As Others Hear You

The way you speak may make or break your career. An able, well trained, conscientious secretary talked herself out of a good job because neither her boss nor the clients could stand her voice. It had a high-pitched, nasal, rasping quality that went through people like a crosscut saw. The voice that pleases pays off. Stop and listen to yourself. Does your voice do justice?

A Pleasing Voice

Developing a pleasant voice is easier if you understand how voice is produced. Outgoing breath passing over the reeds of harmonica produces music. In the same way, as you exhale, the breath passes over the cords in your voice box, the cords vibrate, and sound come fourth. The sound produced by the vocal chords however, is only a squeak. The resounding of the voice in the cavities of the mouth, throat, and nose can enlarge the squeak about 600% and make it more pleasing, just as the pipe of an organ make the tone richer and fuller.

If Your Voice Is Poor, Change It

The first step in voice improvement is voice consciousness. Listen to yourself. If possible, make a recording of your voice and listen to it as though it were the voice of a strange. If you can not make a recording, do what radio and television announcers often do when they practice. Cup your hands behind your ears and listen to your self talk. In this way you will hear your voice much as others hear it. It may surprise you

The Weak Voice
Phrases like these: "What did you say?" " I'm sorry but I can't hear you." Please repeat that sentence or phrase." tells us that the voice is too weak.
A weak voice irritates both the listeners who tries to hear it and the to the speaker himself, who is constantly asked to repeat. Better breath support and full resonance will strengthen a weak voice.

Proper breath support means taking in an adequate supply of breath and releasing it as slowly or as quickly as it is needed. Because in reading and speech you can inhale only in pauses, learn to control the muscle in the front wall of your body in the area of your diaphragm, so that they will push the diaphragm up and the air out slowly and evenly. When well filled with air, the lungs can give better service .