The voice is, to a great extent, similar to body language. It tells people what attitude you have to a certain situation and people in this situation. Your voice talks about how you feel.
What can you do to develop a more charismatic voice?
1. THE TONALITY. There are 88 notes on a keyboard. Average people use max 2.5. To sound more melodic you need to develop tonality. Once you’ve done that, you’ll also eliminate those fillers you’ve been using for a lifetime, because the words will be connected better, plus you’ll be able to raise and lower your voice better and more. QUICK FIX: Sing (more often). Sing on your way to work. Sing at home with your kids. Sing in the shower.
2. THE SPEED. If you speak too fast you do not sound credible. People listening to you might feel you are under stress, in a rush or lack self-confidence and/or knowledge. QUICK FIX:
- Open your jaws more and do not let the words get stuck in your mouth;
- Moderate your speed by stressing key words in sentences and then making the vowels (A-E-I-O-U) of these words longer;
- Also, record yourself reading a text of 120-160 wds in a minute. Then listen to yourself several times. You’ll get the feel of how you sound speaking at the rate, which is the most comprehensible one.
3. THE PITCH. You’ve probably heard it on the grapevine that we prefer to give our votes to people speaking with a lower voice (think Morgan Freeman). They sound more adult, more experienced, more credible. Only “children” speak at higher pitches. The Internet offers loads of exercises for lowering your voice. QUICK FIX: Practice saying DING-DONG, KING-KONG, BING-BONG by making the final -ng longer and -ng of bong as long as you can. First say these using your normal voice. Then lower your voice a little and do the same when you repeat these words for the third time.
4. THE VOLUME. Normally we do not speak at the volume powerful enough. This is especially true of women and especially when speaking on the phone. QUICK FIX: Always speak as people listening to you are at least three meters away from you. This is the volume you need. On the phone, remove the receiver or your cell slightly away from your mouth. This prevents the impression that you are talking to yourself.