I’m frequently asked to help people sound more authoritative in the work place. The request may come from their own feelings about their speech, or from a supervisor who notes this as an area for improvement. Spoiler: lowering your pitch doesn’t help!
While there are several things that factor into the perception of authority, today we are focusing on just one element: the amount of space in your throat.
That isn’t what you thought his article was going to be about, did you?
Here’s the thing. The throat is the pathway for voice as it comes out of your body. It acts as a filter for the sound. Like any sound filter, the size and shape affect the resulting acoustic output.
That’s right, your voice is defined in large part by how much space you have in your throat.
The throat muscles are capable of squeezing together really tight, because this is necessary when we swallow. The tightening of the throat is one of the steps to guide food into the esophagus.
On the other hand, the throat can stretch open really wide, as in a yawn. (Did you just yawn reading this? If not, invite a yummy yawn and see how open your throat feels).
Let’s take that a step further, and sigh out on an “ahhh” sound as you yawn. Even if you have to fake the yawn, see if you can feel the openness and make sound at the same time. Let the sound be big.
Now scrunch your throat up and notice the sound. It might be scratchy (including what’s known as “vocal fry”), or shrill or high-pitched sounding.
This is because the size/shape of the filter affects the sound. All things being equal, a smaller filter (i. e., scrunched throat) makes he resulting output sound higher and thinner. A bigger filter (i. e., an open throat) makes the output sound deeper and more resonant.
There’s a wonderful phrase coined by voice coach Patsy Rodenburg: talking on the edge of a yawn. That’s such a great way to think of it – you aren’t actually yawning, but your throat is in a place just before it turns to a yawn. On the edge of the yawn.
Play with the sound as you explore different throat positions. Imagine you are an opera singer to find the open position, or a tiny baby for the smaller position. Don’t be surprised if it sounds odd to you – anything other than our habitual way of talking will sound odd to us. It also might not sound natural right away because you’re new to it.
Keep at it, and you’ll be able to find the more open and resonant sound, which connotes authority to listeners.
If you would like help finding this mouth position, or help integrating it so it sounds authentic, reach out for a session!
