Voice Confident's Triple Take - your fortnightly trio of tips!
We're looking at neck stretches to free up the voice, why the way the brain listens should change the way you talk, and how to develop executive presence.
Voice: neck stretches to free the voice
We hold a lot of tension in our neck, tongue and jaw and this can make a big difference to our vocal tone and our ability to articulate clearly and to vary our tone and pitch.
Stretching out these areas is really important before any sort of sustained voice use.
You may be familiar with neck stretches from yoga or pilates – anything that stretches the muscles in the neck will help. Always do balanced stretches, so if you stretch one side, stretch the other.
My go-to neck stretches include:
Ear to shoulder
Turn to look over your shoulder (without tilting, lead with the chin)
Nose to chest (and if you stretch the eyes down into the chest too (so you can see your cheeks!) you send a bonus relaxation message to the brain)
Upward pout (tilt head back, let your mouth open; then move lower jaw up into a lip pout (you feel the stretch down the front of your neck; make sure you release this gently before repeating, don’t snap it!)
Shoulders to ears (hold as high as you can) then roll shoulders back and down (feels like trying to tuck your shoulders blades into your back pockets)
In this shoulder position - chin tucks (with head straight, bring the chin back in a straight line (give yourself a double chin!)
Presence: why the way the brain listens should change the way you talk
We process language faster than we can speak it.
We speak typically at 125-150 words per minute but we process language at 400-800 words per minute. This is why multi-tasking is possible – we can be having a conversation with someone while also watching television, or read an email while talking to someone on the phone. But it also is one of the reasons why people only typically remember a quarter to a half of what they hear someone say, because we are easily distracted by other words we see or hear - and even by our own verbalised thoughts!
If we want to be memorable, or if we want our messaging to be remembered, in our pitches, presentations and conversations, we need to:
Repeat key information several times
Make our content and conversation relevant to them, not just us, for engagement
Use vocal variety and body language that keeps the listener’s brain interested and doesn’t allow them to ‘zone out’
Show interest in the other and make eye contact – this creates a bond which means the other person will subconsciously give you more of their attention
Appeal to emotions – via wonder, delight, fun, family, common experiences – this engages the limbic area of the brain as well as the cognitive so stronger memories are made.
Confidence: how to develop executive presence
We can all think of someone who seems to have natural charisma, presence, gravitas, confidence. I’m a firm believer that presence is something that can be learned and developed over time, as well as growing naturally over the years as we learn from those around us.
When I work with people on their executive presence, we are looking mainly at the voice, posture, gestures, actions and behaviours that represent their purpose and values and allow them to ‘be themselves’ in their relationships, meetings, negotiations and presentations. We also work on nervous system regulation for confidence and calm in all situations. And we work in the context of the following overview of executive presence:
Authentic Presence – do you have
A growth mindset? (keen to learn and develop)
Self-awareness? (understand how you come across)
Purpose? (know what you want and where you’re going)
A set of values? (that you will always stick to)
Professional Presence – are you
Competent? (do your job well)
Confident? (able to be yourself with others)
Reliable? (do what you say you will do)
Societal Presence – do you
Build trust? (create strong relationships)
Collaborate? (work productively with others)
Genuinely care about how others are feeling and what they achieve?
Leadership Presence – can you
Inspire? (persuade, influence, motivate)
Engage your team? (bring them with you)
Communicate with clarity and influence?
It isn’t hierarchical, and we develop different aspects of ourselves at different times, but it’s a useful self-evaluation to start at the top and work through; my clients find that in considering this list, areas for development naturally emerge and they are able to design goals accordingly.