***If You Are Looking for a Way to Improve Your Image, Do Not Forget Your Voice

You have probably heard the statistics: when you meet someone in a face-to-face situation, 37% of the image you project is attributed to your speaking voice; 55% of your image is the visual and a mere 8% your content. Whether those percentages are true is not the issue. The issue is whether your voice speaks positively or negatively about your image. In the above scenario, the situation deals with an image which includes your visual. What happens, however, over the phone, on the radio, in a conference call or webinar? Your voice is the majority of the image you are projecting. Now let me ask you, what does your voice say about? Is it a positive or a negative? Recently, I heard the voicemail message from a woman who sounded like a child. This woman is an assistant professor at a business school in London, Canada. I found it hard to believe that she was ordering a voice improvement product for the professor she assists and not for herself. I have no idea what the professor sounds like but the assistant needs voice training desperately and is unaware of her shortcomings. I made a judgment call on a young woman who may be very good at what she does; however, her voice did not reassure me of that.

How many people are judging you unfairly because of how you sound?

If your voice is shrill or soft, child-like or wimpy, are you sending the right message? Any one of those characteristics does not speak of confidence. Perhaps you talk too fast or too slowly. In the former situation, your listeners may have a hard time keeping up with you; in the latter, they will have trouble concentrating because you try their patience. It is also possible that you mumble or speak with an accent making it difficult for others to understand you. This is especially important in today’s global marketplace. If you expect others to hear your words, they must understand you first. Constantly having to repeat yourself is not good for business. A dynamic voice vibrates in your chest when you speak and is characterized by a depth and warmth that most people do not take advantage of. It can be projected without shouting and will last the entire day without a sore throat or chronic hoarseness. Most importantly, it sounds mature, not too old – not too young. It speaks with confidence and sounds much better on your answering machine than what you probably hear now. Do not ignore this vital part of your image. Yes, your visual is very important as well as your content; but, if you are serious about projecting the best image possible, then you might consider improving what you hear on your voicemail because that is how your family, your friends, and your colleagues recognize and judge you.