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You have written a prize-winning speech. You have practiced it out loud. You arrive at your speaking engagement with time to spare. You walk to the podium nervous, but confident. You acknowledge your audience with a smile and open your mouth to speak. Yes, you know your material; yes, you make eye contact with your audience; yes, you talk with color, with life, with emotion; and yes, you believe in yourself. What comes out of your mouth, however, when you speak? Is it a yes? Don’t fool yourself into believing that how you hear yourself is how everyone else hears you. They identify or recognize you by the sound you hear on your answering machine, voicemail, or some other type of recording equipment. If you are like most other people, what you hear on that equipment is probably not a yes but more likely a no! Most everyone is concerned with the image they project. In fact, some people are obsessed with their image. Yet little, if any, thought is placed on that 37% of the image you project which happens to be the voice you hear on your voicemail. Does it speak well of you? Is your voice warm and resonant or possibly nasal and whiny? Maybe you sound shrill or wimpy, too loud or too soft. Luckily you are not stuck with the voice you hear that you may find irritating, embarrassing, shocking or humiliating. You have a better inside which I refer to as your ‘real’ voice. It is probably deeper in pitch and much more vibrant than your ‘habitual’ voice. And, it may be your best asset. In addition, once you discover your ‘real’ voice, you will also discover the best means of controlling nervousness in any form of public speaking. If you are looking for a career in public speaking or just looking to improve your presentation skills, do not ignore your voice. Your audience judges you the moment you open your mouth to speak – not 5 minutes later, after you have ‘warmed up.’ If the message you are sharing with your audience is noteworthy, consider the vessel that is relaying that message. If you find your voice unpleasant, what are the chances that your audience feels the same way? A dynamic, resonant voice will captivate your audience, making your message that much greater. Which would you prefer – a captivated audience or one that is turned off by the sound of your speaking voice? 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 or watch Nancy in a brief video as she describes The Power of Your Voice.
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