You’ve mastered the firm handshake, polished your professional appearance, and perfected your business cards. But what about your voice?
“There is a sound to success, professionalism, and leadership,” says Dr. Lois Frankel, president of Corporate Coaching International. “People who sound successful do things very differently from others.”
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Kim Dower, a Los Angeles-based media trainer whose clients have included the CEOs of Starbucks and General Electric, attributes declining verbal communication skills to our reliance on text-based communication.
Here are five strategies to sound more persuasive and authoritative.
1. Use fewer words
“The number one mistake is using too many words when fewer would do,” says Dr. Frankel. “In communication, short sounds confident.”
2. Eliminate uptalk
Uptalk is the habit of ending sentences at a higher pitch, making statements sound like questions. While it feels friendlier, Dower warns it undermines your authority.
“It comes across in business as though you don’t know what you’re talking about. It’s consensus-seeking.” Cut it from your speech entirely.
3. Pause for three seconds before responding
“That short pause gives you the opportunity to think,” says Dr. Frankel. “You can ask yourself: What’s the first thing I want to say? What points do I want to make?”
The pause signals that you’re thoughtful and considerate. “When someone gives an immediate response, we often feel they didn’t fully hear us. How could you answer so quickly?”
4. Channel your anxiety into passion
“There’s a difference between feeling nervous and feeling self-conscious,” says Dower. “Nervousness can release adrenaline, which makes you more passionate. Use it to fuel your presentation. Think of it as good energy.”
5. Embrace silence
After you finish speaking, resist the urge to fill the quiet. “When we don’t hear a response right away, we assume something negative,” says Dr. Frankel. “Don’t ascribe negativity to silence.”
Some people need that moment to process, especially if you’ve presented a new idea. Give them space.
Know your audience
The most crucial communication skill? Understanding who you’re speaking to, says Dower. “Are you mentoring someone where you want to relate to them? Or presenting to executives focused on the bottom line? We can adapt our voices based on who we’re talking to.”
Liz Funk is a New York-based freelance writer.
