Lesson #16: Speak softly, shhh . . .
Now hear this!
If you want to be heard, lower your voice.
Sometimes in the heat of an exchange, voices can become amplified.
Everyone is trying to be heard.
Everyone is trying, okay, almost everyone is trying to listen to what is being said, too.
When people are expressing themselves about matters that hit close to the heart, voices can become raised.
It’s not a bad thing, you want people of conviction on your team. But it can become difficult to rise above the din at times. So what should you do?
Lower your voice. Speak distinctly.
Ease back into your seat, pause for a break in the exchange and go. Just like merging into heavy traffic on the highway. But rather than picking up speed once you’re in your lane, drop your vocal volume. Slow your pace.
The people around the table will be forced to lean in, focus and listen to you.
Measure your words, your tone, and your pitch.
About a paragraph into your message, once you see that you have their full attention, then you can ever so slightly increase your pace and pitch. Keep your tone even.
If someone should ask you to speak up, just smile and nod. Give it a moment and repeat your last statement with a tad more distinction.
Establish eye contact with the person who asked for more volume.
Be crisp in your delivery, but don’t SPEAK UP. And certainly don’t take on a snotty tone, because then you have lost control. In fact, don’t ever speak up unless you choose to do so.
The words and the message are yours to deliver.
And those words deserve to be heard. Even quietly.