With the recent upheaval in UK politics following the Brexit vote, there have been plenty of opportunities to listen to new voices in the world of politics and to consider how effectively those voices are used.

The first Prime Minister’s Questions in the House of Commons (20 July, 2016), with new female prime minister, Theresa May, facing Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn gave an insight into the contrasting ways each politician used their voice, how they shaped their words and how they used their body language.

Theresa May used a full range of her voice, showed high status but an engaged posture in her body language. The new prime minister exuded vocal energy and a command of the facts presented to her, which she responded to with positive tones and without using written notes. This freed Theresa May to look about her as she spoke, giving her a commanding posture. May expressed herself using a range of vocal styles, appropriate to the question. Theresa May’s use of rhetoric during her comic analogy ended with her dropping her voice and saying, “Remind him of anybody?” These were true echoes of the Iron Lady, Margaret Thatcher.

See Guardian article.

Jeremy Corbyn welcomed the second female prime minister at PMQ. His voice was quieter and fell into patterns. Jeremey Corbyn’s posture was more closed, as he appeared to adopt a slight stoop. This created a visual impression of his status being lower. Jeremey Corbyn occupied less space as he spoke which was not helped by his reading his questions, leaning on a support. Corbyn’s eyes were dropped to his notes, which made his eye contact with Theresa May limited. There is much opportunity for improvement of his voice and body language. See YouTube video.

Using your voice to its best potential takes an investment of time and effort. It is sometimes a question of noticing and rejecting your old bad habits and learning new good ones. Learning to use the range of your voice, learning how to speak clearly and learning how to speak with impact is a vital leadership skill. Successful speaking is not limited to the UK’s politicians; every business leader needs to influence and encourage their staff. This means investing time to become a better, more influential speaker.

Here are five tips to help you warm up and care for your voice:

1. Find and dispel tension: flex and relax your shoulders, knees and neck.
2. Tense and release the muscles in your face, especially your lips. Massage your jaw line and cheeks gently with your fingertips. Try exaggerated smiling moving to pursed lips.
3. Breathe in and hum out a little tune, using as much range of your voice as is comfortable. Repeat for 5-10 breaths.
4. Find somewhere quiet and have a full stretch and yawn.
5. Sip water during your speech – avoid caffeine and alcohol.