17 Steps to Speak Confidently and Improve Your Tone (Part I)

Most people carefully plan what they will say or wear for important occasions, but they often forget to pay attention to the most important aspect: how they come across to other people. Style and tone of voice are crucial for leaving a positive first impression.

What Is the Importance of Your Voice?

Indeed, your voice can change your life, and science supports this fact. A study has confirmed this truth, stating that what makes you believe in someone, love them, or trust them is their voice.

So, in this article, we will go over everything you need to know about how to speak confidently and improve your tone.

Therefore, in this article, we will review everything you need to know about how to speak confidently and improve your voice tone.

1. Make a Good First Vocal Impression

The first impression is everything, and how you sound is of paramount importance. When most of us think about delivering an important presentation or making a video call, we usually spend a long time preparing our first few words.

Here's this astonishing fact: people judge your competence within half a second. Research has found that how you say "hello" is more important than your clever stories or brilliant answers. You leave an initial vocal impression the moment you pick up the phone and say, "Hello," "This is X speaking," or "Who's speaking?"

The issue is that we often feel more nervous during the first few moments. Consequently, when saying "hello," you might use a high-pitched tone, appear anxious, or even let out a sigh.

So, what's the best way to leave a great impression that shows your confidence? One study had participants record saying "hello" using six different tones:

• Hello in a normal tone (control element).
• Hello in a happy tone (thinking of a happy moment while showing expressions of joy).
• Hello in a sad tone (thinking of a sad moment while showing expressions of sadness).
• Hello in an angry tone (thinking of something that made them angry while showing expressions of anger).
• Hello with a strong attitude (while demonstrating a posture of strength).
• Hello in a normal tone (regaining control after warming up).

The results were clear. The person seemed very different.

In conclusion, people can determine your mood from your voice.

• Are you having a bad day? It will show in your voice and tone, even over the phone.
• Are you feeling happy? People will also detect that through your voice.

People can feel the emotion in the tone of your voice, and negative emotions can make you seem very undesirable.

2. Unleash Your Charisma

Control your charisma and benefit from the subtle signals you send, starting from your posture and facial expressions to your choice of words and tone of voice, to improve your personal and professional relationships.

3. Say "Hello" in a Happy Manner

In the second part of the aforementioned study, a group of people was asked to evaluate the voices based on their preferences, and each participant was instructed to play a clip and choose from three options.

Can you guess which "hello" was most preferred?

• Hello in a happy tone.
• Hello in a sad tone.
• Hello in an angry tone.
• Hello with a strong attitude.
• Hello in a normal tone.

The happy tone was the most preferred, which surprised the researchers, who expected the strong "hello" to be the most preferred. Even saying it in a normal tone outperformed saying it with strength. The worst rating was given to saying "hello" with an angry tone, which wasn't surprising but emphasized the importance of controlling your anger.

4. Find Your Maximum Resonance Point

What is the maximum resonance point? It is your vocal range that makes your voice sound as high as possible, as well as more relaxed and confident. In other words, the maximum resonance point is what makes you sound like a leader.

Most people don't speak at their maximum resonance point because they don't know how to do it or are not aware of its existence. So, if you find your ideal vocal range, you are one step closer to appearing confident.

5. Know How You Sound

Did you know that we sound different depending on the situation we are in? For example, imagine how your voice sounds in these three different scenarios:

• Sitting alone on the couch and reading a book.
• Sitting with a close friend or two and enjoying a pleasant conversation.
• Standing on the stage and delivering a presentation to an audience of 1000 people.

You will find that your voice is lower and slower when you talk to yourself, but when you're with friends, it becomes higher and faster because they increase your energy levels. When you deliver a presentation, your voice suddenly becomes slower and more steady.

Once you realize how your emotions affect your voice, you can improve specific aspects that need enhancement.

Here's this question: What limits your voice's capability?

Does your boss make you nervous? Do you speak loudly to your children? There is a reason that affects the nature of your voice.

The renowned public speaker and self-development author Brian Tracy recommends recording your voice in various contexts and tracking how it changes. So, record a portion of your conversations in the coming days when:

• Talking to a client.
• Talking to your parents or child.
• While in a meeting.
• Talking to yourself in the car.
• Chatting with friends.

After realizing that her soft voice was causing people to underestimate her as a leader, British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher listened to her voice and made improvements. She transformed her voice in public speeches from a gentle and soft tone to a powerful one.

6. Improve Your Speaking Rate

Did you know that the average conversational speech rate for Americans is around 120–150 words per minute? However, according to a study published in The Journal of Personality and Social Psychology in the 1970s, this rate may be somewhat slow. The study found that:

• When people speak at a relatively fast pace (195 words per minute), they appear to be more intelligent, persuasive, credible, and socially attractive.

As for slow speakers (100 words per minute or less), they were perceived as less intelligent and credible.

So, does speaking at a faster pace hold the key to self-confidence? Another study was conducted by the University of Michigan in 2011:

• Researchers began exploring the optimal speaking rate that convinced people to participate in phone surveys.
• They found that the most successful level was speaking at a moderate pace of 210 words per minute, and speaking at a faster or slower pace than this was not effective.

Now, what category do you fall into?

• If you speak very slowly, people may perceive you as slow and boring.
• If you speak too quickly, you might annoy people, or your voice may not be heard clearly at all.

However, if you speak at a moderate pace, you come across as a naturally confident speaker.

So, how do you achieve the optimal speaking rate? You can simply speak at a slightly faster pace, but it's not that straightforward. If you're someone who speaks very quickly, you may find it challenging to slow down to the optimal level, especially when you're feeling nervous or excited on stage.

2 Tips to improve your speaking rate

1. Spend Time Reading Aloud and Focus on Each Word

There's no benefit to speaking quickly if you stumble over every word. This technique forces you to speak clearly and pause at natural intervals, both of which make your speech sound more natural. Once your speaking pace becomes good, gradually increase your rate until you reach the optimal level.

2. Seek Constructive Criticism from those Around You

Indeed, having your speech interrupted and being compelled to repeat it every time you speak too slowly or too quickly can be very frustrating. However, asking people to point out your speaking weaknesses enhances your awareness of your speaking habits and compels you to speak in a better way.

7. Wear Confidence-Boosting Outfit

It is said that one should not judge a book by its cover, but it turns out we judge ourselves based on what we wear. One study analyzed the concept of enclothed cognition, which explores whether our clothing affects our thoughts. In one experiment, participants either wore a doctor's coat or a painter's coat. Can you guess which group performed better in completing tasks? If you think it's the group wearing the doctor's coat, you're correct. But why?

Research on enclothed cognition suggests that it's not so much about what we wear but rather about how we perceive ourselves in what we wear. Participants who wore doctor's coats felt more competent, which improved their performance in completing tasks. Similarly, if you wear an outfit that makes you feel confident, you will also appear more confident.

What are the clothes that make you feel confident?

• Do you prefer certain brands?
• Do you look stylish in tailored suits?
• Do you have a favorite shirt?
• Do you like a particular color?
• Do you have a personal style?

If you want to speak with confidence, appearances matter. You should discover the clothes that make you feel confident and wear them to give your best possible performance.

8. Stay Hydrated

To ensure that your voice is ready for public speaking, it's essential to drink the right amount of water to prevent your vocal cords from drying out. Studies indicate that your hydration levels have a direct impact on your voice; the better you maintain your body's moisture, the better your voice will be.

The solution is not to wait until just before your speech to drink water. Maintaining body hydration takes time. Make sure to keep your body well-hydrated at least two hours before your speech. This ensures that your mouth and throat are adequately moistened and makes it easier for you to articulate words.

If you're a coffee or tea lover, that's good news because caffeine does not negatively affect your voice.

Tip: If you want an easy way to ensure you're drinking enough water throughout the day, check the color of your urine. The optimal color is pale yellow. If it's very dark, it's a sign that you should drink more water.

9. Control Your Breathing

How do you change your voice? The first step in acquiring a powerful speaking voice is controlling your breathing.

How? Get rid of chest breathing. Shallow chest breathing is not good because it:

• Doesn't provide our bodies with enough oxygen.
• Can cause shortness of breath, making you appear nervous or tense.
• Can result in negative physical tension and tightness in the chest.

We need to counter chest breathing with deep breathing. Females, in particular, tend to make the mistake of not breathing deeply enough, which can lead to raised and weakened voices. So, breathe deeply and at a controlled pace.

You should improve the habit of deep breathing throughout the day so that it becomes your natural breathing pattern when it's time to speak. You can also practice breathing exercises before giving your speech.

You will also find it easier to breathe when you are excited. More importantly, exhale before you start speaking, as many people start with inhaling, but it's better to start with exhaling.

10. Get Rid of Voice Hoarseness

You may not like the nature of your voice due to hoarseness. What is hoarseness, and how do you get rid of it? Hoarseness occurs when your voice becomes rough or emits a grating sound due to insufficient airflow through the vocal cords.

Here's the reason for it:

• When we breathe, our vocal cords separate.
• Then, when we speak, these cords come into contact with each other, producing sound.
• If you speak without sufficient airflow, the vocal cords won't be able to vibrate against each other, resulting in a hoarse, hollow sound.

In hoarseness, it sounds as if you can hear someone's vocal cords rattling next to each other. In short, it's unpleasant, and if you want your voice to sound better, you need to get rid of it.

In Conclusion

We've discussed the importance of voice both professionally and personally in this section, and we've presented ten steps you can take to improve the tone of your voice and boost your self-confidence. We will continue with the remaining steps in the second and final part, so stay tuned.