Develop Your Authoritative Voice
Authority is not a mystery. It can be cultivated
Posted on 08-10-2021, Read Time: Min
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Authority in the voice, sounds as something of mystery. We’ll know it when we hear it but most people don’t seem to comprehend. Authority in the voice, is both an art and science. It can be cultivated. What goes into an authoritative voice and how can you develop it?
1. Depth
A deeper voice projects more authority.
Margret Thatcher, former British Prime Minister, worked with voice trainers and dropped her pitch almost half an octave from a screechy voice to a deeper voice, which was believed to help her rise to power.
In human evolution history, a deeper voice is considered as the cue of leadership, “I’m strong and I can protect you.”
A research done in 2013 by a team from Duke University and the University of California shows that CEOs with deeper voices managed larger companies and thus made more money. A decrease of 25% in voice pitch (22.1 Hz) is associated with an increase of $187.000 in annual salary. Moreover, CEOS with deeper voices also enjoy longer tenures. [1]
A deeper voice not only works for male leaders. A study shows that deeper voiced women have an advantage over other women too, even when they are running for positions traditionally held by women, like the school board or PTA president. [2]
Margret Thatcher, former British Prime Minister, worked with voice trainers and dropped her pitch almost half an octave from a screechy voice to a deeper voice, which was believed to help her rise to power.
In human evolution history, a deeper voice is considered as the cue of leadership, “I’m strong and I can protect you.”
A research done in 2013 by a team from Duke University and the University of California shows that CEOs with deeper voices managed larger companies and thus made more money. A decrease of 25% in voice pitch (22.1 Hz) is associated with an increase of $187.000 in annual salary. Moreover, CEOS with deeper voices also enjoy longer tenures. [1]
A deeper voice not only works for male leaders. A study shows that deeper voiced women have an advantage over other women too, even when they are running for positions traditionally held by women, like the school board or PTA president. [2]
How Do You Develop a Deeper Voice?
The biggest mistake most people make when trying to get a deep voice is to purposely lower their voice, as a result of pressing your vocal cords. It is not only the wrong way of using your voice, but also damaging to your vocal cords.
The proper way is to develop a full voice. A full voice is a voice that’s projected with the full body. When you’ve developed a full voice, your voice pitch will go deeper naturally.
A full voice is developed with two major steps.
Breathing: The quality of your breath determines the quality of your voice. Most people are not breathing properly, or breathing shallowly, or holding breath while speaking. Proper breathing is when you inhale, you see your stomach coming out and when you exhale, your stomach moves inward.
Most people breathe in the exact opposite manner, which creates tension in the body and prevents you from engaging your full body for voice projection.
To correct your old breathing habit, practice the following exercise until proper breathing becomes a habit.
Breathe in fully through an open mouth. Then push your stomach in to propel the air out through your mouth. Once your breath has been pushed out, you should feel an urge to take another breath in. This next inhalation is often a proper breath and you’ll feel your stomach coming out naturally. Repeat the process a few times.
Resonance: Resonance is the amplification of your voice through vibrations in your body. Resonance is impossible to achieve without proper breathing as a habit. For this reason, you should only practice resonance exercise after 45 to 60 days of breathing practice as outlined above.
One relatively easy exercise to practice resonance is to make a “hmm” sound when you breathe out. Take a full breath in, and notice your stomach come out if you breathe properly. When you exhale, as your stomach moves in, make the “hmm” sound. When you feel this vibration in your whole body, you know you are developing resonance.
The voice you were born with can be developed. It usually takes 6 months to make a lasting change. Stay with the practice and you’ll see wonders in your voice and reap the benefits a full and deep voice brings to you.
The proper way is to develop a full voice. A full voice is a voice that’s projected with the full body. When you’ve developed a full voice, your voice pitch will go deeper naturally.
A full voice is developed with two major steps.
Breathing: The quality of your breath determines the quality of your voice. Most people are not breathing properly, or breathing shallowly, or holding breath while speaking. Proper breathing is when you inhale, you see your stomach coming out and when you exhale, your stomach moves inward.
Most people breathe in the exact opposite manner, which creates tension in the body and prevents you from engaging your full body for voice projection.
To correct your old breathing habit, practice the following exercise until proper breathing becomes a habit.
Breathe in fully through an open mouth. Then push your stomach in to propel the air out through your mouth. Once your breath has been pushed out, you should feel an urge to take another breath in. This next inhalation is often a proper breath and you’ll feel your stomach coming out naturally. Repeat the process a few times.
Resonance: Resonance is the amplification of your voice through vibrations in your body. Resonance is impossible to achieve without proper breathing as a habit. For this reason, you should only practice resonance exercise after 45 to 60 days of breathing practice as outlined above.
One relatively easy exercise to practice resonance is to make a “hmm” sound when you breathe out. Take a full breath in, and notice your stomach come out if you breathe properly. When you exhale, as your stomach moves in, make the “hmm” sound. When you feel this vibration in your whole body, you know you are developing resonance.
The voice you were born with can be developed. It usually takes 6 months to make a lasting change. Stay with the practice and you’ll see wonders in your voice and reap the benefits a full and deep voice brings to you.
2. Credibility
An authoritative voice conveys credibility.
Credibility is critical in building trust.
With fake news and false information running rampant, the world has seen a significant decline in people’s trust in business, government, NGOs, media and platforms (e.g. social media), since 2017, according to The Edelman Trust Barometer,
“As we begin 2018, we find the world in a new phase in the loss of trust: the unwillingness to believe information, even from those closest to us.”
What makes it even worse is the information exploration that has made our attention span shorter than a goldfish.
How can you build trust with your voice in an instant? The answer is gravitas.
Gravitas in your voice is a powerful way to convey credibility. Gravitas is the grounded and solid quality in your voice. It builds a strong foundation for trust.
A voice without gravitas sounds like floating in the air and without a base, projecting an image of a person who’s not reliable or trustworthy. Trust crumbles.
Voice gravitas can be developed. Voice is a breath of fresh air going into your body and coming out with vibration. Once you’ve developed your full voice, your gravitas will grow and you’ll need to focus on how you use your breath while speaking.
Do you run out of breath quickly? Do you hold your breath while speaking? Do you drop the energy at the end of your sentences? Do you end your sentences sounding like you are asking a question?
You’ll want to observe how you use your breath while speaking, if you want to establish credibility and trust. It’s the nuances in your voice that make a subtle yet big difference.
Credibility is critical in building trust.
With fake news and false information running rampant, the world has seen a significant decline in people’s trust in business, government, NGOs, media and platforms (e.g. social media), since 2017, according to The Edelman Trust Barometer,
“As we begin 2018, we find the world in a new phase in the loss of trust: the unwillingness to believe information, even from those closest to us.”
What makes it even worse is the information exploration that has made our attention span shorter than a goldfish.
How can you build trust with your voice in an instant? The answer is gravitas.
Gravitas in your voice is a powerful way to convey credibility. Gravitas is the grounded and solid quality in your voice. It builds a strong foundation for trust.
A voice without gravitas sounds like floating in the air and without a base, projecting an image of a person who’s not reliable or trustworthy. Trust crumbles.
Voice gravitas can be developed. Voice is a breath of fresh air going into your body and coming out with vibration. Once you’ve developed your full voice, your gravitas will grow and you’ll need to focus on how you use your breath while speaking.
Do you run out of breath quickly? Do you hold your breath while speaking? Do you drop the energy at the end of your sentences? Do you end your sentences sounding like you are asking a question?
You’ll want to observe how you use your breath while speaking, if you want to establish credibility and trust. It’s the nuances in your voice that make a subtle yet big difference.
3. Conviction
Mean what you say and say what you mean.
A person with a voice of authority speaks with conviction. Without conviction, your message will get lost, your impact will be diminished, and your followers will cease to trust.
It is not just the words you say. It is how your voice carries those words. A voice with conviction is a voice that shows emotion. In the business world, expressing emotions is seen as a sign of being weak and affecting work efficiency and productivity. As a result, most people have kept their emotions bottled up and their voice has become a mere tool to convey information. Interestingly, we are often drawn to leaders and speakers who speak with genuine emotions and who mean what they say.
Showing emotions appropriately will not make you look weak, rather it helps you create openness and connection with others. Trust is built on authenticity. A leader needs emotions to build trust, set a vision, and to make tough decisions. A speaker needs emotions to establish connections, to motivate, and to inspire. Those who speak with genuine emotions exude radiance that draws people in. We call that charisma.
Start noticing your emotions and express them appropriately. You will feel greater liberation and make more impact when you can feel your emotions and express them through your voice.
Authority is not a mystery. It can be cultivated. If you want to build trust, earn respect and make an impact, you can’t ignore the power of an authoritative voice.
Reference:
A person with a voice of authority speaks with conviction. Without conviction, your message will get lost, your impact will be diminished, and your followers will cease to trust.
It is not just the words you say. It is how your voice carries those words. A voice with conviction is a voice that shows emotion. In the business world, expressing emotions is seen as a sign of being weak and affecting work efficiency and productivity. As a result, most people have kept their emotions bottled up and their voice has become a mere tool to convey information. Interestingly, we are often drawn to leaders and speakers who speak with genuine emotions and who mean what they say.
Showing emotions appropriately will not make you look weak, rather it helps you create openness and connection with others. Trust is built on authenticity. A leader needs emotions to build trust, set a vision, and to make tough decisions. A speaker needs emotions to establish connections, to motivate, and to inspire. Those who speak with genuine emotions exude radiance that draws people in. We call that charisma.
Start noticing your emotions and express them appropriately. You will feel greater liberation and make more impact when you can feel your emotions and express them through your voice.
Authority is not a mystery. It can be cultivated. If you want to build trust, earn respect and make an impact, you can’t ignore the power of an authoritative voice.
Reference:
[1] Mayew et al, (2013),. Voice pitch and the labor market success of male chief executive officers. Evolution and Human Behavior, 34, 243-248.
[2] Rindy C. Anderson and Casey A. Klofstad, Preference for Leaders with Masculine Voices Holds in the Case of Feminine Leadership Roles, C. 2012. PLOS ONE. 7(12): e51216. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0051216. 7
[2] Rindy C. Anderson and Casey A. Klofstad, Preference for Leaders with Masculine Voices Holds in the Case of Feminine Leadership Roles, C. 2012. PLOS ONE. 7(12): e51216. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0051216. 7
Interactive: Video - Can you have a voice that sounds authoritative yet calm and pleasant?
Author Bio
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Cynthia Zhai is a Voice Coach, Professional Speaker (CSP), and Best-Selling Author. She’s also a TEDx speaker. She has helped professionals from 46 countries across 6 continents to speak with a powerful voice. Cynthia has been a professional speaker and coach for the past 18 years and her engagement spans 5 continents in 18 countries. Connect Cynthia Zhai |
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