I think there are all kinds of voices that work for the audience, as long as they feel real and
communicate enough emotional energy to engage their interest.

A few vocal issues that can get in the way are:

1. Uptalk. Rising intonations at the ends of sentences. This either makes it sound like you are asking
a series of questions, or makes you sound like a goofy teenager.

2. Glottal fry. “Gargling” your words. Grinding your vocal chords to make popping or rattling sounds,
particularly at the ends of words.

3. Mumbling. Failure to shape the consonants in your speech, and failure to project belief in what
you’re saying. It’s both a mechanical and a psychological problem.

4. Speaking too fast. Not good when you’re speaking to senior leaders; makes you look nervous. Studies
show you and your point of view are more likely to be “derogated” if you speak too quickly, although
listeners tend to rate fast talkers as more “extroverted.”

5. Speaking too slowly. A much rarer problem. Makes you sound like you just fell off the back of a
pumpkin truck. Kind of a country bumpkin pumpkin. Plus, you’re a stark contrast to all the fast
talkers around you.

All of these things can be addressed and corrected with some basic public speaking training in proper
use of your voice. Public speaking training can increase the persuasive impact of what you say and how you say it.

Public speaking training for the voice may not demand the same intellectual resources as public
speaking training in, say, strategic messaging, but like it or not, it is required equipment if you
want to move the mountain of corporate opinion.

We are judged by how we speak, write, and think… in that order. And people will remember what you
sound like long after they’ve forgotten what you said.