Sonic Vocality: Voice on a Continuum

Your voice is extremely powerful. It has a range, depth, and breadth that is mind-boggling. There are so many subtle nuances that you can create and control in your voice by manipulating your breath and specific muscles in your body. Some of this is done naturally when you speak and other times you can consciously change your voice in order to communicate or use it creatively in performance. In essence, your voice has unique capabilities and operates on an endless continuum.

In my research and study of the spoken human voice, I created a theory called Sonic Vocality. The theory explains how the voice is used in the creation and expression of character for artistic performance and how we use our voices to communicate and express who we are. What I found is that we use 12 different vocal elements to understand and glean information about a person, aside from what someone is explicitly saying.

Here are the 12 elements. I call them The Vocal Power 12!

• Breath
• Pitch
• Inflection
• Emphasis
• Volume
• Fluency
• Pace
• Pause
• Rate
• Rhythm
• Articulation
• Pronunciation

The bottom line of the work is that we get far more information about a person based on the sound of their voice and how they say something rather than other information like what they’re wearing or how they look. And, it’s not as much about what a person is saying, but how they say it.

The other important component of Sonic Vocality is that each of the elements in the Vocal Power 12 operates and functions on a continuum. This means that we use varying degrees of each element when we talk – that’s the continuum. There are changeable gradations that help us communicate or use our voices creatively.

For example, let’s look at how we use volume on a continuum.

A volume continuum means there are a series of different levels of loud or soft that differ from each other and exist somewhere between very loud and very soft. Sometimes we speak more loudly, which can be based on the environment, our mood, or the point we’re trying to make. We don’t speak at the same amplitude all the time. It’s like we have an easily adjustable control embedded within us that allows us to infuse our communication with meaning and creativity.

The same is true for each of the other 11 vocal elements. Let’s look at rate. We vary our speech rate – sometimes speaking fast, other times talking slowly with a variety of rates in between. Pitch is on a continuum of high and low with varying degrees between the two. Sometimes our pitch is higher when we get excited and are happy and other times it could be lowered if you’re talking you’re your boss or casually hanging out with a friend. By controlling the continuum of each vocal element we are able to add meaning and interest to our vocal expressions.

Most of the time we don’t give the elements a lot of thought. We naturally make adjustments because we know what we want to say and we just say it. When someone is speaking, we’re able to understand them because we have developed a catalog of meaning based on what is being said and how it is conveyed. Again, we decipher it quickly and with ease.

However within that speedy process, misunderstandings happen. Maybe we misinterpreted something in the inflection, emphasis of a certain word or phrase, or the way someone paused. Perhaps we should give these vocal elements a little more consideration to avoid miscommunication and misunderstanding. Especially since we can access any part of our personal vocal element’s continuums with minimum effort.

Let’s do a Vocal Power 12 continuum check!?

• Do you find yourself using one of the 12 vocal elements more often that others?
• Which is your go-to vocal element?
• Are you using an element or combination of elements in a way that is causing others to misinterpret what you’re saying?
• Consider each element and ask yourself how you are using it daily.
• Is my pitch too high? Or too low?
• Does my speech lack vocal variety or expressive inflection?
• Do I put emphasis on the right words?
• Do I speak too loudly or too softly?
• Is my speech clear and fluent or mumbled and muddy?
• Is my speech too fast or too slow?
• Is there a rhythm or cadence in my voice that could be distracting?
• Is my enunciation clear or unclear?
• Is my pronunciation accurate, or do I mispronounce certain words that might be offensive?

The bottom line is this. Realize that how you say something is critical in effective communication. It’s not just what you say, but how you use your voice to say it. A little focus on how you use inflection, volume, emphasis, rhythm or any of the other vocal elements may reduce the chance of miscommunication or being misunderstood. Let the Vocal Power 12 work for you – not against you!

If you’re interested in learning more or need help fine tuning your voice, please reach out. I’m happy to help.

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