In most settings during times of social distancing, your voice is all you have to communicate your thoughts, feelings, and points of view. Without body language and social cues, your voice is more powerful than ever—but how do you effectively leverage your most important asset right now?
Sound expert Julian Treasure delivered a TEDTalk on “How to speak so that people want to listen” in 2014 viewed by 27.3 million people (and counting). He details how to harness the power of your words, speaking style, and vocal cords in the most effective way possible.
Whether you’re gearing up to speak at a virtual conference, getting on stage in a few months, or are just trying to make your next team Zoom meeting a little more engaging, keep Julian’s tips in mind to grab your audience’s attention. We’ve recapped key takeaways from Julian’s talk on what to avoid, what to remember when speaking, and actionable tips to ensure you’re bringing more power to your words.
Note the don’ts of speaking
Keep these actions and habits out of your speaking, no matter where you are or who you’re speaking to.
Gossip creates distrust between you and your listeners.
Judging makes it hard for someone to believe they’re not being judged themselves.
Negativity is uncomfortable to listen to.
Complaining is viral misery.
Excuses turn anyone into a “blame thrower.” Take responsibility for your actions.
Exaggerating demeans your language.
Dogmatism, the confusion of facts with opinions—know the difference.
When all else fails, remember H.A.I.L.
A handy acronym and reminder to “greet or acclaim enthusiastically,” H.A.I.L. allows you to make your speech powerful and create change in the world with your words by earning the trust of your listeners.
Honesty – Be clear and straight.
Authenticity – Be yourself.
Integrity – Be your word.
Love – It’s hard to wish someone well and judge them at the same time.
Sharpen the tools in your voice toolbox.
Notice how shifts in your voice allow you to precisely communicate your message and realize the importance of not only what you say, but how you say it.
Register (How your voice sounds): Speak from your chest, people associate depth with power and authority.
Timbre (How your voice feels):Rich, warm voices are well received (think Oprah or Mr. Rogers). You can even train your voice to be smoother.
Prosody (The sing-song fluctuation of your voice): Monotoned people can be difficult to listen to. On the other hand, too much prosody can be an issue if you're ending each sentence as if it were a question.
Pace (The tempo of your voice): Leverage the power of silence rather than filling with filler words and slow your tempo to emphasize a point.
Pitch (The highs and lows of your voice): Variations in pitch give different meanings to the same words.
Volume (How loud or quiet your voice is): Broadcasting isn’t always better. Find a balance of both loudness for excitement and quietness for focus when using strategic emphasis.
Watch Julian’s TEDTalk here to see exactly how he warms up his lungs, lips, tongue, and vocal cords before each speaking engagement. Let us know if you try them out before your next Zoom call!
Want to learn more about how to get speaking engagements? Chat with us here at speak@credpr.com and check out our event updates related to COVID-19 here in the meantime.