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"Be a voice not an echo." - Albert Einstein

Your Voice and Leadership: Two Secrets to Achieving Presence and Charisma

Your voice is an essential component of leadership. Here are two secrets to achieving presence and charisma every time you speak! 

There's a true story of a psychologist who was doing wonderful work helping people, but found herself without much of a voice herself.

She came to me for coaching for an upcoming appearance on national television to discuss her latest book. In her clinical practice, she often discusses sensitive issues with her patients. Unfortunately, the nature of those discussions had led her to develop a bad vocal habit in terms of speaking in public.

Your voice is a communication tool like no otherprovided you access its power. Skillful use of your voice will help your leadership credibility as well as clarity. Do you know how to make your voice come vibrantly alive? Learn how to strengthen your vocal delivery to move others when you speak! Download my free cheat sheet"5 Key Tools of Vocal Dynamics." 

Your Voice Is Central to How Others Perceive You

On T.V. talk shows, she tended to speak too softly to have much of a presence. Even with a microphone in our simulated on-camera practice session, her voice could barely be heard. When we watched the videotape of our first take, she herself proclaimed, “You can’t hear me!”

A few breathing and projection exercises were enough to get this complete professional to speak with a stronger voice. And that helped amplify her stage presence, all of which makes me think she'll do well in her upcoming appearances.

With this client, the issue was generating enough vocal power. You may not have that problem. For you (as for many speakers), the issue may not be power but expressiveness. Using a voice that fully expresses what you want to say isn't just helpful—it's a key element of speaking with charisma for leadership.

Here are two secrets you can use to lend your voice sufficient power and expressiveness to achieve the true "voice of leadership." 

Are you ready for your own big performances? For more on how leaders achieve influence with audiences when they speak, listen to my  interview on 33 Voices. And be sure to view the slideshow!

Secret #1: Diaphragmatic Breathing Gives You Power

Interestingly, the path to both a stronger voice and a more expressive one starts in the same place: your diaphragm. For a voice that projects well enough to reach the back of the room, one that has the sound of authority and that "punches" strong ideas, diaphragmatic breathing is something you need to know about. 

The audiences you speak to as a leader—and whenever you give a presentation, you’re the leader in the room—don’t need to be rocked on their heels by your vocal power. But they do need to know, first, that you’re completely in control of the situation at hand, and second, that you can speak to it with passion, intelligence, and focus.

One necessary component of that type of control is being on top of your breathing. That means using the diaphragm instead of shallower and far less productive upper chest breathing. It's true that diaphragmatic breathing gives you the full reservoir of air you need to speak with sufficient power. But it's also the start of having a voice that's fully expressive.

Secret #2: The Key to Voice is Expressiveness

The expressive voice is one that paints word pictures with the full color palette, while being flexible enough to achieve any gradation of subtlety required. That runs the gamut from a thundering pronouncement to the most suggestive whisper . . . and everything in between. Speak as a leader and you will need these effects to motivate and inspire your audiences, as well as to inform and occasionally to entertain.

Of all the vocal tools available to speakers, the one used most poorly is the very tool necessary to be this expressive: pitch inflection. My own approach to speech training is derived directly from the theater because I’m an actor, and actors work all their lives to embody a fully expressive voice. But the same tools can be taught to non-theatrical professionals—in fact, you’re already using them every day.

Your voice is your most powerful communication tool. Regardless of the content of what you say, your voice alone has the power to move and activate listeners. To learn more about this amazing component of your public speaking toolbox, take a look at my e-Learning Guide"Convince Listeners through the Power of Your Voice."

Develop Your Ear for Leadership Training in Voice

To work on your vocal skills for leadership, start practicing this simple technique: pay attention to the way you sound when you’re at your ease speaking to people you’re comfortable around. Develop your ear to hear how you sound in these situations. You may be amazed. (Another equally productive technique is to listen to yourself reading a children’s book to a young child.)

The reason you may surprise yourself is equally simple: in low-stakes situations when you’re not self-conscious, you use the vocal techniques that add color to your speech. To express your passion, amazement, or to embody humor, for instance, you bring out your vocal skills without premeditation. Hearing yourself do so is the first step to bringing your fully expressive voice into professional situations—instead of “ironing out” what you may think of as inconsistencies.

A parting note: For sheer manic inventiveness concerning tapping into the voice's capabilities, watch the late Robin Williams's first appearance on the Tonight Show.

You should follow me on Twitter here.
 
Dr. Gary Genard's free public speaking guide, "12 Easy Ways to Achieve Presence and Charisma" 
 

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