Most people spend their time and money improving their physical image: going to the gym, getting the right haircut, and wearing the stylish outfit, makeup, and accessories. They have overlooked another equally important image, vocal image, which is even more important.
What is vocal image?
Vocal image is the impression people formed towards you based on how you sound. To simply put, it refers to your voice.
You can look really good, but if you open your mouth and speak with an unpleasant and unprofessional voice, your physical image will soon be negated.
What is your vocal image like? Is it working for you or against you?
Record yourself and check against the top three vocal image killers.
1. Speaking fast
If you speak fast, you are selfish. You want to get your message across as soon as possible without considering if the other person or people can follow you. You want to quickly finish what you want to say without considering what the other person or people have to say. You want to get things done without considering how much influence you really make in order to move people to action.
Great leaders, speakers and influencers don’t rush through their words. Instead, they take their time to deliver the message and make an impact.
2. Monotone
Monotone is rated by many as the number one turn-off in public speaking and presentations. It equals to being boring.
If you have a monotonous voice, it shows that you are not interested in the topic or the person you are talking with, even worse, the listeners will think that you are boring. A monotonous voice does not engage, inspire and influence people. Is your voice stopping you from advancement?
3. Shouting
When speaking to a larger group, in order to be heard, most people end up shouting. I have seen speakers shouting the entire time during their speech to a large audience. That can be irritating.
Shouting also happens when people are arguing. Look at the presidential debates. It’s no longer debating. It’s you shouting at me and me shouting at you. It’s a waste of time and only makes things worse. No one takes what you say seriously. In addition, shouting for even a small amount of time will make you lose your voice.
Proper projection of your voice can help your voice reach the back the room and project authority without shouting.
Don’t let your voice be the hindrance in your professional advancement. You have a powerful voice inside. Spend some time tapping into it and you’ll find not only the potential of your voice, but the potential of you.
