But you can still have powerful, effective telephone conversations. Understanding how important your voice is in getting your message across is the first step in developing a voice that gets you heard. Your goal is to develop a voice that will pull people in rather than push them away.

To develop a voice that is loud enough to be heard, clear enough to be understood, and expressive enough to be interesting, try these tips:

• Speak from your diaphragm, not your throat. This increases your ability to project your voice without sounding like you are yelling, and allows you to speak in a voice that sounds powerful and strong, not thin and wimpy. To confirm that you are speaking from your diaphragm, place your hand on your stomach; it should move out when you inhale and in when you exhale.

• Speak at your optimum pitch level. Your voice will function more dynamically and effectively, and be more convincing, believable and pleasing to the ear. To find your optimum pitch level, close your lips and say “umm-hum” spontaneously and sincerely.

• Clearly enunciate your words. When you do, people appreciate the clarity of your speech. Careless diction reduces your authority and can result in misunderstandings. The most noticeable errors are allowing “ing” endings to sound like “in,” dropping syllables, and dropping “t” and “d” endings. Sometimes the fault lies with regional dialects; other times, it’s simply a habit. Make your tongue, lips and mouth work with every word. Practice by saying the following phrases, focusing on speaking clearly and pronouncing all the sounds in each word:
Lips, teeth, tip of the tongue
Linoleum, aluminum
Twenty-two dwarfs took turns doing handstands on the carpet

• Use your voice to bring life to your words. A monotone voice will bore your listener. People will find it easier and more interesting to listen to you when you speak with “pizzazz.” Record yourself speaking spontaneously on a topic you really care about, then practice to add that sense of liveliness to other conversations. And if you cringe at what your voice sounds like, don’t just refuse to listen—work on changes to make it more pleasant.

• Persuade with emphasis. Emphasis relates to the prominence given to a word or phrase; by emphasizing key words and phrases, you can completely change the meaning of your message. Use volume, pitch, and inflection to give words their proper emphasis.

• Speak with a level of loudness that matches your message. Talking too loudly suggests you are aggressive and domineering; too softly suggests that you are timid, shy and uncommitted. Raising and lowering your volume appropriately brings variety to your speaking voice and adds impact to what you are saying.

• Speak at a rate of speed that matches your message. Speaking too fast may make it difficult for you to be understood; speaking too slowly could suggest you are unsure of your information or have little enthusiasm for what you are talking about. A good, all-purpose speaking rate is 140-160 words per minute. If you tend to speak faster and are having difficulty slowing down, pause more frequently to allow the listener time to process what you are saying.

To specifically enhance your telephone voice, avoid wedging the phone between your shoulder and chin; the awkward, uncomfortable posture will reflect in your voice. Instead, use quality headsets. And even though the other person can’t see you, smile—your facial expressions will reflect in your voice.

Finally, you may be surprised to know that sipping a beverage just before speaking can affect your voice. Products containing caffeine, alcohol, or starches produce mucous which accumulates on the vocal chords and may cause you to engage in excessive throat-clearing and coughing. Excessive mucous stresses the vocal mechanism and has a negative effect on your voice.

To periodically check to see how you sound, take advantage of the proliferation of voice mail systems that allow you to listen to a message you have left. Do that regularly to reinforce your voice development efforts.

Jacquelyn Lynn is a business writer and speaker, and the author of The Entrepreneur’s Almanac.