Fascinating article in today's WSJ about impression management via voice (and vocal coaching).
- New research shows the sound of a person's voice strongly influences how he or she is seen.
- The sound of a speaker's voice matters twice as much as the content of the message, according to a study last year of 120 executives' speeches by Quantified Impressions, an Austin, Texas, communications analytics company.
- Researchers used computer software to analyze speakers' voices, then collected feedback from a panel of 10 experts and 1,000 listeners. The speakers' voice quality accounted for 23% of listeners' evaluations; the content of the message accounted for 11%.
- People who hear recordings of rough, weak, strained or breathy voices tend to label the speakers as negative, weak, passive or tense.
- Annoyed listeners often assume nothing can be done to change an irritating voice, and the speakers are often unaware of the problem. But in most cases, people's voices can be strengthened or improved through therapy, coaching or feedback.
Read the article (by Sue Shellenbarger) here.
