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When it comes to the voice, one of the most common issues is that of being soft-spoken. If others cannot hear you, then your words are irrelevant. Unfortunately, those who are soft-spoken may find it harder to get a job or a promotion because the image they are projecting is not one of confidence but instead one of insecurity or shyness. You may not be shy or insecure; however, not being heard when you speak gives the impression that you are uncomfortable. Therefore, your listeners will draw their own conclusions. If you want others to listen to you, they must first hear you. It is as simple as that. In defense, you may say that you were born soft-spoken. Unless the vocal cords have been physiologically damaged, speaking with too little volume is not inherent but indeed a learned trait. Possibly you were raised in a quiet household and told to speak softly; perhaps of one or both of your parents were soft-spoken; it is even possible that you were raised in a loud environment and did not like the volume level of your siblings or your parents and chose to speak quietly. Whatever the reason for your lack of volume, you can change it. There are two ways in which this can be done: 1. you can teach yourself to speak louder; or, 2. you can discover your ‘real’ voice which makes use of your entire chest cavity to power and amplify your voice. Once you change your voice placement in this manner, your volume will automatically increase. As a voice coach, I would recommend method #2 because the sound being powered by your chest cavity will be deeper in pitch, resonant in quality, more mature in sound, and not ‘loud.’ Voices that are powered in this manner are warm. And, when you increase your volume using your chest, you will have a bigger sound but not a loud one. Loud hurts your throat and your listeners’ ears. A larger voice that resonates or vibrates in your chest will be easier to produce and will result in more volume without the stridency or shrillness of a loud voice. Volume is something you cannot ignore if you want to be successful in your professional career. In the very fast-paced and hectic business world of today, it is vital that you be heard the first time you say it because it is quite possible that you will not be given a second chance to give voice to your words. The Voice Lady Nancy Daniels offers private, corporate and group workshops in voice and presentation skills as well as Voicing It!, the only video training program on voice improvement. Visit Voice Dynamic and watch Nancy as she describes Your Volume Control.
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