Upspeak and vocal fry on work conference calls

[Anonymous]

It KILLS me. Drives me nuts. And it's only the Americans who do it.

[Anonymous]

It’s a millennial thing. Here to stay.

[Anonymous]

At the first company I worked out of college, the owner promoted up speak as a way of sounding humble. Hate it!

[Anonymous]

There’s an absolutely brilliant young woman I work with who has a serious vocal fry problem. It’s distracting and I worry for her vocal chords. Can it be corrected? I don’t understand how/why it develops.

Not much upspeak in my work world, fortunately.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It’s a millennial thing. Here to stay.

I think it's more a sing-song thing and I hear it in Generation X as well.

It's mostly women who do it, I've noticed. Although some men are prone to upspeak.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It’s a millennial thing. Here to stay.

Yup. It is.

My wife does it. Hasn't stopped her from achieving very quickly.

[Anonymous]

I don't hear it in anyone over the age of about 28. It's actively harming careers. As a man I can't speak up because it sounds sexist but hopefully some of the older millenial and gen x women will say something.

[Anonymous]

There’s no reason it should harm careers except misogyny.

[Anonymous]

I can't stand it. It makes the speaker sound like a confused airhead or stoned teenager.

Most generations have some sort of speech pattern and slang they use during their teen years but most elminate it once they matured and entered the working world.

Not so anymore, I'm afraid. And you can't "say something" to them about it lest you be accused of being biased, cruel and maybe even discriminatory.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't hear it in anyone over the age of about 28. It's actively harming careers. As a man I can't speak up because it sounds sexist but hopefully some of the older millenial and gen x women will say something.

I'm a millennial woman and I do have something to say about this.

You know what's harming our careers? Sexist mouth-breathing men like you who look for any reason to dismiss the intellect of a female colleague.

If you think vocal fry is annoying, I can guarantee you also sound like a total idiot in meetings.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There’s no reason it should harm careers except misogyny.

^^Case in point!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There’s no reason it should harm careers except misogyny.

Upspeak makes you sound uncertain. That’s not misogyny. Women should unlearn it stay and also get rid of the vocal fry, which may also have its roots in trying to temper ones assertiveness.

— very liberal female

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't hear it in anyone over the age of about 28. It's actively harming careers. As a man I can't speak up because it sounds sexist but hopefully some of the older millenial and gen x women will say something.

You can certainly speak up about the quality of those employees and be clear it shouldn’t harm careers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't hear it in anyone over the age of about 28. It's actively harming careers. As a man I can't speak up because it sounds sexist but hopefully some of the older millenial and gen x women will say something.

I'm a millennial woman and I do have something to say about this.

You know what's harming our careers? Sexist mouth-breathing men like you who look for any reason to dismiss the intellect of a female colleague.

If you think vocal fry is annoying, I can guarantee you also sound like a total idiot in meetings.

Got news for you. How you speak is indicative of how much RESPECT you have for the listeners.

For example, if it is your job to impart serious news to someone (a family, a client) do you really want to be growling at distraught people? Or giving them factual information while your voice sounds like you are unsure and confused and everything is posed as a upspeak question?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There’s no reason it should harm careers except misogyny.

Upspeak makes you sound uncertain. That’s not misogyny. Women should unlearn it stay and also get rid of the vocal fry, which may also have its roots in trying to temper ones assertiveness.

— very liberal female

The idea that assertiveness is the best way to interact with work colleagues , vs say a softer collaborativeness, is I think a reflection of misogyny. I’ve been on teams that are largely women and the way things are discussed/decided can be markedly different than teams with a couple bros on them.