Communication & Voice as a Leader: Improving your impact

Communication and Voice as a Leader; Improving Impact

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This month I was joined by Anne Leatherland founder of VocAL Intuition to discuss the importance of awareness when using and maximising our voice as leaders.

Why is the way we use our voice as a leader important?

Many problems face executives meaning they poorly communicate. For example, communicating hastily due to deadlines and pressures can lead to vital misunderstandings. Communication can be unintentionally curt, blunt or cold leaving teams and employees feeling de-motivated and disempowered. Additionally, leaders grow to feel unheard and judged when dismissed or ignored. Yet our voices reveal a hidden portrayal of how we truly feel about ourselves. Nervousness, reluctance, confidence or lack of, they all emerge though our voices. This is why it’s essential to master the use of our voice as a leader.

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What’s the impact of using your voice ineffectively as a leader?

Many of us have a voice except for those with physical or psychological barriers. We expect our voice, therefore, to just work. It’s only when our voice stops working that we start to pay it any attention. Pitch, pace and phrasing combine to leave the listener with an impression of the person and message. If leaders lack understanding of how their voice resonates with others it could lead to practical problems in their business. These include misunderstanding deadlines or critical projects, lack of engagement or influence on a major campaign or waning energy or determination. Think of the famous speeches in history and how these had a rousing effect on those listening compared with those that missed the mark!

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What impact can leaders make with increased vocal flexibility?

With greater understanding and flexibility of how to use our voices, we can achieve better impact in our lives and work. Persuasion, authority and engagement can all excel with better use of our voices. Recognising the speed and patterns of our speech as a communicator helps us and others feel heard. A business that achieves this supports greater innovation and psychological safety. What about unspoken communication? The next level of vocal impact involves listening for what’s between the lines and?matching energy and emotion through learning what makes others tick. Leaders’ outcomes can be greatly elevated by building genuine curiosity about others.

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How to begin addressing blind spots in our communication?

Anne shared her top tips for growing vocally flexible. She suggests:

1.??????? Discover more about your voice by inviting feedback and experimenting with different methods including pitch and pace. We can all add warmth to our voices.

2.??????? Adapt to different contexts. You will sound different in an emergency versus a 1-2-1 and different again giving a presentation. Notice what happens.

3.??????? Let go of anxiously rushing through communication. Slow down. The time you’ll gain after will make up for any hasty words shared.

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Laura specialises in helping leaders be their best and bring their best to work. To find out more email hello@thecontentedworkplace.co or book a call

Anne is the founder of VocAL Intuition with Anne Leatherland. Anne is a coach and voice expert having undergone significant training and accreditation in the use of voice. Today she helps professional voice users of all kinds discover how to train and flex their voices to achieve their business and career goals. Whether becoming confident at public speaking or saying what you mean with authority and impact, Anne helps you do it with authenticity and comfort. Email anne@anneleatherland.co.uk