounds, contact me and I'll help you find a voice that you like.
