But it Doesn't Mean Anything!

"Words mean more than what is set down on paper. It takes the human voice to infuse them with deeper meaning". – Maya Angelou? ?

There is a lot of noise in the world, and words can be considered noise until they are not. Sometimes even a knowledgeable speaker will say things that don't make sense. This is often because they deliver their speech in a dull, flat tone, which people find boring, and it becomes challenging for others to understand.??

Inflections are vocal sounds that we use to create meaning out of noise. All languages rely on inflection to a greater or lesser degree. We create inflection by varying volume, intensity, pitch, cadence, and duration to stress words. The words we stress become more vivid and colorful, infusing meaning into what we are saying. The recognition that words are just words until they make sense to us first triggers inflection. That is, we must believe that we have something to say that goes beyond the mere act of stringing sounds together to form words. When we think that way, inflection is as natural as saying “thank you” like you mean it.? ?

For more on this topic, including how your delivery changes your vocal image and Presence, and ideas on how to work with inflection,?please see this post on our blog, K8svoice:?What is your vocal variety saying about you??

What I am reading: The first draft of my new book, Reverberate! It’s been a slow process but I am pretty happy with where it’s going. Stay tuned!?

#Intention #Story #Presence #leadership #communicationimpact #Inflections