This month the focus is on two aspects of public speaking; how to make your voice sound more interesting in face-to-face business meetings, plus warm-up exercises, to help you prepare your voice for speaking.

As a business professional, it is important to create a positive impression by presenting yourself in a confident and engaging manner.

One way to do this is by using your voice effectively. Many of our clients are pleased to receive voice coaching from Voice Synergy, to enable them to develop a portfolio or toolkit of ways to help them speak more effectively. Voice coaching can make a positive difference to your speech straight away.

Here are some tips on how to make your voice sound more interesting in a business meeting:

1. Use your vocal pitch with intention: Varying your pitch can make your voice sound more interesting. A slightly higher pitch might emphasise key points, and a lower pitch may be more suitable when making a serious or important statement.
2. Varying your pace: Speaking at a consistent pace can make your voice sound monotonous and dull. To make your voice more interesting, try varying your pace by speaking a little faster or slower, depending on the tone of the conversation. For example, speaking a little faster when you are excited or enthusiastic, and slowing down when you want to emphasise a particular point. Always allow time for your audience to digest the points you are making.
3. Practice reading aloud: You can practice varying your pace and intonation by reading aloud in a clear and concise manner. Choose material that is relevant to your work or industry and practice reading it aloud at different speeds and with different intonations. This will help you to develop your vocal range and make your voice sound more interesting.

Another vital component of successful public speaking is preparing your voice for exercise – ie preparing your voice for talking – BEFORE the actual speech or meeting. It is tempting to ‘wing it’, but investment in voice warm ups pays dividends.

Warm-up exercises help you prepare your voice for speaking at a meeting. There are a wide variety of useful voice warm up exercises that we use at Voice Synergy. Here are some exercises you can use:

1. Humming: This exercise can help you warm up the muscles around your mouth and jaw. Simply relax the jaw, allow your lips to rest gently together to enable the hum sound to vibrate your lips. Take a long breath to take a good volume of air into your lungs, then allow the power of your breath to carry your hum to your lips then out of your nose. Try different tunes or scales for a few minutes, taking time to refill your lungs when you try each new tune or scale.
2. Lip trills: This exercise can help you loosen up your lips and tongue. Place your lips together and blow air through them to create a trilling sound. Again, the pitch can be varied as your mood and vocal range takes you.
3. Tongue twisters: Tongue twisters can help you practise your articulation and clarity of speech. Start with simple phrases and gradually work your way up to more complex tongue twisters.

Developing your voice to sound more interesting in a business meeting can have very positive effects on your team, peers and stakeholders. An interesting voice will also help you to come across as more confident and engaging. By varying your pitch, pace and intonation and by practicing warm-up exercises before your meeting, you can certainly make your voice sound more engaging and professional.

Voice coaching can help you to achieve a more professional voice. For more information on public speaking or speaking in a leadership role, please get in touch for a free, informal chat.