How does a successful leader sound like? I work with senior executives and this is a frequently asked question.
Hi, this is Cynthia, your voice coach. To develop a voice that projects you as a successful leader, you must avoid making the mistakes that’ll damage your image. In this video, you’ll find out what the top 3 common mistakes are and how to correct them.
1. Lack of Clarity
It sounds too simple. But you’ll be surprised to hear how unclear your voice will become when you are preoccupied, not decisive in thoughts or in a rush.
Our voice has an immediate reflection of our mind. As a result of the above situations, your words do not flow; you start to speak with a lot of uhs; your voice gets stuck inside of your mouth or you speak fast.
People will unconsciously pick up those signs and form an impression on you.
To solve the lack of clarity in these situations, first cultivate the awareness on how your voice changes in different situations, focus on the moment while you are speaking, and slow down on the key words.
2. Unable to Command the room
For a lot of my clients, their voice does not match the level they are at. It falls flat and does not make them distinctive as a leader. The major problem for the voice is that it’s not strong.
You’ve probably heard me saying this many times, that a strong voice does not mean a loud voice, but a FULL voice, a voice that’s projected with proper breath and full resonance. It is authoritative yet still pleasant to listen to.
3. Lack of Conviction
Conviction is conveyed with proper emotions. Many of my clients speak with a serious voice that shows no emotion. In the end, people don’t feel engaged or motivated. There is no impact.
Emotions are critical. “Logic makes people think; emotion makes people act.” A leader needs emotions to build trust, set a vision and make tough decisions.
To speak with conviction is not to ask you to get emotional, but to express your emotions properly and genuinely.
The easiest way to start with is to apply “emphasis”. You may have under-estimated the power of emphasis. Many of my clients when speaking with emphasis, felt the immediate impact not only on the people listening to them, but on themselves. When you emphasise a word, you are using more breaths and that changes the way you feel physically.
Which mistake are you making? Start cultivating your awareness on that area.
