In her work with clients, our voice and speech coach Sharon Wyeth often works with people who are soft-spoken.
As she introduces her voice and speech students to breathing techniques that strengthen the voice, she finds it necessary to differentiate between volume, projection, and intensity—three words that at first glance appear to be synonymous—but upon closer scrutiny have useful and distinct shades of meaning.
Volume implies loudness, or number of decibels. However, we’ve all encountered deranged people on the streets who have loud voices. And any sane person who is consistently loud, no matter the social circumstance, will have difficulty building a trusting relationship with an audience of any size. So loudness is sometimes necessary for an effective vocal presence, but certainly not sufficient.
Good presentation skills require adequate decibels, but they also need the voice to project to its intended listeners. This means it must carry the intention to connect with those it seeks to influence. It must be suitable for the environment, appropriate for the audience, and couched in a discriminating awareness of the occasion. It is volume moderated by calibrated intention.
Finally, in addition to volume and projection, a highly effective voice has intensity. Sharon defines intensity as the expression of emotion, or conviction. Intensity implies belief, confidence, and intellectual certainty. Intensity has energy, a sense of urgency and excitement.
The words we use to describe a good speaking voice, one suitable for highly effective presentations and speeches, are similar to those we use to describe music. As we train the speaking voice to be stronger, we increase its musicality, and thus expand its capacity to hold attention and influence the thoughts and feelings of others.
Sims Wyeth & Co. provides public speaking courses, executive speech coaching, presentation skills training, voice and speech training, speech writing, and courses that address stage fright, body language, presentation strategy, and effective use of PowerPoint, all of which contribute to greater executive presence and personal impact.