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Entity reports on how a woman's tone and pitch in her voice affects other people's perceptions.

Your voice is part of your identity. Able to change at a moment’s notice, your voice reflects the audience you are addressing and how comfortable you feel in a certain group. Your pitch and tone reflect who you are and what you stand for at any given moment.

But did you know that men and women’s perceptions of you can change based on how you sound? What if you could control your voice and therefore control how people react to you?

If you’re curious about four common vocal issues and how they influence your listeners’ perceptions of you, then read on!

1 Vocal Fry

You may be asking yourself: “What the heck is vocal fry? And is it as tasty as sweet potato fries?” Chances are you’ve heard a vocal fry before but never really knew the term. You might even be guilty of it yourself.

Vocal fry is pretty much what it sounds like: it’s that grizzled sound that comes from the bottom of your throat when you want to put in the minimal effort or you’re just too tired to care. Think of the Kardashians or the voice you wake up with in the morning.

Unfortunately, young women seem to be the most susceptible to vocal fry critics, as it can sound lazy or immature in a business setting. One study has shown that women who use vocal fry are damaging their job prospects and are less likely to be hired by potential employers. (So business women, get your voice out of the fryer!)

2 High-Pitched

Much like vocal fry, high-pitched voices also get a bad rap. If you have a high-pitched voice, people may assume that you have an immature or less authoritative character.

And, once again, women’s voices are often the most criticized, especially if they are high-pitched. Studies have proven that men and women with deeper voices seem to convey more confidence and authority. As a result, their leadership abilities are trusted more than those with higher voices.

Hillary Clinton, for example, has been criticized in the media for her voice and its tendency to get higher and louder the more passionate she gets. In fact, the shrill quality in her voice tends to put men and women off.

In order to project an aura of authority and confidence, consider lowering the pitch of your voice – or at least not letting it get into Minnie Mouse territory.

3 Monotone

Monotone voices have the opposite problem of high-pitched voices – they lack any variation in tone or quality. As a result, voices that are monotone or flat can project that you don’t care or aren’t paying attention.  Think of that incredibly boring teacher you had in high school. Chances are that he or she spoke in monotone with very little variation in his or her voice.

This can be a major problem for men and women who rely on their voice for public speaking or for people trying to make a particular argument. To avoid boring listeners, try to remember to switch up your patterns of speech and inflect when necessary. Your audience will thank you!

4 Upspeak

Upspeak is similar to high-pitched voices in that it uses the upper register of your voice. To put it simply, upspeak is the tendency to raise the pitch of your voice at the end of a sentence regardless of whether or not its a question.

An article from Business Insider claims that people who use upspeak may be seen as less confident, since their sentences often sound more like questions than declarative statements. More often attributed to women than men, upspeak is viewed as a negative trait that can damage career prospects or promotions.

What can you do if you struggle with any of these issues? According to Forbes, “If your voice prevents people from perceiving your ability to get things done, organize resources and lead others, then it becomes an issue.” Whether or not you change your voice, it is important to remember that how you sound will make a difference both inside and outside the workplace.

Edited by Casey Cromwell
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