I have a client—let’s call him Drew—who is a successful consultant. He works with small companies to improve their sales results, but he’d like to move up in the world, work with larger companies, and speak at more prestigious events. His message is good, and his slides are effective. He has a sense of humor and a no-holds-barred attitude about the best way to develop new business. His only concern is his voice. He thinks he sounds squeaky, and he thinks this squeakiness will hold him back.
He’s wrong–I’ve told him he’s wrong. People can still love him and his message when he speaks with a squeaky voice. Nevertheless, we continue to work together because there are consequences when you have a squeaky voice. For example, your voice gets tired, and when your voice gets tired, you sound less lively (which can make you less engaging). Also, if you keep on talking in a squeaky manner, you get laryngitis. And that could spell the end of a speaking career.
So what are we doing together to fix the problem? I am teaching him how to breathe, how to open his throat, and how to project from his abdomen rather than from his larynx. In his seminars, he occasionally likes to talk like Burgess Meredith in Rocky 3. He uses his voice in a gravelly, growly kind of way. Unfortunately, within 10 seconds of speaking that way, his throat is killing him.
Slowly but surely, we are replacing old habits with new ones. He imagines that his mouth is located by his solar plexus. He jumps up and down like a baby in a crib saying “Mama, Dada, Mama, Dada.” He punches the air with his fists and lets out a wide open vowel sound so he gets accustomed to making noise in a different way. Not in his old way, by squeezing his vocal chords together, but rather by creating a strong breath stream that finds its strength in the muscles of his abdomen and rib cage. This allows the voice to be supported by the breath like a bird that floats on a current of warm, rising air.
Your voice is your calling card, no matter if it’s squeaky or not. Squeaky can be appealing. But when poor vocal production begins to damage your voice, you’re in trouble. And the way to keep the voice going is to change the means of vocal production.
Sims Wyeth & Co. provides public speaking courses, leadership skills, presentation skills, voice training, speech training, speech writing, and courses that address stage fright, body language, presentation strategy, persuasive speaking, sales training, and effective use of PowerPoint, all of which contribute to greater executive presence and personal impact.