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Do you want to sell more? Do you want to land the job? Do you want your team to perform better? Then pay attention to your voice.
As we move further into the digital age, many people rely more and more on the efficiency of asynchronous communication (email, text, slack, etc.) to communicate. You are doing yourself, your clients, and your team, a disservice.
Recently while reading Cues, Vanessa Van Edwards new book, I came across a study that compared the effect when participants read the resumes of job applicants and others listened to job applicants read their resume’s (Same words in the same order). The resume holders that read their resumes were perceived as more intelligent and qualified for the job[1]! Read that again!
I get it, everyone is busy and taking the time to connect, when you can just dash off a text or instant message, seems frivolous. That is, unless you want to be more successful in your communication. And let’s be honest. Is all of that digital communication really saving you any time?
I am trading email messages with a director of an association I belong to. What could have been a five-minute conversation via the telephone has turned into a 20-minute email conversation with the back-and-forth emails trying to clarify what she said, helping her to understand what my question was, and so on. So no, my educated guess is you are not saving time.
When people listen your voice, they hear you. Not an intellectual representation of you. And as much as your credentials should speak for themselves, you are a much better representative of yourself than your credentials are.
In her book, Vanessa provides an overwhelming array of tools, tips, and tricks to help you become more charismatic and effective. If you really want to get good at practicing these ideas, let me suggest joining Toastmasters. You will learn all about vocal variety and how that conveys emotion. How to use the pause for effect. You will learn about pitch and projection and you will become a more effective communicator.
Don’t lose the deal, don’t let your team down in pursuit of efficiency. Use Your Voice.
[1] University of Chicago, Booth School of Business, “Job Seekers Voice Reveals Intelligence”, Psypost, February 21, 2015
