Buffer

The best way to know what your voice sounds like to others is to record it and listen to it. Right? Wrong! In fact, you will probably never hear your voice as others hear it. That’s right, the voice you have perfected to be so incredibly sexy and powerful is NOT what others hear.  Why not, you say? Because you have created it in a vacuum. Yes, the voice you hear in your head is produced in an acoustic environment that is yours alone, not to be duplicated.

Most people (me, too) are disturbed to hear their voice on a recording. It sounds so different from the voice in their head! However, you can’t change something you can’t hear, so I still recommend that you listen to your voice on a recording if you want to develop greater Vocal Impact.

Here’s how to get over the sound you hear and use that recording to move forward:

1. Get your device set to record.
2. Record yourself speaking for 3 minutes about anything you like to talk about.
3. Fix yourself a stiff drink or a cup of tea. (no drinking BEFORE recording!)
4. Listen to the recording.  Wince. Take a sip of your drink.
5. Listen again.  Wince again. Take another sip.
6. Accept that you DO sound like your mother and move on.
7. Repeat the process a hundred times OR until you get used to how different you sound from what you expect. (I’m ok, you’re ok.)

Once you’ve gotten over the shock and the loathing of the sound, you will be objective enough to analyze it for characteristics of speech such as up-speak, inflection and volume to better understand what your voice is saying about you behind your back.

For more on a vocal image, please see my post 5 Ways to Polish Your Vocal Image

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