How the Effective use of Voice can Enhance Career Success
How the effect use of voice can enhance career success - Talking your way to a promotion
When you think about JFK, Martin Luther King, or General Douglas Macarthur what do they all have in common? They were great leaders and great speakers. With a few chosen words, and their voice they could influence a crowd. With some practice you too can see great results from the proper use of your voice.
People see what they hear
Often when people are on the phone, they are visualizing what is being said. Some people can draw up charts and graphs in their mind as numbers are being said. Other people see faces of the people they are talking to, as if the person was right there. Still other people try to use the voice that is speaking to learn about the person speaking. These last people will make judgments on what their hear in your voice. If you mumble, with your chin on your chest - they will assume you are a shrinking violet with no initiative. If you slur your words, they might think you aren't smart or even you might be drunk! While these snap judgments may not be fair, or even close to being correct they happen and you can't stop them from happening. Its a type of first impression, and once it's made it can' t be unmade. To make a good impression on the phone you need to speak clearly, speak loud enough to be heard easily, and if possible try to smile naturally. It sounds strange but people can hear a difference in your voice when you smile. Also if you are smiling you will tend to be more relaxed and that too will come across as confidence.
Let's hear from Mr.Mouse in the corner
At meetings, watch and see who gets the most attention. Is it the quiet person sitting in the corner saying nothing or mumbling their mandatory weekly update? Or is it the person who smiles, speaks clearly, and is loud enough to hear? When you are in meetings, you need to speak up. Even if you are just asking a question, or asking someone to clarify their point - speak clearly, speak slowly, and speak loud enough you can be easily heard. To help with these points you should sit up straight, hold your head up, look directly at the person you are speaking to and possibly even lean slightly towards them while you are talking. All of this posture will help your voice do its job - get attention and convey information. And using drawings to support your good voice never hurts either.
Nobody listens to Mrs. Monotone
Do you have someone at your office who always talks with the same tone of voice? They have no ups or downs, no louds or quiets when they talk. Most offices have someone like that, and those people put their coworkers to sleep faster than Nyquil. When you are talking you need to put some feeling in your voice - a bit of natural emotion will ensure you are not that monotone guy or girl at the office. As with the meetings, look at the person you are talking to, use your hand or other things to help you make your points, and keep it short. If you do that with feeling, people will line up at work to hear you talk.
Short and sweet wins the race
At work everything is about time. Nobody has enough time to get everything done. That means the longer you take to talk, the farther behind people are getting in their work. There is no need for long flowery words. Instead when you are communicating at work, you plain everyday language that is easy to understand. Make your point quickly, and then back it up with one or two quick supporting facts. If your listener wants to hear more, they will let you know.
Learn from your listeners
If you are taking these lessons to heart, you should be well on your way to being a successful speaker at work. The last step to this success is to learn from your listener. This has nothing to do with your voice, and has everything to do with reading body language. If you are too quiet and hard to understand, your listener will be leaning in and asking you to repeat all the time. If you notice this happening, speak louder and more clearly. If you are unsure what your listener is thinking, feel free to ask if you are clear enough to hear well.
The glass ceiling will become your floor
If you speak clearly and smile on the phone, speak up with good posture and drawings at meetings, vary your voice to avoid a monotone, keep your message short, and watch the body language of your listener for how to improve your speaking you will see vast changes almost overnight. People who avoided you will want to be around all the time. You will be invited to meetings you never knew were happening. People will start listening to your ideas. And best of all, you will likely start to enjoy your job more than before. When all that happens, that promotion is sure to follow!
