***If Only One Voice Matters, What Is Yours Saying?

When I was in graduate school studying music composition, my singing professor told me that the pitch of my speaking voice was too high and proceeded to show me my ‘real’ voice. Deeper in pitch, warm and resonant, my ‘real’ voice no longer exhibited whiny, young-sounding qualities. At the same time, I was waiting on tables at an exquisite restaurant in Columbia, Maryland, by the name of King’s Contrivance. Upon discovering my real voice, I knew I was going to sell more food. And, it worked. I sounded more mature; I sold the higher-priced items; and, my tips went up. After graduate school, I moved to New York and landed the jobs I wanted because of my voice. I sounded confident – I sounded like I knew what I was talking about. Does your speaking voice exude confidence and maturity? If you are over 21 and sound like a teenager or younger still, how does it reflect upon the image you are projecting? Perhaps your voice sounds wimpy, nasal, strident, harsh, too loud or too soft. Make no mistake about it: the sound of your speaking voice is part of the image you are projecting. Worse still is the fact that the voice I am referring to is the one you hear on your answering machine – the one which possibly embarrasses or humiliates you. Unfortunately, the voice you hear in your head is not how everyone else recognizes you. This is one of the reasons we don’t recognize ourselves on recording equipment. I can’t tell you how many people are embarrassed when I video record them – embarrassed before I even begin taping! If you are embarrassed by what you hear on your voicemail, answering machine, or some other form of recording equipment, why you not do something to rectify the problem? You have a much better voice inside. It is deeper in pitch, warmer in quality and has the ability to be projected without shouting. In order to find that voice, you will have to use your chest cavity – the largest of your 5 resonators responsible for the production of voiced sound – to power it. The differences between your ‘old’ voice and your ‘real’ one can be quite dramatic. One of the best changes I have ever seen is a young man named Craig. Little did we know how great his voice was until he made the change. If image matters to you and you find the voice you hear on your voicemail irritating, annoying or revolting, why not make the change watch what happens to the image you are projecting!