Voice and other’s perceptions

It is hard to hear the sound of your own voice. But that sound may affect other people’s impressions of you even more than what you say.

A strong, smooth voice can enhance your chances of rising to CEO and a nasal whine, a raspy tone or strident volume can drive colleague to distraction. People may be tempted to say ‘Would you shut up?’ But they dance around the issue because they don’t want to hurt someone’s feeling.


People who hear recording of rough, weak, strained or breathy voices tend to label the speakers as negative, weak, passive or tense. People with normal voices are seen as successful, sexy, sociable and smart. When you hear somebody speak, and the first thing you do is to form an opinion about them.

Initially, when i was speaking, people didn’t know what the hell i was saying. After coaching, I learned to step back and pause rather than saying “uh, uh”. Some of my close friends noticed difference and told me. They didn’t tell me until i started taking lessons, then they said they saw a difference.

Also, sensitive factors such as gender, ethnicity, age and cultural background play role in how people talk, and so managers should take care not to discriminate against an employee based on those characteristics.