Your voice has an incredible range and ability to
convey meaning and emotion. Yet most of us use only a small part of that
range. Use the following guidelines to
unleash the power of your voice so you can deliver your message effectively and
connect to the audience:
Use
pauses. Pause before
an important word, at the end of the sentence or anywhere you'd like a
break. The audience has time to absorb
the information, you have a chance to breathe and you're less likely to use a
pause word such as "um" or "ah."
I remember a cartoon in which a man looked
distressed after his dog dragged in the paperboy. The bubble above the man read: "Oh dear,
perhaps I should have made myself more clear.
I said "Fetch me the paper, boy" (Rubes, © Leigh Rubin).
See what a
difference a comma can make? In writing, you use punctuation to provide
meaning; when speaking, you have to use your voice and body language to provide
the punctuation that provides meaning:
"Bring in the paper [pause] boy."
Use
voice inflection. Inflection
allows you to emphasize key words and emotions and helps convey your exact
meaning to the audience. For example,
try speaking the sentence, "I know the answer" with a variety of
different meanings just by changing your voice inflection. You could say "I know the answer [no one else does]" or "I know the answer! [all that studying
paid off]" or "I know the answer?" [no, I don't] or "I know the answer… [but what's
the question?]" These sentences have vastly different meanings, but the
words are the same – only your voice inflection has changed.
Be
aware of your voice tone.
Does your voice have energy? Do you sound angry, tired, bored? Remember,
as with other forms of non-verbal communications, your voice has to match the words
that you say. If you say "I'm excited to be here," but your voice
conveys boredom, the audience will believe your non-verbals rather than your
words.
Your voice has a wide range and the potential to
convey meaning and emotion to your audience. Learning to tap into the power of your voice will
enable you to become a more powerful communicator.
For more on this topic, see my blog post: Voice Power in Public Speaking - Speak Loudly & Slowly Enough http://gildabonanno.blogspot.com/2019/06/voice-power-in-public-speaking-speak.html
© Gilda Bonanno LLC - Gilda Bonanno serves as a
trusted advisor to executives and entrepreneurs to transform their
communication, presentation and leadership skills. She has worked with companies on 4
continents, from Chicago to Shanghai and Rio to Rome. The instructional videos on her YouTube
channel have received over 2 million views and her e-newsletter has reached
subscribers in over 45 countries since 2008.
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