What is the sound of your voice?
Daily | July 11th, 2008
Carrie says: My voice carries insights. My voice holds back. My voice is the sound of comforting. I think the worst thing you can say to a child is “Don’t speak unless you’re spoken to.”
Danielle says: My voice sounds like the desert at night. Mysterious but in-your-face. I have a hard time projecting it, I don’t like to talk over people. My voice goes best with meaningfulness.
Read more on today’s Blog: 5 Tips to Explore The Power of Your Voice.
Read more on today’s Blog: 5 Tips to Explore The Power of Your Voice.
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Read more at Carrie and Danielle: Daily
July 11th, 2008 at 12:28 am
My voice nurtures, laughs, censors, comforts, awakens, sooths, reaches out, reasons, trips over words and asserts itself.
I had the pleasure today of doing a script reading where I was able to experience hearing my voice in a context I’d never heard before. I loved seeing the reactions people had, who heard not just my voice changing but it come alive within a different context. Manipulating and giving your voice power allows you to appreciate it within a new auditorium. The key to allowing your voice such power is to listen to it!
July 11th, 2008 at 12:55 am
My voice sings. It’s quieted down a bit, in pitch and volume, and slowed considerably since leaving America eight years ago. It’s still learning that restraint and thoughtfulness should precede all noise. It knows that filling the world with voices isn’t always necessary, and that silence can be more powerful than words.
July 11th, 2008 at 3:23 am
My voice is laughter, delight, empathy, acceptance. My voice is sorrow, judgement, harsh, controlling. My voice is strong, knows how to read – where to put the spaces. My voice is easy on the ear and is raised in the presence of the hard of hearing. My voice carries to the back of the room. My voice is in my writing.
It took my years for me to find my voice.
July 11th, 2008 at 3:34 am
My voice is encouraging and urgent…I’ve been a cheerleader and salesperson my whole life!
July 11th, 2008 at 3:39 am
My voice is like a hypnotic, low-croon, rhytmic melody that immediately puts people at ease.
July 11th, 2008 at 3:43 am
Brenda-your voice sounds soothing…a nice contrast to my sharp sound bites. I’d like to slow down and have the ability to put people at ease…
July 11th, 2008 at 4:03 am
Julia, you put me at ease this morning by ignoring the fact that I mis-spelled ‘rhythmic’! What’s really funny is that I’ve wished for years that I could speed up a little. Recently, I’ve accepted that my way of speaking is consistent with my style statement: Comfortable Creative. Have you read Style Statement?
July 11th, 2008 at 4:28 am
No, Brenda, tell me more!
July 11th, 2008 at 4:41 am
My voice can be resonant, clear, confident and confidence-inspiring. It can also be bold and certain. It may also be humorous and filled with laughter. It is nearly always genuine, and when it waivers from being genuine, that’s when it loses its resonance, clarity and confidence. So simple, but such an important lesson to learn (and remember!).
July 11th, 2008 at 5:01 am
“Awwww”: That’s the sound of my voice. Compassion. My voice is a cameleon. It matches the person I’m focusing on.
July 11th, 2008 at 5:38 am
My voice lets people know where I am from by my accent. It is quiet and fast. People often have to ask me to repeat myself.
July 11th, 2008 at 6:18 am
My voice sounds like I’ve got something to say. I’m not a talker (except with my Mom), and I usually only speak when I honestly have something to say. I’m the girl at the party who says 3 things all night, but can tell you exactly what each individual group is discussing. I’m always interested.
July 11th, 2008 at 6:19 am
On a good day, it’s the sound of love. Not “nice” love, but real love; deeply caring, honest, painful, insightful, supportive & challenging. And when I’m off, it’s the voice of the preacher, up on her high horse!
July 11th, 2008 at 6:33 am
Joyful enthusiasm!
July 11th, 2008 at 6:37 am
My voice is sometimes silenced by my actions, other than that I talk all day communicating in a fashion that meets the need of my clients or family. My voice has the power to uplight, encourage, and give compasion and confidence when meeting other peoples needs. When it comes to voicing my inner thoughts and needs it whispers or it is silenced with the fear of being weak.
July 11th, 2008 at 6:39 am
Acceptance…understanding…compassion…the voice of a friend.
July 11th, 2008 at 6:45 am
Very soft, gentle and soothing from what I have been told. I do not like the sound of my voice recorded, it sounds so different from the way I think I sound. I was raised in DC, and have a hint of a Southern accent. I have a tendency to monotone, so when conscious of it, I play with inflections.
July 11th, 2008 at 6:51 am
My voice is smooth and sexy. It can become excited, anxious, calming, or breezey. Men are often very attracted to my voice on the telephone. I’ve recorded a few radio commercials and was offered a job at the radio station on the spot. I’ve often been asked if I’ve ever consider becoming a radio personality. I love NPR and imagine what the news would sound like if I were the one informing listeners. I could only do certain kinds of stories though. If I did a segment on the Iraq war, it would sound as though war was seductive and sexual. For the hope of world peace, I’ll stay off the airwaves..
July 11th, 2008 at 7:28 am
My voice is expressive. It hides nothing. It can invite you in or tell you to back the hell up. It is warm and it is strong.
July 11th, 2008 at 7:29 am
(ps it’s so funny having my answer after another Jamie – hi Jamie! – and Nia – hi Nia! – which is a movement practice I teach)
July 11th, 2008 at 7:46 am
My voice is resonant from a lifetime of theater training, and years of living in Manhattan. I have to make sure not to speak too loudly. I always like to speak from my diaphragm, which gives my words weight and power. I have broken up fights on the streets of New York City with my voice. It also has some lilt and softness to it, like a weeping willow tree– strong but flexible and enveloping. It can be harsh and brittle if my spirit feels dried up, but the voice prefers, above all else, to speak poems with nature in them.
July 11th, 2008 at 8:17 am
My voice carries the smile on my face. It commands attention when I speak to a large audience. It comfort and soothes when I am one-on-one. My voice seduces my husband when I am in the ‘mood’. At times, my voice startels my daughter in to listening and paying attention – ecspecially when I say her name and nothingelse.
July 11th, 2008 at 8:27 am
I LOVE these questions!!!
So, my voice strong, but it is often stronger than I feel. Sometimes I am loud when I want to be quiet. I have worked hard at modulation; I want my voice to convey a sense of seriousness, honesty, integrity and sincerity.
How do I do this?
~Ramona
July 11th, 2008 at 9:14 am
I think my voice to other people is full of humour and encouragement–my husband says it’s comforting. Where this breaks down is in the voice I use for myself, it can be pretty negative at times, and it chills me to the bone when I hear it. Again, work in process.
July 11th, 2008 at 9:43 am
I’ve been thinking about voice lately. Interesting timing for me with this question. I notice that I, literally, have a different voice with different people. There is some consistency around it. As I left a message for a friend recently, I hung up thinking “Wow, my voice was so heavy, velvety… visceral in that message.” Then I realized it is often that way with that person. I have noticed since that I am speaking from different places in my body when I talk with different people in my life. I am excited by this realization as it means I can explore how the place from which my voice comes relates to how I feel – and evolve my communications and relationships with that information.
July 11th, 2008 at 9:50 am
I have a strong, confident voice…sometimes forceful and my voice can come off rough/mean because it is kinda deep.
July 11th, 2008 at 9:58 am
When I was three I heard my “voice” on tape. I was not me, it simply could not be me, I could never sound like that (something muddled between my mother’s Northern and my father’s Southern). After a few weeks of impressions of Lawrence Olivier, it was not me.
How I sound has been important to me ever since.
My voice has class and character and reflects my experience. It sounds passionate, interested, honest, carries depth, joy, sadness, excitement, love.
July 11th, 2008 at 10:00 am
My voice often sounds very wispy and low, from the mouth not the throat. Although several weeks ago I had laryngitis – I still had to be at work – one of my clients said I sounded like a 1-900-number . . . he kept calling back and asking what I was wearing! LOL
July 11th, 2008 at 10:02 am
My voices is a big part of my identity, hinting at a tropical upbringing and revealing a certain sense of being an “outsider”.
July 11th, 2008 at 10:06 am
When I am in a good place my voice is gentle and confident but it can easily become squeaky and hesitant if I let myself loose focus and let anxiety take control.
http://www.snickerdoodles.typepad.com
July 11th, 2008 at 10:27 am
I have stuttered since the age of five and although I have my days of utmost frustration, thoughts of all the good points I could have made if I hadn’t let this silly speech impediment slow me down, those thoughts are always overcome by gratitude, by courage and by my compassion for others. I’ve always believed that if I talk like everyone else, no one would listen and those who do, those who have been patient and kind are also the ones who always seem to have something worthwhile to say. When you speak from your heart your voice is your strongest instrument. And when I truly trust myself, the words just seem to flow.
July 11th, 2008 at 10:42 am
So happy your voice found you!
July 11th, 2008 at 10:48 am
i bet you’d really get a lot out of a few singing lessons — uncork and modulate. and check out the resources we put up on our blog today.
xo
D
July 11th, 2008 at 10:50 am
great stuff. this is another great question for everyone, then:, from where in your body is your voice coming?” Very interesting….
“When you’re speaking to…
July 11th, 2008 at 10:51 am
wow. so inspiring. thank you.
keep trusting yourself.
July 11th, 2008 at 11:04 am
Thank you Carrie. I never thought of my voice finding me. Just like love.
July 11th, 2008 at 12:36 pm
I met a lady the other day at my doctor’s – we started talking about the weather, etc., and I realized she was struggling with a bad stutter. But I still found her to be a lovely, ingelligent lady! We carried on a nice conversation and I am richer for it!
July 11th, 2008 at 12:47 pm
my voice talks too much and too fast
i’m trying to learn to breathe more deeply, listen more, and stop filling silence with chatter
July 11th, 2008 at 1:07 pm
My voice is Merlot. It used to be a tightly corked thin red blend. I went to The Canadian National Voice Intensive at UBC. It’s not just for actors. Very cheap, one month solid of body, voice and work with text. Shakespearean. Life changing for me. Worth it.
July 11th, 2008 at 1:11 pm
The sound of my voice is two small whispers. One on the left shoulder that quietly urges me to ‘go ahead and do it.’ And, one on my right shoulder, that says; ‘better not. It’s really not worth it.’ I’m always trying to figure out which one is the being the good voice. When I’m right, my real voice rejoices. When I’m wrong, my real voice cries.
July 11th, 2008 at 1:13 pm
This course sounds amazing, thanks for sharing Lucia!
July 11th, 2008 at 2:53 pm
Oh, heavens. I hear that!
July 11th, 2008 at 3:31 pm
My voice sounds girlish yet authoritative and forceful. It is the method of telling stories, of convincing, or moving people. It can be gentle to the individual and booming to the crowd.
July 11th, 2008 at 4:03 pm
I highly recommend a book by the celebrity vocal coach, Roger Love. He has many, but Love Your Voice sounds like something you could make use of in your own time and addresses speech issues. It’s a quick read with a vocal exercise CD, but you have to practice the techniques. It costs under $20 and is really fun. By the way, your name is fun to say!
July 11th, 2008 at 5:07 pm
My voice is fast and quiet and higher-pitched than I imagine it in my head.
I read somewhere that people who talk slower seem more calm and self confident, and in an effort to project both those traits(and leave intelligible voice mail messages), I’ve been trying to talk slower (especially at work on the phone).
My boyfriend called my work phone the other day, and said he almost didn’t recognize my voice because I was talking slowly. I am amazed that my efforts to talk slower are working (!!) but it leaves me to wonder, should I work to talk more slowly in all situations? How would it change how I am perceived? Would I seem less excited and enthusiastic?
July 11th, 2008 at 10:34 pm
Unfortunately, not as pleasant as I would like it to be. I talk too fast, interrupt others, and don’t listen well. I am in too big a hurry. This is one of the areas of myself that I want to change.
July 12th, 2008 at 5:49 am
My voice carries strength and caring. My voice wants to be heard but knows when to let my ears take over.
July 12th, 2008 at 10:51 am
Julia, You said you have been a cheerleader and salesperson your whole life and have sharp sound bites. Yes, that may be true till now in your life. But for the rest of your life, if you want you can choose to change those sound bites to soft nibbles, gentle sounds to soothe and help others to know you as you really are. Are you using your voice at times to keep others away from really knowing you? You are a wonderful and enthusiastic person to do what you do. Soften it sometimes to let more gentle light shine through your voice. Wait till you see the rewards!
July 12th, 2008 at 1:51 pm
To Enid: Your words have come at a good time. I am 39 years old, single w/o children…I’m in a different place than my contemporaries, and I’ve been feeling so anxious lately…work cannot be all there is in my life! I do want to meet someone and I can’t for the life of me figure out why I’m not attached. I am going to pay more attention to my voice. Maybe I could try some restraint! I am the American Bridget Jones…I am ready for a change but I have no idea what that change is going to be…I must be still to listen to God’s voice…but I am not very good at being still! Work in progress. Thanks, Enid, for your wise words…
July 12th, 2008 at 1:54 pm
I completely understand! Where is the fire? Don’t feel bad…there are many of us fast talker/interupters out there…I think our culture contributes to that…
July 12th, 2008 at 4:05 pm
The voice I hear inside my head is a force of nature that is powerful, strong and confident. Something is lost for me though as the words are turned into sounds. My voice when I speak sounds like something less than it does when the words are in my head. I love your suggestion to work with a voice coach and plan to follow up on it. I am perfectly comfortable speaking in public but for the fact that I just don;t like the sound of my voice. I think this could unlock some great potential for me. By the way, the Dead Can Dance rock my core too! Try Joe Strummer and the Mescaleros singing Mondo Bongo or Incubus singing Aqueous Transmissions.
July 14th, 2008 at 8:47 am
My voice is soothing. It softens and lowers as the sound intensity of the room increases.
July 15th, 2008 at 8:23 am
My voice is warm and happy and bright like a summers night. My voice is comforting and musical, like a light melody. It is holding back a bit though, and sometimes it comes out in tumbles of laughter , especially with my girlfriends. We feel like teenagers again and no doubt sounds like them.It is fun and liberating!
July 15th, 2008 at 11:26 am
My voice is like a thunderous rain. Beautiful, solid, peaceful yet powerful.
August 14th, 2008 at 9:49 am
Passionate, loud, excited to share ideas but has to stop itself from talking overs sometimes when the thoughts spill over into a massive crescendo!!!