Sounding out: Vocal skills for effective virtual meetings

Using your voice to influence others

There is little room for nuance or ambiguity when using online platforms: Positioning and clarity are crucial from the start through the invitation, setting boundaries, language, and facilitation skills.

Clarity is achieved in large part through our vocal skills. Speaking too quickly, poor articulation, low resonance, an echoing room, or a monotone delivery will all obscure our meaning and pull the rug from under the most carefully constructed message.

I use the abdominal-diaphragmatic breathing technique when voice training as it fosters a resonant voice whilst managing nerves. Ab-di breathing takes time and patience to learn but it is well worth the journey. It is key to nerves-control because it helps us regulate our heart rate and the subsequent engine of ‘fight or flight’ adrenalin when the body becomes stressed.

A resonant voice triggers a positive response in the audience. The lower, bass notes of a resonant voice imply sincerity and are likely to instil trust, particularly when appropriate intonation and pace are employed. Speaking quickly with little intonation can impact others as ‘patter’ without commitment or conviction, when in reality we were just feeling nervous.

So, the first tip for resonating well is to relax your body. Make sure you are sitting back on the chair and your shoulders are dropped: This will allow you to take deep breaths and will power a resonant tone: Our whole body is engaged when speaking with resonance as the breath comes from the lower abdomen.

Ensure that the room you are using does not give a formal echo to your delivery: Soft furnishings and smaller spaces work better for this.

If you hold stress at the back of your throat, yawn to stretch these articulators. Open your jaw when you speak. This will also slow you down and helps bring more facial expression.

Pull your pitch down before you begin as nerves send our voices higher and this will detract from our gravitas. Female voices are generally higher pitched. While I would not recommend the full Margaret Thatcher/Barry White approach, we can pull our pitch down consciously before speaking.

Ab-di breathing is an instrument for meaning: Slow down your pace on key words and numbers. The pause before these key messages will draw your audience in. The pause implies significance.

Continue to draw deep breaths when you pause, as you need to refuel your lungs to maintain the resonant tone. You will need to be breathing through your mouth, not your nose. Try not to smile when you speak as this will lead to a thin voice… smile with your eyes.

Avoid using long, rambling sentences as your point will get buried. Less is more.

Remember, saying nothing can be the most potent vocal tool. The pause can create expectation and tension…

I hope you have some of these tips useful. I passionately believe that we all have the capability to improve our communication skills and I count curiosity as one of the most important attributes of effective leadership: It is right up there with the willingness to make mistakes in the hierarchy of qualities. So, be curious, be prepared to get it wrong at first, and keep trying.

Check out some other tips on virtual communication skills including the invitation, setting boundaries, asking questions, body language, impactful language, and facilitation skills.

Wishing you all good health and the wisdom to see our challenges as opportunities.

Please let me know if you have any comments or questions.  Wishing everyone health and prosperity as we step forward into our new normality.

All the best, Hannah O’Sullivan, Host Media Consultants

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