Practical Genius by Gina Amaro Rudan, Kevin Carroll Page B
Authors: Gina Amaro Rudan, Kevin Carroll
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Voice Lessons
Your voice can convey your authority and authenticity—or not—more than just about anything else about you. What a shame if you had the world’s best story to tell and no one got it because all they could hear was your squeaky, nervous, uncommanding voice? Your best voice is natural, not stagey or singsongy or stiff. Be who you are, even when you’re telling the most important story of your life! A solid, deliberate, unwavering voice says, “You should listen to this. It’ll be worth your while.” A weak, wobbly voice says, “I’m not sure about this. Maybe you should be listening to someone else.”
I remember sitting in a meeting where one particular female executive was pitching a group of executives, and I could hear her voice rising and even cracking uncomfortably. I felt her pain and wanted to shake her out of it in the bathroom during a break, but it wasn’t the right time for me to give her a reality check so I had to bear her presentation while watching everyone else grinding their teethin response. It was painful, and the saddest part is that she was not aware of it at all. She was a talented, smart woman with great ideas, but her lack of ability to reach her audience confidently had a negative impact on her credibility and reputation.
PLAYBOOK
Hear Your Own Voice
Use your phone or computer or an audio recorder to capture the sound of yourself speaking. Record yourself reading a poem or reading a newspaper article out loud. Even better, set yourself up to record a business telephone call. You will learn so much from what you hear.
If you have what people call a “squeaky voice,” a speech therapist can help you. A solid, deliberate, unwavering voice is critical to expressing your genius. The author Naomi Wolf once told me, “Speak to me in statements, not questions,” and I’ve never forgotten that advice. When you speak in a questioning style and your sentences “curl up” at the end, you are the student. When you speak in a statement style, with steadiness and confidence, you are the teacher.
Remember, you can have the smartest things to say, but if no one can hear you or understand you, it doesn’t do you any good. Project! Enunciate! Speak with purpose! A recent University of California study observed several small work groups focused on a similar task. After the entire group viewed videotapes of the work sessions, they agreed that those who spoke up were probably higher in general intelligence, while quieter team members were tagged as conventional or uncreative.
Record audio of yourself next time you speak in front of a group. Then tell me if you sound like a smart guy or a dud. Or ask a close colleague for a brutally honest assessment of your speaking skills. If you’re not being heard, you need to know it—and correct it.
BODY TALK
When I speak, I think of what I’m saying as the melody of a song and what my body is doing as the harmony. When your voice and body work together to express what you intend, it’s music. When your mouth is doing one thing and your body’s doing another, it’s dissonance. Your eyes, your hands, your posture, every gesture—they are all powerful punctuation to your story. The pioneering research of the interpersonal communication expert Albert Mehrabian showed that just 7 percent of our attitudes and beliefs are conveyed to others through words we speak, while 38 percent comes from our tone of voice and 55 percent from our facial and other body expressions. Yikes! All the more important to get our stories synced up with our voices and bodies.
Be mindful of the physical messages you send and the ones you receive from others. They can be highly effective when used carefully. For example, Reverend Chris Jackson of Unity on the Bay speaks to his congregation with his eyes along with his words. His movement, his tone, and his powerful glances are always in sync, and he is one of the best
Voice Lessons
Your voice can convey your authority and authenticity—or not—more than just about anything else about you. What a shame if you had the world’s best story to tell and no one got it because all they could hear was your squeaky, nervous, uncommanding voice? Your best voice is natural, not stagey or singsongy or stiff. Be who you are, even when you’re telling the most important story of your life! A solid, deliberate, unwavering voice says, “You should listen to this. It’ll be worth your while.” A weak, wobbly voice says, “I’m not sure about this. Maybe you should be listening to someone else.”
I remember sitting in a meeting where one particular female executive was pitching a group of executives, and I could hear her voice rising and even cracking uncomfortably. I felt her pain and wanted to shake her out of it in the bathroom during a break, but it wasn’t the right time for me to give her a reality check so I had to bear her presentation while watching everyone else grinding their teethin response. It was painful, and the saddest part is that she was not aware of it at all. She was a talented, smart woman with great ideas, but her lack of ability to reach her audience confidently had a negative impact on her credibility and reputation.
PLAYBOOK
Hear Your Own Voice
Use your phone or computer or an audio recorder to capture the sound of yourself speaking. Record yourself reading a poem or reading a newspaper article out loud. Even better, set yourself up to record a business telephone call. You will learn so much from what you hear.
If you have what people call a “squeaky voice,” a speech therapist can help you. A solid, deliberate, unwavering voice is critical to expressing your genius. The author Naomi Wolf once told me, “Speak to me in statements, not questions,” and I’ve never forgotten that advice. When you speak in a questioning style and your sentences “curl up” at the end, you are the student. When you speak in a statement style, with steadiness and confidence, you are the teacher.
Remember, you can have the smartest things to say, but if no one can hear you or understand you, it doesn’t do you any good. Project! Enunciate! Speak with purpose! A recent University of California study observed several small work groups focused on a similar task. After the entire group viewed videotapes of the work sessions, they agreed that those who spoke up were probably higher in general intelligence, while quieter team members were tagged as conventional or uncreative.
Record audio of yourself next time you speak in front of a group. Then tell me if you sound like a smart guy or a dud. Or ask a close colleague for a brutally honest assessment of your speaking skills. If you’re not being heard, you need to know it—and correct it.
BODY TALK
When I speak, I think of what I’m saying as the melody of a song and what my body is doing as the harmony. When your voice and body work together to express what you intend, it’s music. When your mouth is doing one thing and your body’s doing another, it’s dissonance. Your eyes, your hands, your posture, every gesture—they are all powerful punctuation to your story. The pioneering research of the interpersonal communication expert Albert Mehrabian showed that just 7 percent of our attitudes and beliefs are conveyed to others through words we speak, while 38 percent comes from our tone of voice and 55 percent from our facial and other body expressions. Yikes! All the more important to get our stories synced up with our voices and bodies.
Be mindful of the physical messages you send and the ones you receive from others. They can be highly effective when used carefully. For example, Reverend Chris Jackson of Unity on the Bay speaks to his congregation with his eyes along with his words. His movement, his tone, and his powerful glances are always in sync, and he is one of the best
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