In communication, the second in command after body language is voice tone. The voice conveys our words in verbal communication, but it’s the voice tone carrying those words that makes the impact. 

Let’s see how this works. 

Emotional undertones

Humans are not robots. This means we’re better suited to process (and remember) feelings than facts. 

Voice tone is particularly good at conveying feeling. For example, if you listen to people speaking in a language you don’t understand, you’ll still be able to tell what they are feeling. 

This emotional undertone is the glue that makes words stick in our minds.  Without it, very little of the message will be retained. 

Not always a good thing

If you want your message to be well received, your voice tone should carry positive emotional undertones.

Negative undertones like anger, anxiety, frustration, or boredom will often hurt more than they help by putting your listener into a defensive or distracted state. 

Awareness of the importance of voice tone can also help you manage your own emotions during a conversation.

For example, focussing on producing a calm and relaxed tone of voice helps me control my stuttering problem. Stuttering comes from a place of fear and is simply incompatible with a calm and confident voice tone. 

This can be applied to any negative emotion you might experience during a conversation. Just focus on producing a voice tone that is completely incompatible with the negative emotion you’re experiencing and watch what happens in your mind. 

Deep and engaging

In general, deeper voice tones resonating from the chest are better received than higher tones resonating in the mouth or nasal cavities. 

That doesn’t mean that people with a naturally high voice cannot communicate effectively. It just means that speaking in the lower registers of your natural voice is a good idea. 

But don’t just emit a monotone low drone. To achieve engagement, there needs to be plenty of life in your voice. Luckily, this happens naturally whenever you can call on some positive emotions to carry your words. 

Practice makes perfect

Voice tone is deeply habitual. You cannot just decide to instantly control negative emotions with your tone or to always speak in a deep and engaging voice. 

Achieving the ideal voice tone in all situations requires plenty of repetition. 

For example, I practice reading out loud in my morning reading sessions. Aside from helping me build a better speaking voice, it also increases information retention.

Try recording yourself on your phone during a number of different conversations, especially when you’re under some pressure.

If you don’t like what you hear, putting in a bit of work on improving your voice tone could be a very smart move 🙂