Community Chat

[LTT1]

I have been thinking about this from time to time.

For a few years, now, I have noticed more about how people are perceived based on their voices.

While teaching, I found that the teachers who were received by teens BEST, had soft, strong, slightly high-pitched voices as opposed to gruff voices.

Do you think people's voices affect how they are received?

Curious as to how many people notice this on TV shows, during seminars, on videos, and in real life (one-on-one conversations)?

[LilacTree]

For anyone in the media, I think voices are more important than looks.  A well modulated voice is one I will listen to. 

[Sweetbay magnolia]

Absolutely, yes. 

My ideal would be to sound like Kathleen Turner in "Body Heat".   Perhaps that wouldn't play in the boardroom, though.  Perhaps it would(!).  For those that have the ability to speak vocally, I attribute many assumptions based on what I hear.  I try to speak well and inflect in a situationally appropriate manner.  

[mstyrion 1]

Interesting about the high-pitched voices part . I personally much prefer a lower tone. Always have.  Maybe little children like a high-pitched voice because it remnds them of their own voices and is therefore less intimidating.

[Perkup]

Any time something about voices comes up, I have to say this.  I'm going to be 81 soon, and my parents have been for about 35 years.  For years after they passed, I could still hear their voices in my head, but sadly they are gone now.  What I wouldn't give to have a tape or recording with their voices today!  I hope that anyone who reads this will try to get the voices of loved ones on tape or disc so that you can always have them with you.  I promise you that you'll be so glad you did one day.

[sailor_moon]

Nasally and/or monotone voices sound worse than gruff voices. 

[Suziepeach]

Some of these young women broadcasters voices are like nails over a chalkboard.. scratchy, nasal stuffy and high pitched..  My husband can't turn the tv fast enough.. 

[MyGirlsMom]

Yes, I absolutely do agree peoples voices have a lot to do with how they're received.

[sfnative]

Hi Loves,

Interesting subject.  I was never one to admire a teacher with a soft and/or high pitched voice.  That would drive me up a wall!  A strong, well modulated voice, yes.

I started singing at the age of 4.  This developed into a vast vocal experience, solo and in both large and small groups throughout my life until about 6 years ago.  As you can imagine, this not only developes ones musculature, but also presentation, be it music or speech.  I've been fortunate to also have related "vocal" experiences; e.g. being M.C. for many events.

It wasn't until my DD and I made a mad dash trip to a Carmel, CA, art gallery one early October Saturday to purchase a birthday gift for DH/Dad that a professional assessed my voice - by pure chance.  We arrived at the gallery, which specialized in Walt Disney original cells, plus perhaps 12 cells from another studio.  One of those other cells was of Felix the Cat, a favorite of my husband.  So, we headed right over to where Felix had been hanging the last time we had visited Carmel, hoping that he was still there.  There he was!  So, I turned around looking for one of the two ladies who usually work the gallery, but found an 80ish gentleman approaching me.  He asked us to come over to the desk and have a seat.  Long story short, he was the owner of the gallery, having picked up the cells during his many years with the Disney organization as executive head hunter (can't quite recall the term he used) to find vocal talent for all of the Disney movies.  After his summary was completed, he asked me what I did with my voice because, he said, he heard a great deal in my voice and would I please tell him about my it.   So we talked for 30 minutes or so and I learned a great deal from him.  I cherish that day and wish I could have known him years ago.

[lovinglife]

It does seem that so many voices, many young women are high pitched and have short "listenability".  We often comment..."someone has to listen to that voice everyday!".

Coincidental that this converstion comes up...in the last two days I listened to a show on CBC radio about voices.  The premise is "A voice can be as identifying as a fingerprint, but is it really that important to who we are? In this episode, we explore the value of the voice, and what is lost when it is gone."

One of the segments was about voicemail.  The focus was on saving a voicemail of someone you loved and who has died.  My mother had Bulbar Onset ALS which affects among other things speech and in a short time was using a voice assistive device.  She had a message in her "real" voice on her voicemail which was saved long after her death.  She left a message for me on my voicemail using her assistive device and I saved that until it was destroyed by a glitch with the cellphone company. 

It was bittersweet to listen to her saved "voices".