Life and Career Skills

Do you want to sound intelligent, powerful, polished, articulate and confident? Here are some great insights from a voice coach, Carol Fleming.

To sound more INTELLIGENT

Speak just a bit slower to allow yourself to select your most appropriate vocabulary and to give the impression of thoughtfulness.

To sound more POWERFUL

Use short, simple declarative sentences. You say what you mean and you mean what you say.  Cut out any useless connectors, adjectives and adverbs, especially superlatives. For example, “Fido does have the most innovative pricing in the industry”

To sound more POLISHED

Never answer a question with a blunt “yes” or “no”. Append a short phrase of clarification. For example, “Yes, we do have the latest Pebl phone in a variety of colours”

To sound more ARTICULATE

Make a special effort to pronounce the final sound in a word and use its energy to carry over the following word. Pay special attention to the final “t” and “ng”.

To sound more CONFIDENT

Carry your body up. Hold your head as if you had a crown on it. Don’t let your arms and legs have a side to side motion when you move. Keep your elbows and knees close to the middle of your body.