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“She was highly impressive until she opened her mouth”, is often the final verdict. Many attractive girls overlook that voice is as much their shop-window as appearance, skills, qualifications and other points. Voice reveals the kind of person you are, easy or difficult to deal with. Cheerful or morose, considerate, kind or callous. Combined with the facial expression, it reveals if you like people, dislike them, are interested in things around you, or are bored stiff. Yawning, along with a drawling voice while answering questions, seals your fate. A good voice is an asset. It attracts and sends out musical notes. A bad, grating voice sends out unmusical, strident, repelling notes. It dispels. In any sphere of life, you feel confident if you know that your voice is commending you! I had an altercation with a bank official because of his rudeness and negligence. His strident voice added to my irritation. His colleague, Ms Sneh, a soft-spoken woman, intervened and my temper cooled. A note of pleasantness lubricates human relationships at all levels. It improves chances of smooth, satisfying relationship in all walks of activity. Many young ladies facing tough interviews know not that what finally turned the scale in their favour was their sweet, soft voice. A pleasant voice enhances your prestige, opens many closed doors and puts you ahead of rivals and competitors. Have you pondered how your voice sounds? Is it pleasant, attractive or unpleasant and unattractive? You may be unaware of it, but others find it grating, anaemic or irritating? W.S. Mathias, in ‘Speak Your Way to Success’, says, “It would be fair to say that an attractive, interesting, and colourful voice is a pleasure to listen to and a great aid towards a colourful and interesting personality. Difficult, tricky questions are asked in any interview. You react. Emotions play a role. When you are angry your voice becomes strident, harsh and you raise the pitch. Your future employer raises eyebrows! Positive emotions sweeten the voice. Negative ones tend to do the opposite. Watch out, especially in an interview. Mood means state of your mind at a given moment of time. It determines the tone and quality of voice. A depressed girl speaks in a low, weak voice. Depression drips from her voice. Pep up before you face an interview. Havellock Ellis in ‘Psychology of Sex’, says, “Sooner or later the confirmed pessimist is going to have a moaning or whining voice, the confirmed cynic a cold, toneless, sneering one.” By the same logic, optimism, kindness and empathy will flow from the voice. Your voice is like a wind instrument. It needs a steady stream of air passing through it before there is any sound. This means good breathing. Mind your articulation. It means attention to every syllable, especially the first and the last. Otherwise you mess up or slur. Marjorie Heller, an expert, says, “If I were asked for one broad rule for clear speech, I would say — concentrate on word ends. Take care of the finals and the initials will take care of themselves!” You must have noticed that the one who lets out a Niagra of words is shunned or called a chatter-box. Some news readers on radio and television belong to this category. You switch off or turn over. When emphasis is needed, go slow. As a pattern, try to have excursions in various forms. Pauses are essential. They make speech intelligible. Pauses lend weight and meaning to what has gone before or has to come later. Listeners get time to comprehend. Best places to pause are between clauses, complete phrases, quote marks and full sentences. Punctuation marks are also good speed-breakers. Linger a while longer on your significant expression. Let it sink in your listener’s mind. Avoid affectation. An artificial “posh” speech gets sneers, not smiles!
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Your voice is your own musical box. It plays a vital role in an interview. If it is screeching like a piece of hard chalk on a blackboard, your chances begin to creak. If it is smooth and sweet, you win the nod. Voice, as a part of a polished personality, is often overlooked, especially by girls. Mostly, they prefer to chew gum, than the cud!
