From the first lusty cry on entering the world, everyone tries to make their voice heard. Yet how much effort, time and thought is given to honing and enhancing this most marvellous of instruments?

“Your voice is one of the most powerful tools you possess. It’s a vital part of your image and an essential communication tool. In business you rely on vocal interaction to sell ideas and make impact,” said Karina Lemmer during her gripping talk to guests at the first Execu-Connect Mini Seminar for 2010, hosted by the RCCI at their Randburg Headquarters.

Karina was her own best advertisement as she examined both the impact of voice in business and provided initial strategies to analyse and enhance the vocal impact people can make. As Coaching Director of the Image Excellence Group, she had her audience enthralled from the moment she opened her mouth.

“Your voice, a very physical thing, can either make or break you yet we pay very little attention to it,” she said. “When you are on the phone for example, with no face, eyes and body language to rely on, your voice, which sends out both a cognitive and an emotional message, is the only means of communication”

From a young age people acquire speech habits by copying parents and friends and cultivating patterns of speech .The good news is, like Eliza Dolittle, “you can change or enhance your speech at any age,” enthused Karina.

“Think of yourselves as a guitar with your vocal chords as the strings and your mouth as the inner cavity of the guitar that gives resonance. Stress affects your voice enormously as involuntary muscles are affected by voluntary muscles which can change your voice tone completely so the first thing you have to do is learn to r- e- l- a- x. Straighten yourself up, expand your chest and breathe,” she demonstrated to the rapt gathering.

“Optimal breath means optimal voice. Your voice will change if you hunch up and point your chin down, to the voice you get when you point your chin up. Put someone in a group who is breathing calmly and deeply and the group will relax. Put someone in panting and gasping and everyone will tense up.”

Some fascinating facts emerged. English speakers speak from the front of their mouths. The Afrikaans language comes from a bit further back and these patterns differ between the 17 dialects found in the Cape alone! Speech from some black tribes comes from way back in the throat.

“The bigger the mouth cavity the better the voice resonance,” affirmed Karina. “This is why, in general, with smaller bone structure, the voices of Chinese and Japanese people are higher. Your tongue and cheek muscles are the strongest ones you have ,” she added as she rolled out good tips and advice. “The more forward you can get your voice the better the sound. It gives your voice tone and that is what people respond to. Find a good tone. Play with it, modulate your voice.

Change your tone, pitch and volume to convey your message. A good speaker pauses after each individual idea. Speaking faster does not work. Focus on emphasis. Listen to the people around you as well to pick up information and hidden nuances.”

After getting everyone to do relaxing exercises and deep breathing to open chests, relax tense muscles and lift chins, Karina moved on to graphically demonstrate voice patterns.

As volunteers recited numbers into the microphone, Karina was able to show everyone the difference in each vocal pattern via coloured electronic graphs thrown up on the screen.

“Embrace your voice. It is unique. Second to your face it is your most important tool,” said Karina as she rounded off her tip-top talk.

Article written for Randburg Chamber of Commerce, South Africa.