The Voice of a Leader

In an age when our ears are constantly assaulted with sound, paying attention to the basic quality of our voice sounds frivolous. Yet, stop for a minute and remember some of those special conversations you have had, speeches you have heard, sound bites in your head or how a loved one’s voice had entered your consciousness and remained there for a lifetime, and suddenly the importance of a person’s voice becomes obvious. Specifically, when applied to leadership, the quality of the leader’s voice becomes even more important and pertinent. A leader’s voice has the vibrational force to enter the other person’s consciousness and leave them motivated to either move mountains or abandon ship. While the message that is communicated and the words that are used are important, the right words with a wrong tone or pitch can make or break the act of communication. Here are some things that a leader’s voice can communicate

1.??????Connection

2.??????Curiosity

3.??????Care

4.??????Love

5.??????Strengths

6.??????Authenticity

7.??????Clarity

8.??????Compassion

9.??????Humour

We are all born with a certain unique voiceprint and while the first language(s) we speak go a long way in determining the quality of our voice, our voice can be trained and cultivated to communicate leadership qualities. Here is an exercise to start becoming more aware of your voice and how you sound.

Record and listen to yourself speaking: Pay attention to how you sound at three levels

a)?????The quality or timbre of your voice

b)?????The pitch at which you speak normally

c)??????Any habitual or nervous voice tics you display

Determine for yourself in a dispassionate manner what it feels like to listen to your voice. What dominant emotion is your voice communicating? Does it feel good to listen to your voice? Do you employ a good vocal range while speaking or are you utilizing only one or two notes?

Pay attention to the pitch at which you speak. Leadership studies have shown that people tend to trust leaders with lower pitched voices. A lower pitch is produced from the belly where the inner core strength is located. Hence, a lower pitch voice denotes a leader with great internal strength which in turn inspires trust. Spending time cultivating a lower range of voice would help tremendously in developing your ‘inner leader’.

Finally, notice if you have any nervous tics or habits such as making a sound with your lips before giving an explanation or making a ‘nnngg’ sound before you start your sentence.?Bring this awareness into your daily life as a first step towards voice cultivation.

Your voice is an integral yet ignored part of your persona. Step into greater awareness of vocal embodiment and spend time cultivating your voice in order to be able to communicate your authenticity and leadership better.

Connect with me to learn more at https://siddhijapee.com/