I get a lot of compliments on my voice. People tell me it sounds warm and inviting, authoritative but not imposing. They say I have a voice for radio (hopefully that doesn’t mean I have a face for radio, too). As a matter of fact, I used to host a couple of radio shows in college. So, I suppose I have some advice to offer about how to make your voice sound better.
Funnily enough, I can’t stand the sound of my own voice. I cringe every time I hear a recording of it. I wonder if even people like Viola Davis or Sam Elliott feel the same way about the million-dollar-worthy sounds that come out of their mouths. After all, humans seem to have a natural inclination to dislike our own voices.
There lies the first step to making your voice sound better: remember that it doesn’t sound as bad as you think. You’re the harshest critic of your own voice. Other people almost certainly like it more than you do, assuming they think about it at all (which they probably don’t).
But maybe acceptance doesn’t cut it for you. Maybe you want to polish those pipes and make your voice more attractive, more commanding, more persuasive. Maybe you lead tons of meetings, give lots of presentations, need to record professional-sounding voiceovers, or find yourself in conversations thinking, I wish this person was paying more attention to me.
Whatever the case, you’re here to learn how to make your voice sound better. And as a virtual receptionist company—a team of vocal experts who converse, comfort, and convince all day—we here at Ruby are happy to help.
You can make your voice sound better by simply slowing down, getting to know your voice, and practicing. It’s easier than you think! So let’s get to it.
Table of Contents
Why does the sound of your voice matter?
Your voice is like your physical appearance or, um, your odor: it’s intrinsic to other people’s immediate sensory perceptions of you. It’s a core element of who you are and how others experience your existence. Before people hear what you say, they hear how you say it.
And your voice might not just be a reflection of you. If you run a business, your voice is your business’s voice. It’s the voice people hear when they call your company, or the voice your team members may emulate when representing your brand.
As the leader of your business, you use your voice to:
- Make decisions
- Convert callers into buyers
- Create trust with existing and potential customers or clients
- Negotiate
- Communicate expectations
- Provide feedback
- Exude positive energy
- Teach others
…And so much more.
In short, the quality of your voice helps you communicate more effectively. No surprise there. But unfortunately, we’re not all born with the same vocal faculties. While some people possess powerful speaking voices with little training, others need to learn, practice, and overcome ingrained speaking habits to get there.
Developing a "business voice"
Let’s look at some examples of why your voice might matter. If you engage in public speaking events, interviews, videos, or podcasts, for instance, your voice quality is especially important to the success of your marketing, sales, and awareness efforts. It’s one reason many business leaders develop a business voice (not a brand voice, although the two can be related)—a different voice than the one they use at home.
Here are a few more reasons why you might want your voice to sound different in a business setting:
- Sound more professional.
- Protect your vocal cords (if you do a lot of talking).
- Project your voice better in meetings and presentations.
- Attract attention.
- Exude confidence.
- Be heard more clearly.
So, how do you develop that voice?
Before we jump into tips and tricks for improving your voice, remember that what makes for a good voice is truly, truly subjective. Everyone’s voice is different. Your speaking voice is your voice. So before we dive into some tips – which are meant to help you feel proud of that voice, own it, and make the most of it – let’s look at what makes your voice uniquely yours.
Components of voice quality
No two people are exactly the same, right? Well, that goes for voices too. Like the ingredients in a recipe influence the taste and texture, the components of your voice combine to shape the overall quality of your voice and how effectively you communicate. So, improving your voice starts with understanding how these elements influence how it sounds.
Pitch
Do Re Mi Fa So La Ti Do… Did you change your pitch when you read that sentence? Pitch refers to the highness or lowness of your voice. Pitch is important because it can convey whether you are calm and professional, while a dynamic range of pitch can keep conversations engaging and prevent monotony.
For example, imagine the different ways you could say “Can I help you?” If you raise your pitch, it sounds more inviting, right? On the other hand, a low pitch can convey calm authority, like when giving directions: “Please take your seats.”
Pitch variation
You probably add variation to your pitch without even realizing it. It’s often strategic, such as raising it to emphasize key points or lowering it for serious moments. Altering your pitch helps prevent your speech from becoming monotonous and keeps your audience engaged to grab their attention while conveying emotions effectively.
Take an elementary school teacher reading to their class. When narrating a surprise, their voice might rise: “And then, out of nowhere… a huge thunderclap!” followed by a lower pitch for suspense: “Everything went silent.” It’s a natural way to add excitement or seriousness to stay compelling.
Timbre
Like the color of your eyes or hair, your timbre is the “color” or texture of your voice, which is what gives it its unique quality. Think of Morgan Freeman’s smooth, rich voice versus a more nasal tone like Steve Buscemi’s. For customer service, a voice with a warm timbre feels welcoming, making phrases like, “I’m happy to assist you!” more pleasant.
Volume
Shh, it’s time to use inside voices… Volume plays a significant role in making your voice heard without being overwhelming. For instance, speaking too softly can make you seem unsure while speaking too loudly can be almost aggressive. Adjusting your volume based on your environment and audience can help you be approachable, ensure clarity, and establish a solid presence.
Pace
The speed at which you speak, or your pace, can affect how well you’re understood. Speaking too fast can overwhelm your listeners and reduce clarity while speaking too slowly can come across as dull or disengaging. Think about when someone rattles off instructions to you like—”Click this, then that, then submit!”— it’s confusing, right? Slowing down during an important point ensures that whoever you are talking to can easily follow along, understand your points, and stay engaged.
Intonation
Intonation refers to the rise and fall of your voice as you speak. It can add a musical quality to your speech, making it more engaging. Effective intonation can signal questions, excitement, or the conclusion of a point, giving structure to your communication.
For example, when ending a question like “Are you ready?” raising your intonation signals curiosity. On the other hand, a falling intonation on “I’ll handle it from here” communicates finality and confidence.
Tone
Your tone reflects your emotional state. A gentle, positive tone when saying, “Great job today!” boosts morale, while a firm tone on “We need to discuss your performance” can help convey seriousness without being harsh. Get the gist? Whether you want to sound authoritative, friendly, empathetic, or assertive, your tone should match the content of your message. An inconsistent or inappropriate tone can lead to misunderstandings, while a well-matched tone helps build trust and engagement with your audience.
Enunciation
E-nun-ci-at-ion is about how clearly you pronounce words. Good enunciation helps you make sure your message is understood, whereas slurred or mumbled speech can make you seem unprepared or lacking confidence. Practicing enunciation, especially with difficult words or phrases, helps you speak more confidently and seem more professional!
Clarity
Clarity ties together all the components of voice quality. A clear voice is free of distractions like excessive filler words, awkward pauses, or unclear articulation, making sure your message is heard and understood. Alright, enough preamble. Here are some practical ways to make your voice sound better:
Tips for making your voice sound better
1. Improve your voice by listening to recordings of yourself.
Again, keep in mind that it’s normal to dislike the sound of your own voice. The way a voice sounds in the speaker’s ear is always different from the way a recording picks up that voice—it’s just a consequence of biology.
To improve the sound of your voice, you’ll need to face the displeasure head-on and listen to a recording (or several) of yourself. What you’ll hear will likely surprise or upset you. You might grimace and feel the need to turn off the recording.
Don’t turn it off. Keep listening. Listen all the way through. Then listen to it again. And again. Play it until you get used to it, until you can lip-sync to yourself.
We’re talking about exposure therapy, and it’s the only way to get over the aversion of listening to your own voice—which is the first step to understanding, and thereby improving, your voice. (It helps to keep your mind occupied while you do this, so you’re not focusing entirely on how uncomfortable you feel. Talk a walk, clean your bathroom, or scroll through Insta.)
I have personal experience here. I’ve had to record voiceovers for videos and then listen to those recordings for hours as I edited the videos together. Many content creators have dealt with the same agony. It’s a trial by pitchy, awkward, voice-cracking fire, but after the first few listening rounds, you get used to it. And that’s when you can start hearing your voice from a more objective position.
2. Note what you do and don’t like about your voice.
Once you’re used to the sound of your own voice, start thinking about what you do well and where you feel you could improve.
Take note of your tone and delivery. What emotions does your voice convey? How understandable are you?
A few qualities to listen for when listening to your voice:
- Your enunciation: Do you finish all of your words and pronounce all of your letter sounds?
- Your speaking tempo: Do you talk too fast or too slow?
- What happens when you try to project your voice: Does your voice falter or suddenly transition to a higher or lower vocal register? This could be a sign you’re not using the right muscles to speak, and you should practice speaking from your diaphragm.
- Your auditory tone: Is your voice high, low, or in the middle? Does it change and fluctuate as you speak? Is it even, all over the place, or—dare I say—monotone?
- Your emotional tone: Does the pitch of your voice match the content of your words? Does it seem authentic? Do you sound friendly, cheery, and upbeat? How about fearful and unsure? Or angry, or overconfident, or sarcastic?
Also try playing the recording at different speeds, such as 1.25x and 0.75x, and evaluate whether the same tone and vocal phenomena come through. Play it quietly and loudly. The most effective voices are comprehensible and emotionally resonant at different speeds and volumes.
3. Slow down and speak deliberately.
Many of us—particularly those of us sensitive about our voices—tend to speak too quickly. But this only makes us feel more self-conscious and makes it tougher for others to understand what we’re saying and truly engage with us.
If you’re not sure if you talk too fast, pay attention to other people’s reactions. If people ask you to repeat yourself often, you might need to slow down.
In any case, anyone who wants to make their voice sound better can improve by practicing speaking slower. Slowing down helps you breathe deeply, enunciate, and more thoughtfully consider what you’re trying to say.
Note that “slow” doesn’t mean plodding and tedious, t a l k i n g l i k e t h i s or liiiike thiiiiiisss. Think of it as talking deliberately, using the sound and rhythm of language to communicate better.
One powerful—and fun—way to practice enunciation and modulation is to learn a hip-hop verse and rap along to it. (I like the old-school jams, myself.) You’ll find that a typical verse is carefully constructed and delivered—it forces you to use all of your mouth muscles and enunciate every word and letter sound.
Try taking these two lines for a spin—go ahead, say them out loud:
Feels a little like a workout, doesn’t it? Like any form of exercise, it can be hard at first, but eventually, you’ll build up endurance and deliberate speaking will come automatically, especially in professional contexts.
4. Drink water.
As if you needed another reason to hydrate, water keeps your throat and vocal cords nice and lubricated. That means a smoother sound and easier speaking experience. Make sure to eat well and keep your electrolytes up, too, for maximum endurance. Talking takes energy!
5. Be mindful of your body.
Your voice comes from your entire body, not just your mouth or throat. I’m talking about your diaphragm, your stomach, your spine, your nose, and—perhaps most importantly—your brain. Be mindful of your posture, breathing, eating habits, and emotional state, because all of these factors influence how your voice sounds.
To optimize the sound of your voice using your body, do the following:
- Breathe from your diaphragm. Breathing deeply while speaking can help protect your vocal cords from strain and have a richer, more consistent tone. An easy way to get in the habit of breathing from your diaphragm is to practice filling your belly with air instead of your chest or nose. The trick is to try not to move your chest muscles too much while breathing.
- Sit or stand up straight. Poor posture affects your voice in many ways, such as putting strain on your larynx and throat muscles, constricting your jaw, and causing breathing difficulties that reduce your vocal endurance. Engaging your core, extending your neck, and relaxing your shoulders can fix posture-related speaking problems, and make you feel (and sound) more confident.
- Think about what you ingest. What you eat, drink, and breathe in matters. Smoking can negatively affect your voice, and believe it or not, so can digestive problems, like acid reflux. According to WebMD: “Stomach acid can irritate your vocal cords, throat, and esophagus. This leads to a hoarse voice, wheezing, and too much mucus in your throat.”
Record yourself speaking normally (“Hi, my name is…”), then record yourself saying the same words with a big smile (think 😃 big, not 🤡 big) on your face. Listen to the recordings back-to-back. Notice anything? Your smile comes through in how your voice sounds!
Remember – you have to use muscles to speak, and exerting those muscles too hard can lead to injuries. So, take breaks and don’t overdo it.
6. Listen carefully to other voices you like.
Where better to get some inspiration for your business voice than listening to your favorite voices?
Podcasts, books on tape, and even TikTok are great ways to hear and learn from people using their professional voices. Listen to how Phoebe Judge says, “This is Criminal,” or how an audiobook narrator says, “Call me Ishmael.” People stretch, twist, clip, raise, and lower their voices, often in unexpected ways.
Music is packed with examples, too. You probably can’t match Freddie Mercury’s vocal chops (and if you can, you really don’t need to read this article), but listen to his choices, like when he decides to belt versus when he sings softly and intimately. That kind of control is a skill anyone can practice and master—to varying degrees.
Try mimicking the voices you like. Work on an impression or two—push your voice to take on a tone, volume, or accent you normally wouldn’t use. Have fun with it. You’ll start adding new devices to your vocal tool belt.
7. Invest in high-quality equipment.
The equipment you use to make your voice heard makes a serious difference. From your phone to your laptop mic, the devices picking up your voice can vary significantly in terms of quality.
If you have a lot of video chats, phone calls, or record yourself for social media, having high-quality equipment will make your voice sound better to your customers. Spending a bit of extra money on audio equipment for your business will help you project the most professional voice possible.
If you spend a lot of time on the road, make sure you have a working cell phone and earbuds (or headset) with a decent microphone, so nobody misses anything you say during your calls.
8. Warm up your mouth and vocal cords.
Professional actors and vocal artists practice those silly phrases for a reason. Warm-ups are an essential step in speaking well and sounding good. You spend hours preparing for an important meeting or presentation, so don’t let a tired, squeaky voice ruin the show.
Give yourself a few minutes to warm up your voice and improve your vocal quality before your appointment. Singing in the car on your way to work is a great vocal warm-up and also reduces those pre-meeting jitters. And don’t forget to remind yourself of all the voice tips you’ve been practicing.
9. Practice your timing.
A lot is going on in your head during a public speaking event. Adding pauses to what you’re saying, or wait time, can help you and your listeners, whether you’re in a small five-person meeting or presenting to a larger group. Pausing between ideas can slow down your train of thought and help others process what you’re saying.
Well-placed breaks can also help you add to your presentation. Pausing in the middle of a sentence can emphasize what you are about to say by grabbing people’s attention. During your practice sessions, play around with pauses and see how it feels. Just be sure not to wait too long. Overusing any of these techniques might make you sound robotic or inauthentic.
10. Ask for help and feedback.
If you’re struggling with speaking or want to improve your voice, there is nothing wrong with enlisting the help of a voice coach. Just because you aren’t a paid actor or singer doesn’t mean you can’t benefit from training.
A voice coach can give you actionable tips and practice sessions to help you create the perfect business voice. And who knows, those lessons could also give you an edge the next time you join your friends for karaoke night.
Speaking of friends, your friends and family are also great resources you can turn to when creating your business voice. If you have any teachers or parents in your inner circle, ask them how they developed their “teacher voice” or “parent voice.” You might be surprised to find that teachers and parents both work to create a voice that gives them authority and allows them to project without yelling. Don’t be afraid to ask people for feedback, as well!
11. Improve your breathing.
Place one hand on your belly, inhale deeply through your nose, and feel your abdomen rise. Good voice quality begins with diaphragmatic breathing, which helps you maintain stamina and project. Public speakers like Barack Obama use this technique to speak for long periods without straining their vocal cords. This allows you to speak more powerfully during presentations while keeping you calm and in control.
12. Exercise your mouth and jaw.
Just like an athlete warms up their muscles, your mouth and jaw need to be flexible for clear speech. Famous actors like Meryl Streep use mouth exercises, like lip trills and jaw stretches, to ensure every word is crisp and clear. Try exaggerated chewing motions or repeating tongue twisters before a big meeting to loosen up these muscles and improve your enunciation.
13. Take a public speaking class.
Okay, let’s be real, does anyone actually like public speaking? I highly doubt the average person looks forward to presenting in front of a big group of people.But, if you’re brave enough, public speaking classes can be invaluable for refining your voice. These courses offer personalized feedback and tips on projection and pacing. Whether you’re presenting to a large audience or leading a small team meeting, such classes boost your confidence and ensure you communicate effectively.
14. Keep practicing & evaluating.
Your voice won’t change overnight. Improving your voice requires consistent practice and self-evaluation. Record yourself, play it back, identify areas for improvement, and repeat. You can also use voice analysis apps to track your progress and help you adjust your pitch, clarity, and tone for maximum impact. The more you evaluate yourself, the more confident and compelling your voice will become!
15. Be kind to yourself.
This is the most important step. You can spend hours honing your voice, but you can’t completely change who you are or what you sound like. Nor should you. Your voice is part of what makes you, you.
Remind yourself that you’re worthy of love. Your voice, however “imperfect,” is beautiful. Try to let go of your insecurities and step into your voice from a place of kindness and curiosity.
Keep in mind that you’re not trying to change your speaking voice completely. Instead, think of it as improving your natural voice to help you communicate more effectively. The bottom line here is you are looking for a way to communicate better and be heard more clearly in a business context. Fortunately, you don’t need the speaking voice of James Earl Jones or Meryl Streep to accomplish that.
After you’ve spotted some ways to improve your voice, don’t forget to hit record again after practicing. Hearing your voice improve can really give your self-confidence a nice boost.
Finally, remember that at the end of the day, people don’t really care what you sound like—but they do care about being heard.
8 Tools to measure & test voice quality
Beyond our tips, if you want to look into some technology options, there are several testing and measurement tools that can help you enhance pitch, volume, or clarity. Lets just look at a few:
1. Voice analyzer apps
There’s an app for everything, including your voice! Apps like Vox Tools and SingScope let you record your voice and visualize pitch, volume, and tone through graphs. They offer real-time feedback to fine-tune your speaking skills.
2. Microphone & recording software
Remember that high-quality equipment is no joke. Programs like Audacity or GarageBand help you record and adjust your voice by analyzing volume and noise levels. You can also use their advanced features for clarity tweaks in different environments
3. Spectrograms
Tools like Praat create a visual frequency map of your voice, helping you track pitch consistency and resonance over time.
4. Decibel meters
Simply put, these measure the volume of your voice. You can use apps like SPLnFFT to check if you’re speaking loud enough in different environments, such as meetings or presentations.
5. Voice analyzer apps
If you didn’t know, there are mobile apps like Vox Tools and SingScope that allow you to record your voice and analyze pitch, volume, and tone. They often come with visual aids, such as graphs and charts, that help you see where your voice might fluctuate or need improvement such as when practicing for presentations or public speaking engagements.
6. Microphone & recording software
Remember that high-quality equipment is no joke. The right microphone paired with software like Audacity or GarageBand can help you record and analyze your voice with precision and monitor elements like volume peaks, breath control, and background noise. For those that are more tech savvy, Audacity also offers advanced features like noise reduction and equalization, so you can tweak your recordings to get a clearer idea of how your voice sounds in different environments.
7. Spectrograms
A spectrogram is just a visual image of your voice frequency. Free online tools like Praat allow you to view and analyze your voice in this format. For example, Praat lets you observe how consistently you hit a specific pitch or where you might falter. This tool is especially useful for tracking subtle changes over multiple recording sessions.
8. Decibel meters
Simply put, these measure the volume of your voice. Tools like SPLnFFT can gauge whether you’re projecting your voice adequately in different spaces, from small meeting rooms to larger venues. For instance, if you tend to speak too softly during online meetings, a decibel meter can help you adjust your volume to ensure everyone hears you clearly.
Whether or not you choose to use these tools, you’re on the right path to your ideal voice. Whether you’re aiming for better pitch control, clearer enunciation, or more engaging speech, these resources will guide you on the path to vocal improvement. And hey, who knows, with all this practice, you might have the potential to become the next famous voice actor or the voice behind your favorite cartoon characters. You’ve got this!
FAQs:
Let’s recap, to speak more clearly, slow down and focus on enunciating each word. Practice with tongue twisters or read aloud to yourself to get comfortable forming words crisply. It also helps to breathe deeply and project your voice. Bonus tip: remember that recording yourself can highlight areas for improvement!
Building confidence is key to speaking up. Start by practicing in low-pressure settings, increasing volume and clarity as you go. Try breathing from your diaphragm for stronger voice projection. The more you practice speaking up, the easier it will become.
Your tone sets the mood, so think about how you want to be perceived. Use a friendly, positive tone for casual conversations, and a calm, authoritative tone for more formal situations. Practice adjusting your pitch and volume to match the message you’re conveying.
Becoming an effective speaker takes practice and mindfulness. Focus on clear articulation, controlling your pace, and engaging your audience with thoughtful pauses. Body language matters too—stand tall, make eye contact, and keep your gestures natural. Remember, practice makes perfect!
For more communication tips and ideas to make better connections with the people you serve, check out our small business hub.
