Your voice plays a major role in the effectiveness of your oral communication. Consider the following simple sentences:
I don’t believe it.
You did that.
Give me a break.
How many different meanings can you create as you speak these words, just by changing the rhythm, pace, emphasis, pitch, or inflection of your voice?
Your ethos as well as your message can be affected by the quality of your voice. A good speaking voice enhances your image in the ears of listeners. But if you sound tentative, people may think you are not very competent. If you mumble, they may think you are trying to hide something. If you are overly loud or strident, they may find you not very likable.
How you talk is also part of your identity. Someone who talks in a soft, breathy voice may be labeled “sexy”; someone who speaks in a more forceful manner, may be considered “authoritative.” For some speakers, a dialect is part of their ethnicity, a valued part of their personality.9
While you may not wish to make radical changes in your speaking voice, minor improvements can yield big dividends. As one voice specialist put it, “Though speech is a human endowment, how well we speak is an individual achievement.”10 With a little effort and practice, most of us can make positive changes. We caution, however, that simple vocal exercises will not fix serious impairments. If you have such a problem, contact the nearest speech pathology clinic for professional help.
The first step in learning to use your voice more effectively is to evaluate how you usually talk. Tape-record yourself while speaking and reading aloud. When you hear yourself, you may say, “Is that really me?” Most tape recorders will slightly distort the way you sound because they do not exactly replicate the spectrum of sounds made by the human voice. Nevertheless, a tape recording gives you an idea of how you may sound to others. As you listen, ask yourself:
1. Does my voice convey the meaning I intend?
2. Would I want to listen to me if I were in the audience?
3. Does my voice present me at my best?
If your answers are negative, you may need to work on pitch, rate, loudness, variety, articulation, enunciation, pronunciation, or dialect. Save your original tape so that you can hear yourself improve as you practice.