Not being heard is frustrating. Not being taken seriously is even more frustrating. Sometimes a stronger, more authoritative voice makes all the difference.
I’ve worked with thousands of people on developing a strong, clear, expressive voice. Here are three tips for immediate success.
1. Check your posture
If your chin juts forward or upward when you speak, it narrows the tube your voice travels through to get out of your body. This cuts out resonance. Imagine pinching a straw or hose: it reduces the flow.
So keep your chin level so your throat is open and amplifies the sound. For more details about the specifics of using posture to hack your voice, check out this blog post on the topic.
2. Step on the gas (meaning use more air)
We talk on an exhale, so breath is the power source for voice. The more air you push out when you speak, the louder your voice will be. (This is true up to a point, but after a certain level there will be diminishing returns.)
Taking a good breath is important, but spending that breath when you speak is the real key here. If you haven’t already downloaded my free e-course on speaking from the diaphragm (spoiler: that isn’t how it actually works), that’s a great starting point. Also, my blog post “Talking from the diaphragm” is BS will give you some quick, specific tips.
3. Open your mouth and keep it moving
Some peoples’ voices don’t reach their listener simply because they are not opening their mouth enough for the sound to get out. A lot of folks carry quite a bit of tension in the jaw, and this can lead to the mouth remaining relatively closed during speech.
Open your jaw more when you talk, and your voice will be louder. I don’t mean spread your lips, but actually lower your jaw.
Along these lines, clear speech (often reflected by strong consonants) helps people hear and understand. Many people, in fact, don’t distinguish between not being able to hear someone and not being able to understand them. So finish your words! You can check out my post, “Being heard and understood in a mask” for more specifics.
If you would like some professional coaching on the best and simplest ways to achieve these goals, get in touch for a session!
