Show up in your own voice

- Many enjoy the deep resonating sound of Morgan Freeman's voice. He's narrated countless commercials and movies, because his voice is so pleasing to the ear. We've even said to ourselves when hearing a great voice, I could listen to that person for hours. Yes, a great voice can stir up feelings in our heart and focus our attention. In sales, we think and work on what we're going to say all the time, but do we work on how we're going to say it? Not just what emphasis we'll place on certain words, but the actual tone of our voice itself. This is likely not something we spend a lot of time focusing on, but this is in fact, an important part of connecting with people. Well, you may be asking, how can I control my voice? I was born this way. Well, that is true to some extent, but much can be done to influence your voice with just a little practice. The first thing is to understand how the voice works. The foundation of your vocal sounds is a column of air that you send up through your lungs, through the windpipe, into your larynx, or voice box, which is in the middle of your throat. When you want to speak, little muscles tighten up your vocal chords. This causes them to vibrate as air is forced past them. The roof of your mouth, tongue, lips, and teeth break up these vibrations, and turn them into recognizable speech. It's pretty amazing what our bodies do. The key to all of this is controlling your breathing and tightening of your vocal chords. When you don't breathe deeply and just fill the top of your lungs, your voice can be too quiet and cause you to have to breath more frequently. This chops up your presentation, and probably makes you hard to hear. Not good. If you are overly nervous or haven't gotten enough sleep, your vocal chords are likely to tighten up and make you too high-pitched or strained. None of us like to listen to a high-pitched, nasally voice for too long. So how do we control this? One word. (breathes) Relax. The key is to control that. Take a few deep breaths. Make sure to fill up your entire lungs, not just the top. Consciously think about relaxing your body, especially your shoulders, throat, and jaw muscles. Loosen up a little bit before you walk into the appointment. Believe it or not, humming to yourself can help. Focusing on the fact that you're there to help the prospect, not just earn a commission, will also help you relax. As a sales professional, the two primary tools you have control over are your stories and the way you sound when you deliver them. Knowing that, doesn't it stand to reason that we would want to hone our craft in both? Just like anything else, working on your voice takes preparation and practice. The payoff is worth it when your prospects actually enjoy listening to you speak. It adds to your credibility, and it keeps their attention focused on you. These are all things that we strive for in every sales presentation.