Anokhi Fashion Lifestyle Entertaiment

We all want to sound good, don’t we? We all want to be interesting, engaging, and respected—especially in the workplace. Whether you realize it or not, how you say something is often just as important as what you’re saying. People develop much of their perception of you based on the tone of your voice. You want to have a strong, clear and exuberant voice so that you are perceived as confident and capable.

John Morley said it best, “Three things matter in a speech: who says it, how he says it, and what he says—and, of the three, the last matters the least.”

High-pitched voices are associated with anxiety because when we’re under stress our vocal chords contract, making us sound mousey. If you’re looking to make an impression with the higher-ups at the office, a lower-pitched voice will make you sound more confident and professional. Tonya Reiman, the author of The Power of Body Language: How to Succeed in Every Business and Social Encounter, says, “Studies show that attractive voices tend to be richer, lower in pitch, and somewhat varied.” When you’re talking to colleagues, speak the way you would with family and friends—relaxed and comfortable. Purposely trying to sound like a baritone can make your voice monotone. The trick is to vary your pitch to make you sound more dynamic and extroverted.

Now that we got that out of the way, can we talk about bad speech habits? Have you ever tried to chat with someone who turns every statement into a question that you’re never sure if you’re supposed to answer? The reality is that the speaker ends up sounding insecure or like they’re seeking approval. Appearing insecure is not going to enhance your chances of getting promoted, right? Oh, and the word right should only be used in sentences like, “Turn left, not right,” or “Is she the right person for the job?” We don’t need to add it to the end of every sentence. When I first moved from New York to Toronto, I remember an acquaintance telling me a story. It started off like this: “So the other day I’m at the car dealership, right?” I immediately thought, I don’t know. Were you? You’re the one telling me the story. But before I could respond, she continued telling me what happened. It’s a good thing because I really wasn’t sure whether or not she was at the dealership to begin with.

A few more useless phrases that also need to be eliminated are statements like, “You know what I mean?” Do people think that what they’re saying is so complex and advanced that we might not understand them if they don’t check to make sure we got it? Then there’s “you know.” Where did this stuff originate? I think it’s an epidemic, you know what I mean?”

Another recurring quip that I often hear out of the mouths of higher-ups is, “At the end of the day.” If the managers and vice-presidents of the world want respect from subordinates, they should stop repeating overused statements because they’re meaningless, which makes every word that follows meaningless as well because people usually stop listening.

Check your voicemail at work and ask yourself, “Would I want to do business with this person?” Be honest; do you sound like someone who was just given an ice-cream cone and you’re just oh-so-excited when you left that voicemail? Because if it is, it’s too much, trust me. Do you sound like a preschooler because you want to be cute? Five-yearolds are cute—so if you’re not five, don’t speak like one, especially at the office.

There is no other vocal cue that tells a listener about your intelligence and social class than articulation and pronunciation, so avoid say things like, “I’ll get back to ya.” Articulate your words. Sometimes we’re rushing so much that we fail to enunciate word endings such as the plural “s,” the past-tense “ed,” or “t” sounds. If you don’t properly enunciate these sounds, colleagues might assume that you’re making very basic grammatical errors. You can be friendly and approachable without sounding like you never made it to Grade 6. Proper grammar and diction elevates your status, whether you’re an intern or an executive.

With a few simple changes to your vocal signals you can become more polished, confident, authoritative, and have people respond the way you want them to respond to you. And that’s empowering, right?

BY GAIL TRAVERS / PUBLISHED: MAY 2011 ISSUE