Kate's Voice

As humans, we are passionately driven to communicate. We want to be heard. We want to be understood. But to be heard above all the noise of our culture, you must have a voice that others will listen to. There has never been a better time to develop that voice. Resources for study and practice are abundant. Expertise is at an all time high and instead of taking on less importance as our technology advances, the human voice is more important than ever, adding warmth and humanity to a digital world. So if you are ready, make the commitment now. Find your voice in 2013 and use it. Here’s how:

Find it at home: Sing in the shower. Hum while you work. Practice your talks out loud in your living room. Above all, have more conversations that matter with your friends and family.

Find it at work: Volunteer to give more presentations…and make them good. Speak up in meetings. Take advantage of trainings that are offered on communication skills. Bring in a speaker for a brown bag lunch workshop on getting over stage fright. Have more conversations that matter with co-workers. Keep your intention aligned with your message and both with the sound of your voice.  Listen.

Find it with a coach: Perhaps this is the year to take a class in public speaking or singing,  take a workshop on communication,  OR maybe it’s the year to finally get a private coach.  Get recommendations for vocal coaches in your area and take some lessons with a few until you find the one that is right for you. Sign up for a course of study. Ask questions. Commit time to practice.  Do the work.

Find it in your community: Join Toastmasters. Join a community choir. Audition for a play or a musical. Be the voice for those who cannot speak on their own behalf. Speak out for a political or community cause. Join the speaker’s bureau at a local charity.

Find it online: Create a video and put it up on YouTube. Make comments on blogs and polls. Reach out to others of similar interest. Create a pod cast and share your expertise with others. And, of course, subscribe to Kate’sVoice and read it regularly for more voice tips and techniques!!

The sound of another voice and the touch of another hand are among life’s most precious offerings. In the end, connection with others is at the core of our desires. Creating clear communication takes consistent, focused attention and work, but it is work that will bring the greatest rewards that life has to offer. Make this the year that you find your voice and use it to connect with others, get more of what you want out of life, and make a difference for all of us. Happy New Year!

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And please do join in the conversation by leaving a comment below.  How will you find your voice in 2013??

Recently, I sat on a plane, connected to “GoGoWireless”, and “IM’d” with my seat mate while we both listened to our favorite music via Bose headphones.  So who needs a voice?  That experience was in contrast to this one:  Later that day, I attended a presentation via Webex, and heard the presenter, but never saw him.  It’s amazing how important a voice can be when there is no body attached to it!  Voice mails, phone conversations, and conference calls have propelled our often misused, abused and underrated weapon of self-expression into the limelight, whether we are ready or not.

The challenge with this recent elevation of the stature of the voice is that the voice is revelatory in nature.  You can’t hide your feelings, your history,  your education or  your emotional state from others.  Your voice without some training, or at least some awareness,  is like your computer without a firewall:  All your secrets are exposed.

The response to this knowledge could easily be fear and a desire to hide behind a delivery that is manufactured and molded to sound a certain, prescribed way.  But if there is a prescription for dealing with the fact that your voice is giving you away, it is to embrace the revelatory nature and use your voice with conviction and honesty.

Intention is the key
You cannot say one thing and mean another in this brave new world.  You must be clear, and be aware of how your conversational intent aligns with what you are actually saying.   Clarity of intention has a funny way of bringing all the manufactured speech patterns, the affectations, to a screeching halt.  With an honest intention, you become an authentic spokesperson for your work, your cause, your family, your team and/or your life. Your delivery becomes genuine rather than plastic, the latter being carefully constructed to bring out only what you want others to perceive.  Remember, you cannot hide anyway.

Try it:  Think back to a recent conversation that went very well.  What was your intention for the conversation, your goal, the aim that guided your actions?  What were you hoping to accomplish? Now think of a conversation that didn’t go so well.  What was your intention?  Was it honest?  Was it clear to you, let alone the other person?

Before your next conversation that matters, think through what you are trying to accomplish, who the audience is, and what you have to say to them. Set your intention.  Be very honest with yourself. If you think you intend to  to agree to disagree, but you secretly hope to manipulate them to your point of view, your credibility will suffer and so will your authenticity.  You don’t have to tell anyone else, but don’t lie to yourself!  The perception of an authentic voice depends on clear intention that aligns with  the message and is honestly connected to the delivery.