Did you know that how you sound in the first few words you speak affects how attractive you seem to the other person? This plays a significant role when dating, although most of us fail to realize how our voice plays a vital role in our professional career. Discovering how you sound to others and are perceived is worth taking the time and effort to find out how attractive you appear toward others.
A study was conducted by Dr. Lillian Glass, showing how speech affects perceived attractiveness. She paired photographs of good looking people, ordinary people, and people with facial deformities with tape-recorded speech samples of voices that were normal, mildly nasal, and severely nasal. After analyzing subjects’ reactions to the different combinations of faces and voices, Dr. Glass found that the facially deformed subjects were considered more attractive when paired with a pleasant voice than when paired with a nasal speaking voice. Conversely, good looking people with nasal speech were deemed to be unattractive, even though they had been judged attractive when paired with non-nasal speech. Not only does this study show that people judge us by the way we speak – it shows we can improve our perceived appearance merely by improving the sound of our voice.
Most people think that communicating effectively is merely a matter of using the right words. To be an effective communicator, your body language and tone of voice must be consistent with your content. Even the most powerful words spoken in monotone will fail to impress anyone. Your vocal quality is 38 percent of your overall communication. This percentage increases to 84 percent when talking on the phone. The power your voice has in your communication is not to be taken lightly.
Appearing attractive to your audience is more than physical attributes, it is the first step in any relationship, personal or professional. A salesperson has just a few seconds to capture the attention of their prospect and continue the conversation or presentation. If your voice has any irritating qualities which take away from your attractiveness or appeal, you will struggle to keep the conversation flowing smoothly.
The best way to discover if your voice is one that attracts or repels others is to record a conversation between you and another person. Then listen to the recording and give yourself an honest assessment. If this exercise has you grumbling with the idea, you aren’t alone, most of us dislike hearing ourselves, although you won’t know how you sound if you don’t take the time. You can also ask a trusted friend what their impression is of your voice.
Listen for any nasal notes or sounds in your voice. If your voice is nasal sounding, this is one of the top annoyances of others and will not reflect well for you. You can change the sound of your voice. I grew up in Minnesota, and in that region, it is typical to have a more nasal sound in your voice. This was revealed to me by my mentor early on in my career. Initially, I did not enjoy hearing this comment. Although, I realized that she was telling me this, so I was aware of it and could work on modifying my voice so it had more resonance and, by doing so, was more appealing. Working on my voice early on in my career has played a monumental role in my success. You, too, can make changes in your vocal quality that can impact your success, and it doesn’t matter what stage you are in your career. Developing a clear, melodic voice that attracts others will benefit you greatly in your success.
Also, listen for how you speak your words, are you more monotone? If so, add more inflection in your speech. Do you tend to mumble when you speak? Work on your articulation and put some energy into your speech. Mumbling and monotone speech are two of the top annoyances about other people’s voices, according to a Gallup poll.
The sound of your voice has a direct relationship to your success and the size of your bank account. If you are unsure how others perceive your voice, send us a recording, and we will give you professional feedback on your vocal quality. Send your recording to LeAnn@creativelycommunicate.
