Professional voice

[Anonymous]

Do you use a different tone of voice or speak in a different manner than how you regularly speak at work? Some very successful women seem to have adopted a cool, lower tone manner of speaking at work and I wondered if this is necessary for professional advancement.

[Anonymous]

I curse less. But it's not like I speak ebonics at home and "white" at work.

[Anonymous]

You shouldn't alter the pitch of your voice, if you have a naturally high-pitched voice. Some women in media really force their voice into a lower-than-natural part of their register and it can really mess up your voice. Others have a bad habit of using "up-talk." That means they end their sentences on a higher pitch -- think Valley Girl (like, what-ev-ER, real-LY). Some people get stressed when they have to speak at work, so their voice can get squeaky and pinched, which can come across as whiny.

If you are concerned about how you come across and think it may be holding you back, I would recommend a few things:

1) record yourself talking to a friend, delivering a speech or pretending to ask a question in a meeting. Then listen back and have a trusted friend or family member give you some helpful feedback. Do you hear the up-talk? Perhaps you should take a breath before you speak to relax yourself and your voice. Or think about an actress who you think of as "calm and collected" (maybe Sigourney Weaver, Judi Dench as M in the Bond movies, Cate Blancehett, etc) and think about them while speaking into a mirror. You obviously don't want to start talking in a British accent like Judi Dench, but the thing that those acctresses have in common is that they typically play very CONFIDENT characters. Maybe the confidence is what's missing when you speak at work.

2) consider taking a voice class at a local acting studio (I'd recommend Theatre Lab if you are in DC) or take a public speaking class (I think Shakespeare Theatre or Theatre Lab in DC have something like this).