Everyone is more or less a decent communicator.

We all can get our message across both in writing and in speaking and the majority of people will understand what we’re trying to say. That’s all fine.

But very few people can move others to take action. Very few people know how to influence others and get more friends. And most people think one is born a good communicator or a bad one. They believe it’s built-in…they believe it’s hardwired and you’re either good or bad. And that’s why they won’t do much to improve this area of their lives.

They won’t sign up for public speaking classes, or acting classes, or improv classes even when they know they will benefit for them. It’s not their thing… you know. They would rather get by with what they already have.

Becoming an effective communicator requires practice….but it’s not like you’re going to dedicate your life to become the world’s best at it. Although you certainly could and I personally think it’s a worthwhile pursuit. However, in this post I want to provide you with some tips that can help you improving your most important communication tool: the speaking voice.

1. Communicating with Your Voice

Your voice is perhaps your most effective communication tool.

It’s even more important if you’re on the phone connecting with customers and clients for the first time. In fact, your voice is the first impression people have of who you are.

Sales people would also tell you the speaking voice is the only tool you have to sell your products and ideas. You really have no other way of pitching these things to your customers. You can have the best ideas in the world but if you can’t promote them effectively, you won’t get very far. Moreover, if you’re not aware of how strong or weak or hesitant or uninterested you sound on the phone, then you’re not using the most out of your voice.

Do you know how you sound on the phone? How do you sound when you leave a voice message? Ask a best friend or a partner to tell you. I know it sounds silly and no you’re not going to change your voice or anything like that, but you simply want to know if there are any glaring mistakes. We all can start with taking note of such mistakes.

Maybe you have the habit of using a lot of “umms” or a lot of “like” or a lot of “you know” when you speak.

Or you may come across as dry or bland and even pessimistic when it’s time to close the deal — and that can leave others wondering if you really want to do business with them or what have you.

So understanding how you sound when you speak will help you align your intention with your speaking voice. You want your voice to reflect how you truly and authentically feel. You want to be intentionally intentional.

Consider making a small investment in a recording device or you can use your own computer and record yourself and take notice of how you sound. I know one can get quickly self-conscious when one hears his or her own voice. But that only happens in the beginning and you will quickly get used to hearing your own voice and you won’t be overly critical of it.

2. Exercises to Become a Better Speaker

One of the best exercises to become a better speaker is to model speakers that you admire. This includes modelling their tone of voice, their intonation, and even modelling the gestures they use when they speak.

If you’re interested in comedy, then pick a comedian and watch his or her skit on Youtube. Then memorize that skit or write it down and read it with the same style of speaking. This will help you experiment in a guided way and from people that you think are really good at speaking. It will also create flexibility in your voice and it will help you explore areas in your speaking that you didn’t know exists. Similarly, if you want to become a business speaker, then find your hero and watch Youtube videos for that person. Then write down their speech and record yourself delivering the same speech. When you record your speech and watch or hear it later, you’ll know exactly where you could improve. It’s really that easy. Ask yourself:

What are the speaking tools that the speaker uses to help deliver his or her message effectively? How is he or she using the speaking voice? Do they speak slowly? What sequence of words and sentences do they use when they want to hammer a certain point?

Experiment with different speakers and imitate their style. In fact, pick a comedian, a motivational speaker, and a business speaker and model their speaking. This will allow you to use your voice in ways you’ve never done so before and you will discover just how much you can improve until you eventually find your own authentic speaking voice.

3. Read Out Loud

When was the last time you’ve read out loud and paid attention to the way you enunciate your words?

If you’re serious about using your voice more effectively, then like a singer, you need to practice on a regular basis. You need to hear the way you speak. You need to read out loud to yourself and to enunciate each and every word and to do so clearly. Do a few tongue twisters. Here are two of my favorites:

Unique New York – repeat this 10 times without making a mistake and enunciate each letter clearly.

A box of biscuits
A box of mixed biscuits
And a biscuit mixer

Try to say this 10 times without making a mistake either.

I also suggest that you choose a certain text and read it out loud with exaggeration. Move your mouth and lips and your jaw in an exaggerated way and push your voice to do things it’s not used to doing. This will help you loosen up and it will gradually become much more natural for you to speak with authenticity and true emotion.

This skill will serve you well in all of your professional and personal endeavors, so don’t neglect it and give it a few minutes a day.