Just like you have a variety of clothing apparels styled for different events and engagements, you should also have different tones of voice when you speak in different environments. In this blog I want to talk to you about how to access and develop four types of tone of voice in communication.
I recently attended a Master Communication workshop with Colin James. He presented a topic called “The 4 Vocal Roles” and explained that your tone of voice should change depending on your role. Here are the four roles he talked about:
Motivator - inspires people
Educator - informs others
Coach - is directive and assertive
Colleague - is chatty and informal
While in the workshop as a business voice coach, I began to think about how I could coach someone to use their voice in a different way so they can have different voice expressions for different roles. From my experience I know that even though you may want to change your tone of voice, most people are unaware of their voice and they don't have any idea how to change it.
So I have created a video of four vocal tricks you can apply to help your voice change and expand. To be able to put on the different hats for different roles, you should be able to effortlessly change the timbre of your voice by altering the pitch, volume and pace.
Here's how to develop four types of tone of voice in communication?
"The only reason to master this technique is to be sure the body does not interfere with the soul's free expression."La Meri
When speaking, your voice must be flexible to enable you to change your tone of voice depending on what you are saying. The meaning of your words is weighted and expressed through non-verbal communication which includes voice tonality. But most people don’t think about their tone until it’s pointed out and then it usually becomes personal and sometimes embarrassing.
So how important is tone of voice in communication?
You may be wondering, "Does tone of voice in communication really matter that much?" Yes. It absolutely does. And here are five articles that may surprise you about how vital your tone really is.
1. The Wall Street Journal says having a charismatic tone is more important than the words you speak. Click here to read more.
2. Margaret Thatcher hired a vocal coach to help her develop a voice of authority and leadership. Click here to watch video.
3. Doctors who use the wrong tone of voice when speaking to patients are more likely to be sued. Click here for research.
4. Men with deeper voice tonality are paid more. Click here for the research.
5. Women’s voices are judged more harshly than men. Click here for the research.
Most people I meet in business are unaware of the way they speak. They don’t have singing or acting skills. And they are limited in their voice expression and they don't understand it's impact on the quality and success of powerful communication.
LISTEN BELOW AND LEARN HOW TO CHANGE YOUR VOICE RIGHT NOW.
YOU CANNOT HEAR THE SOUND OF YOUR OWN VOICE
Did you know that you cannot assess your own tone of voice because what you hear inside your head is not actually what everyone hears?
It’s your skull that’s to blame. More specifically, it’s the way your skull vibrates. The only way to listen to your true tone of voice is to record yourself and listen back. Or hire a voice coach.
A business voice coach takes voice technique to non-singers and actors and helps them create the voice needed to convey a message in the right tone that is congruent with what is being said. When this happens, you will be more engaging and successful in communication. The words you speak will be loaded with integrity and honesty and audiences will trust you and engage with you.
Are you speaking with...
monotone and struggling to be interesting and memorable ?
mumble or accent making you unclear but you want to be concise and understandable ?
An Intimidating but you want to be engaging?
A powerlessly speaking voice and you wish you could be confident influential?
93% of communication is non -verbal. That means your voice tonality is speaking louder than your words.
WHAT DOES A BUSINESS VOICE COACH DO?
When I work with clients who want to improve their tone of voice in public speaking, I conduct a diagnostic assessment and usually find that their voice is lacking agility, strength and pitch range. This causes their voice tone to create different expressions and intonations than they intend when speaking. Their voice is too weighty, too light, or too inconsistent, and this impacts volume, pitch and strength. When voice muscles and breath are out of balance this causes tension and limitations in free flowing flexible speaking. Your voice will lack control and may at times suddenly squeak, wobble, sound very deep or sometimes just cut out altogether.
However, if you feel like you can't control your tone, with the help of precise and individually tailored scale patterns and repeated exercises, you will be able to control, strengthen and expand the sound of your voice. By learning how to change the way you use your voice muscles in the larynx and breath flow you can create a clearer and more expressive speaking tone.
TONES OF VOICE MUST BE AUTHENTIC AND HONEST
Mastering our verbal communication is becoming more and more important for engagement. To do this it is crucial that when we speak we use tones that match the meaning of our words. Click here to read how a staggering 87% of employees worldwide are not engaged. Many companies are experiencing a crisis of engagement and aren't aware of it.
In business, staff, management and clients want to hear authenticity in the voice. We are all looking for people who say what they mean and mean what they say. You can create this with not only words but by using your tone of voice with more intention and variety. Sometimes there is incongruence in communication because your words are saying one thing and your voice is saying another.
EMOTIONS IN SPEAKING ARE MORE IMPORTANT THAN WORDS
People are mostly kinaesthetic listeners and will remember the feeling of a conversation or a presentation more than the words themselves. We like to hear a varied voice rather than a monotone as it easier to listen to and when this is not often happening we switch off and become distracted with other thoughts. Our audiences read in-between the lines and make up their minds quite quickly whether they will engage or not. Click here to read how emotion in the voice is more powerful than word themselves.
To speak with more influence and power, deeply engage with audiences, be authentic and memorable, be able to switch roles at work from being a motivator, to an educator, coach and colleague you must harness your voice. Here are four vocal technique tricks that will help you make adjustments to your vocal muscle and breath. Click here to watch.
