Develop a Strong Voice for Yourself
Business, CommunicationThis past month I have met a lot of entrepreneurs at events, in meetings, and over the phone. Some of them made a great impression, some did not. When I stopped to think about the last one and why I didn’t have a great impression from them, I realized for many of them it was their voice. The way they used it did not impart confidence and strength. When talking about your company, your products and services, you have to exude confidence and passion. Only part of that comes from the words you use; most of that impression comes from the way you work your voice. So here are a few tips for building a good impression with your voice.
1. Don’t be a shallow breather. Most of us are shallow breathers – our chest barely moves during the day. Shallow breaths mean you run out of air on longer sentences and end up squeaking out the words. Stand straight and pull your breath down into your waist. Breathing deeper also imparts a sense of calm and confidence. This was the tip that made the most impact on building my success as a professional speaker and in selling.
2. Stand and sit up straight. This lets your lungs fill up. If you hunch over while on the phone, like I said above, you will run out of air and your voice starts cracking or you gulp air. This makes you should rushed. Straighten your spine – you’ll sound more powerful! Always make sure you stand up straight when speaking to people – hunched over does not make you look confident.
3. Watch your speed. Speak too fast and people get suspicious – they think you are covering up something or being less than truthful. Speak too slowly, people think you don’t have your act together and they stop listening.
4. Don’t be a ‘low talker.’ I ran into a low talker at a networking event lately. Lovely lady. I couldn’t hear a word she was saying. Watch this, especially if there is a lot of background noise going on. Women need to watch that they don’t speak at a high pitch. It gives the impression that you are nervous, which also causes people to tune you out.
5. Sound like you care. My clients know that I believe in having a prepared script for phone calls, presentations, and introductions. Having a game plan for what you want to say removes a lot of nerves for people and allows them to shine when getting their message across. But just because you use a script, doesn’t mean you should sound like you are reading from it. Memorize it so it rolls off your tongue naturally, and then add passion. If you sound passionate about what you are talking about, I am more likely to listen and want to engage. Sound like you’re reading from a script, people won’t be impressed and they certainly won’t want to buy.
Your voice and the way you deliver your message about your company is one of the most powerful marketing tools you have as a business owner – don’t waste it.
© 2009 FM Walsh & Associates Inc.
Tips and Guides: A featured speaker, columnist and part of the Ghost CEO business coaching team, Fiona Walsh is an expert on growing profitable business quickly. Tired of seeing business owners work too many hours for too little money, she is passionate about taking the guesswork out of business development. Check out www.fmwalsh.com and www.ghostceo.com for more business tips.