Why Speaking Louder Is Not the Answer If You Are Soft-Spoken

As a voice coach, I hate the word loud when it is used in conjunction with the speaking voice. Loud hurts your listeners’ ears; and, over time, loud can hurt your throat. I don’t want you to speak louder – I want you to speak with more power, with an increase in your volume which is not painful to your throat or your listeners' ears. If you are soft-spoken, the best way to reach a normal volume level is to use your chest cavity to amplify your sound. By changing your voice placement in this manner, your volume will automatically increase to a normal level. It is wonderful to see and hear how this works. When the soft-spoken make the change, their first reaction is that they are shouting. Keep in mind, if you speak softly, your inner ear (which is how you hear yourself – not the way the rest of the world hears you!) has been quite content with your softer volume your entire life. And yes, the first time you increase your volume correctly, your inner ear will revolt. However, once you hear your ‘real’ voice on a recording, you will notice that you are not shouting or yelling or loud. What you will notice is that your volume sounds normal. Of the thousands of people with whom I’ve worked, I always ask them one question when I play back their ‘before’ recording: if this were a movie, would you turn up the volume. Every single one has said yes.

1. If you are serious about increasing your volume so that others hear you comfortably when you speak, then you must first acknowledge that you are soft-spoken. Remember, you have spent your entire life talking at a volume level which is below normal. 2. Your next step is to discover your ‘real’ voice which will automatically increase your volume. It will not be loud – just a larger amount of sound because you will be vibrating your voice in your chest cavity. 3. You must use your new normal volume level in everything you do whether you are at work, at home, or in a social situation. Your goal is to make your new voice and your new volume a habit.

If you expect others to listen to you, make this change; otherwise, those of us with larger voices, who tire of asking you to repeat yourself, will take over the conversation every time you open your mouth to speak.