I was at work on Friday and I had to deliver a stack of papers to a professor. As I was walking down the hall towards his office, I saw hi face through the doorway. He looked bored out of his mind, and actually maybe even a bit pained. As I got closer, I saw that there was a women talking to him; she was pitching a marketing program. This woman had the most annoying voice I had ever heard. It was wicked high pitched and everything she said sounded like a question. You know the type.
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This made me realize that our voices are one of the most important personal mediums that we have to portray our message to others. I remember, during my freshman year, I read an article saying that there was a study done showing that sorority girls had a harder time dropping their “sorority girl voice” than fraternity guys had dropping their “frat guy voice” during job interviews. Tone of voice really speaks volumes as to what we are trying to say. Our accents, vocabulary, volume all influence the message we portray to those around us. For example, if I hear somebody speak rudely to another, especially to an elder, I am going to form very specific opinions about that person. Another example, if I hear someone using big words with an English accent, I cannot help but think of that individual as being quite intelligent, even if what he is saying does not make any sense at all.
Below is an article from AdOps Online that describes a study that was showed that the male voice and the female voice make different impressions on various types of people.
Allie I can't help but relate to this medium. I personal have been accused of mumbling on a daily basis in class, with my family, and with my friends. Although I don't intend to mumble, people tell me that I sometimes sound uninterested, bored, judgemental, timid, and unconfident. However, I truly believe that I mumble just because I am thinking faster than I speak, and I assume that since the thoughts are clear to me, they are clear to others. However I am learning that this is far from the truth. In my global management class I have been called out as introducing my thoughts, which is a feminine and unassertive way to voice your opinion. We learned that 55% of people interpret what you say based on how you look, 38% on how you sound and 7% on the content of your message. Crazy!
ReplyDeleteI think that this blog post is extremely interesting. The vocabulary we use says alot about who we are. My parents call me out on a frequent basis if I say like too many times in a sentence because they say it doesn't make me sound very intelligent, which I can agree to although it is very difficult. If a person uses poor grammar, I can't help but notice.
ReplyDeleteIn terms of particular sound, I agree in the fact that a associate certain accents with being trashy or other stereotypical claims. For example, boston accents -- although there are many people, my mother for instance, who have one and I don't have that association with her.