Yesterday, I was clicking through for the weather channel and my ears immediately perked up when I heard Talk Show Host, Wendy Williams, speak about a clerk she had encountered over the weekend. She said the young lady was not making eye contact and sounded like a child when she spoke.
As her show was focusing on the women empowerment movement of this past weekend, Williams was exasperated that this clerk was forever limiting her future endeavors unless she learned how to improve her voice and communication skills, saying,
“In the name of the Sisterhood, I feel like sometimes you have to say something. Maybe her mom never said anything to her about it and everybody thinks it’s cute. It’s not cute!”
Ladies, if you answer the phone and the caller asks to speak to your mother,
you’ve got a problem.
Many years ago, my very first private client was a young woman, studying to be a doctor. She came to me because she knew that her childlike voice would jeopardize her success as a doctor because no one would take her seriously.
Another woman, who was very small and cute, designed people’s wardrobes. Her voice was small and childlike as well. She knew that at 28 her voice was not yet a problem; however, she was quick to note that as she aged, her ‘cute’ sound would be a liability.
After making the change, another woman, also named Wendy, had had her eye on a particular car. She told me that had she approached the salesman with her former childlike voice, she would not have been taken seriously. Well, Wendy got the car at the price she wanted, acknowledging that her success was entirely due to her voice.
What happened to each one of these women when they made the change was that they sounded mature – not old, not young – ageless. The childlike quality was gone.
If you are looking for empowerment, the childlike sound is not empowering. It only reinforces the image women are looking to change. Let your chest do your talking and you will discover a richer, warmer, more mature-sounding voice that you didn’t know you had.
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- Please note that the Post-Holiday Sale has been extended through Sunday, January 28.
- If you missed my last newsletter, Voicing It is now available in Streaming Format.
- I have added a Voice & Presentation Skills Workshop next month. As much as I said that the workshops were over, many people emailed me about another New Jersey workshop so I will be in Mt Laurel, February 23 & 24.