0941 – The Boring Voice

2023.07.30 – 0941 – The Boring Voice

Boring voice (aka ‘dull’, ‘flat’, ‘monotonous’, ‘uninterested’)

Symptom: If you are having trouble being engaging it may be because your voice lacks variety, and so listeners have trouble working out what is vital and what is trivial.

Prescription:

·        Maybe your voice is lifeless because that’s almost what your body is! Consider your posture: are you sitting in a relaxed yet upright position to allow life-giving CO2 easy-access to your lungs to power your sound? (Read the sections on this ___, and listen back to the podcast episodes from episode 15.)

·        Work for more ‘melody’, so the words aren’t said at the same pace and tone (as though being fired from a machine gun), but with more ‘vocal variety’. Remember the elements of pitch, tone and speed.

·        Speak in colour! Where ‘throwaway comments’ are said in ‘black and white’, quietly and without consideration, more important information (perhaps “free”, “unique”, “now” as well as the names of people and brands) are said in colour. That is with a stronger voice, and a greater variety of tone and slightly increased emphasis to cut-through. (Note, that is not shouting.) Podcast episodes 253 onwards will help.

·        Consider whether you understand the key words in your script, especially if it’s been written by someone else. Being genuinely interested in the news or the script will help in knowing the context of what you are saying, and that is key to getting the correct variation into your presentation. Episodes 178 onwards discuss how to mark up your script.

·        Use your hands to help your voice. And your face too. Your presentation doesn’t just come from your mouth, so go to episodes 430 onwards to hear about how the rest of your body helps you sound more alive and engaging.   

Possible side effects: Be wary of over-punching words, or adding too much variety that you sound vacuously inane. Also see: sing-song delivery (which is when the voice has too much melody).

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