Have you assessed your speaking voice lately? Hmm… you could be missing one of the most important tools you have to impact your world… your ability to talk!
Here’s how I define a successful speaking voice:
- It communicates clearly,
- creates the desired response in the listener (at an emotional, not just surface, level)
- and you can operate it without strain!
Here are some typical speaking voice mistakes:
- Talking too fast (totally counterproductive to communication for many reasons)
- Not pausing enough for breath, and for the listener to digest what you said
- Projecting before resonating (sabotaging vocal tone and tiring the voice)
- Yelling to capture attention instead of drawing the listener in
- Habitually speaking ‘on gravel’ (vocal fry)
- Speaking with too much breath
- Pacing too much – moving without a reason
- Monotone vocal delivery
- Trying to speak over loud noise
- Mumbling, using muddy articulation
- Failing to invite response/engagement
- Using wrong hand language
- Using no hand language
- Articulating to strangers or public as if to family/siblings who can finish your sentences
- THINKING ABOUT communicating instead DOING it
- Not speaking with eye language
- Speaking with inauthentic vocal tone (too friendly when message is serious, too serious when message is friendly, etc)
- Speaking with breath power centered too high
- Articulating from the jaw
- Using wrong body or facial language for the message (looks like lying!)
- Speaking to all rather than to the one
Need (or know someone in need of) an assessment/ corrective lesson? Hit me up. I’m working with some of the top speakers in the world and it’s a blast what even one lesson can do.
As always, your feedback on this subject is most welcome. Add to this list of talk trouble if you can!
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