***Your Voice Is Your Calling Card - Is That Good or Not So Good?

One of the 1st things you do when you start a new business is to create a business card. While the purpose of the card is to identify you and your business, your goal with that card is to project a positive image of that business. In fact, you should probably hire a creative talent to design your card because you want an image that looks professional and successful.

Your voice is a form of calling card as well. When you consider that the sound of your voice accounts for a good 37% of the image you project, what does yours say about you? Does it sound professional? What about over the phone where there is no visual? The percentage relegated to your vocal image rises dramatically.

In my business I have heard them all and many are voices that I would not label as successful or professional. Neither would I describe them as instilling confidence in the listener. Voices that are too soft, too loud, too wimpy, too whiny, too nasal, too hoarse, too high-pitched, or even childlike – the list goes on and on. Unfortunately, most of the people who possess those voices don’t know that they have a better one inside of them. I call it your ‘real’ or true voice. And it sounds a lot better than what you currently hear on your answering machine or voicemail message.

How many times do you hear yourself on some form of recording equipment and have difficulty reconciling that sound with what you hear in your head? Your reaction may be surprise, disbelief, embarrassment, or disgust. No, we cannot hear ourselves the way everyone else does but the good news is that you have a voice inside of you that is definitely deeper in pitch, warmer in tone, and more mature in quality. (Pitch refers to the highness or lowness of sound.)

And, once you discover your ‘real’ voice, you will be able to increase your volume without shouting. It is truly remarkable how this works. If you are soft-spoken, for example, your volume will increase to a normal level of sound automatically. Another benefit of voice training is that you will discover the best means of controlling your nervousness when addressing an audience– whether it is a sales call or a presentation to a few hundred people.

Did you ever wonder how people like James Earl Jones, Diane Sawyer, Julia Ormond, George Clooney, Kate Beckinsale, Felicia Rashad, and Morgan Freeman sound so good? They are doing one thing which you are not: they are using their chest cavity to power their sound. This is why their voices resonate with warmth and authority.

When you learn that technique, thereby taking the stress off your throat and vocal cords, you too will discover a voice that has resonance. It will also have more staying power. If you have been suffering with vocal abuse which is characterized by chronic hoarseness or a persistent sore throat, the discomfort will end once you take the pressure off your throat and voice box and use your chest cavity as your primary sounding board.

Your voice is your calling card. Why not make it one that projects confidence and success!