The cadence, tone, speed of delivery combined with the knowledge, respect and wonder of the natural world, all contribute to the unrivalled, expressive voice of Sir David Attenborough.

As Sir David describes incredible wildlife sequences unravelling on our TV screens, he immerses himself and we listeners too, in the everyday worlds of jaguars, angel-fish, baboons and spiders. As we listen to his voice, we become almost mesmerised by it, combined with the vivid pictures captured by the extraordinarily patient and skilled camera teams. We consequently become more connected with the natural world.

Let’s unravel the elements of Sir David’s voice and where his expertise lies. He began broadcasting for the BBC as a young man in his early thirties and at that time, his voice reflected a enthusiastic and jaunty more ‘upper class’ accent, in a slightly higher register. This accent has softened over the years, to become more ‘everyday’, yet it still retains the attributes of confidence, clarity and irrepressible enthusiasm.

Cadence is described as falling intonation or pitch, but also as ‘a sequence of notes resolving discord’, which I find rather beautiful. I’m sure we can all think of instances in our lives where the benefits of cadence might be useful.

Tone of voice is also an extremely important facet in communication. This is not about the subject or content of what you are saying, but it is about the way you are saying it. This is about the impression your voice makes on your listeners, your audience. This is about appropriate choices of how warm, or neutral you can sound. I believe Sir David universally speaks for the creature under observation, helping his audience to recognise the beauty and fragility of complex life structures and to empathise with their struggles to find a mate, for food and for habitat.

At times, I still struggle to keep my speed of delivery to a suitable pace. Like many of my clients, I have been guilty of speaking too quickly in the past and losing my listeners along the way, as a result of not giving them time to process my (exciting, compelling) ideas. With speed of delivery, it is really important to practise speaking more slowly, to allow listeners the chance to fully hear and digest new messages.

The pace at which Sir David speaks is measured and it means the messages he is conveying are able to be readily absorbed. He uses pauses to highlight interesting points and to create drama, all the time drawing in his listeners, eager to hear more.

There are so many positive lessons to learn from observing how Sir David speaks. Combining pace, clarity, warmth and vocal interest results in such a compelling delivery. Speaking well is an art and the more you practise, like most other things in life, the better you get.

Drawn to my television set to watch a BBC natural world programme over the years, such as Blue Planet, Planet Earth, Frozen Planet or Wild Isles, I invariably feel calm, intrigued and bonded to the wildlife of our planet as a result. The voice of Sir David Attenborough is that of a master story teller, who is able to relate highly complex information in a way that is almost reverential, but at the same time conversational and authoritative.

Sir David is a role model in many ways, primarily in his leadership role in highlighting concerns for the incredible species that inhabit planet earth, which are struggling, and helping us to recognise the importance and beauty of our natural world. His speech and the power of his speech is incredible and this year he celebrated his 97th birthday.

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