Suggestion Box

[RetRN]

The David's cookie rep has a voice I cannot tolerate.

[cheriere]

@CalminHeart    Just off the top of my head, I've heard Kirsten, Courtney, Rachel, Mary Beth and Jane talk about having been broadcast majors.  Rick, Julia, Racheal E. were theatre majors, which more than half the classes consist of public speaking.  These are just the first that came to mind too.  
Even If you into education, public speaking courses are REQUIRED.  

The few QVC thought good enough to hire should surely have good, professional speaking voices at the least.  If not and they thought they might have potential, then it would seem this to be part of their training.  

First and foremost though, voice quality can be weeded out rather quickly...you'd think.  This is something that can take a lot of training to change.

[ajsidney12]

According to an article that I will paraphrase from, and presented by an NYU linguistics professor, vocal fry more or less came on the scene in or around 2011. Blame Paris Hilton and the Kardashians.  They all talk(ed) like that but all have normal voices. Did you hear PH when she was speaking out about her treatment at that school she was sent to? She chooses to keep her voice babytalky and with voice fry, when in real life she has a normal mid tone voice.  Reality shows and youtube, etc. also perpetuated it into the pop culture. The crux of the article was though, every generation changes linguistics either with slang ("dabbing", anyone? Bussin? Sus? 🙄) or the speed at which we speak, etc. I remember when I was a late 80s/90s kid my parents and grandparents stating many times how "fast we talked" and to slow down.  Kids pick up on it and the cycle continues. I find voice fry sounds unintelligent, but that is judgemental and I actually blame those early on reality stars or starlets for the growth of this silly change. CK drops into vocal fry often, as does Alberti, KL (resident "health expert"🤭) Lawless Beauty rep, and a number of others.

Vocal fry though, is different than the pitch or tone. As one noted, the old KitchenAid rep and the new rep are/were excrutiating to listen to and very squeaky/high pitched.  I am in my 40s that original vendor was so unlistenable even when I watched a presentation I muted her.  The tarte rep who is very fair skin with long hair grates on me sometimes too. I find the more mature ones trained in radio and tv broadcast news are far better speakers than some others. If I am really interested in a demo and they are irritating me I just mute it and cc caption it.

[BeckyMaus]

Oh my goodness.... I am so glad I am not the only one feeling that way.... I have to push the MUTE button each time these "quackie" duck voices start torturing my brain and nervous system....