Deeper Voices Convey Trust: What to Do if Your Pitch is Naturally Higher
People have a greater tendency to trust leaders who have deeper voices. This translates into a measurable difference – a Duke study of approximately 800 CEOs determined that a 25-percent decrease in vocal pitch resulted in an $187,000 increase in annual salary. Moreover, CEOs with deeper voices also enjoy longer tenures.
For those of us who are in or are nearing leadership roles and whose voices sit at a naturally higher pitch, what can you do?
Do I Really Need to Change My Voice?
While it is always helpful to practice public speaking, and everyone benefits from being more mindful, authenticity is important, too. Building trust with an audience is more important than a feigned deep voice, so be careful how you approach developing a deeper pitch. We recommend these methods:
Vocal Exercises
You may not be able to turn your alto voice into a baritone, but you can train your voice to have more depth, utilizing certain exercises.
Practice breathing from your diaphragm. This helps you support and project your voice, which naturally infuses depth.
Focus on where your voice is coming from; discover where you get the deepest, richest tones when speaking naturally.
Tilt your head slightly forward (chin slightly down) to relax the vocal cords.
Relaxation
When you are tense, your muscles tighten (even in your throat). This tightness leads to a higher vocal pitch. Focus on relaxing before you speak:
Do deep breathing exercises to help you relax. Go to a quiet space before your presentation or interview, and breathe deeply – feel the breath move deep into your body.
Practice mindfulness. The more aware you are of your body and the tension you carry, the more practiced you will become at recognizing tension so that you can work through it.
Practice speaking calmly. You want to have energy and personality in your presentations and media interviews. But being aware of which situations trigger emotions, such as excitement, nervousness, anger, or frustration, that cause the pitch of your voice to go higher, will help you be more mindful of when you need to put those relaxation techniques into action and speak calmly.
Practice Changing Your Vocal Pace
The pace at which you speak can have a significant impact on the importance of your message. Former President Obama, not known to have a deep-toned voice, was a master at changing his vocal pace, particularly during his State of the Union Addresses. He slowed down when he was conveying his most important points. He inserted pauses between each word or clusters of words. When he gave context and support for his key messages, he picked up his vocal pace. He didn’t need us to remember the details, just the gist. Give special attention to your vocal pacing, as you rehearse your own presentations:
Practice slowing down and pausing when you are making your key points.
Speed up your vocal pace when you are filing in the details.
Significantly increase your pace if you need to convey excitement, instill a heightened sense of urgency, or rally your audience behind a cause.
So, no, you don’t need to change your voice. You can be seen as a leader by adopting practices that naturally change your delivery – vocal exercises, relaxation, and changes in vocal pace – and still retain your authenticity.
Originally published on LinkedIn.