Vocal Characteristics El 109
Vocal Characteristics El 109
Vocal Characteristics El 109
This is the aspect of voice that describes how one sounds while speaking. We are not very
Humans commonly describe the characteristic features of human voice such as, the
accent, as erratic, muffled, clear, fast, slow, dull, energetic, lovely, smooth, boring,
Mannerisms fall under voice rhythm, which I would discuss in my future posting.
But all descriptions of human voice is highly subjective and contextually and culturally
nuanced.
We are all born with our own organic voice. Rarely do we have two identical sounding
Short of being born with obvious vocal impairment, everyone has a personally distinct
vocal registers in unique vocal characteristics and qualities. That is, every person has
with which all humans use, regardless of nationality, ethnicity, race, class,
Three mechanisms responsible for human vocal production are: the lungs, the larynx,
Organic vocal delivery requires one uses all and varied vocal qualities and
This imposes the abilities to modulate the voice to the audiences and
contexts of speech-making.
Often the voice is described by their characteristics. For example: raspy, nasal, throaty,
glottal, speaking, talking, singing, laughing, crying, yelling, screaming, snoring, hissing,
huffing, moaning, groaning, clicks, whispering, whistling, whiny, breathy, sexy, wimpy,
Next, humans have also been inclined to define the voice based on its qualities. For
example, we speak of covered, creaky, breathy, pressed, wobbly, muffled, honky, nasal,
glottal fry(due limited air supply depending on how vocal folds vibrate), falsetto — usually
when one is emotionally distressed, pulsed, yawny, rough, shimmering, strained, twangy,
and so on. As I said earlier, we have not been very concise while describing voice
to modify one’s vocal qualities. Voice characteristics on the other hand, involve what
humans do with their voice. These are functions. So, different roles in human societies
Then the voice is also defined by its specific professional and contextual uses. So, we have
for example, the musical voice, soprano voice, alto voice, tenor voice, baritone voice,
operatic voice, among many others. Some may say, “You have a radio voice!” And I have
heard people say, “Her voice is so lyrical.” Different languages have been used to describe
the voice subjectively, contextually and professionally. For now, I am only looking at the
For public speaking there are no such discerning characteristics. Public speaking is an
eclecticism. Many skills, competencies, and expectations meet and challenge both the
national, ethnic, regional, and professional lines, that add weight to every speaker’s
public image in each country.
Knowing the content of the topic is not enough; the speaker must contend with the vocal
quality of his or her delivery. Vocal qualities include volume, pace, pitch, rate, rhythm,
They keep the listeners attuned to your content. Quality of voice also impacts content
These qualities interlock organically to give your delivery an appeal and wholeness that
make every speaker unique and different to the ears of the listeners.
I cannot exhaust the list here. But I am going to focus on the ten main types here. In my
subsequent postings I hope to exhaust all others and to expand on these ten. So, read on
1. Tone of Speech. Refers to how you say and write what you wanted or intended
to say; as well as the words you use to deliver your messages.
It is how the words come through to the listeners and readers. It is what kinds of
impressions your word choices make in the minds and hearts of the audience who hears
Use the right tone to engage your audience and clients or customers in all speaking
situations.
Everyone speaks in their own unique ways. You must have met some very crass people
who just say whatever is in their minds. Many are ramblers. They can go on and on and
on, without making any salient point. Some are pushy, or polite, pleasant, passive, or
aggressive. There are others who say much in a few words. For some others, it may take a
Indeed, some companies, corporations and institutions tie their tones to their core
values. So, we have come to see, hear, and read of concise, technical, driven, focused,
not imitate or mimic other people’s voices. You can study and emulate the
good vocal practices and mannerisms by others. But you must find, nurture,
develop, and speak in your own voice in a tone appropriate to the occasion.
That tone must be consistent and must be yours to communicate the ideas
Your tone also gives away your impressions, regard, respect, love, and appreciations of
Any choice in your tone leaves lasting impressions on your listeners and prospective
Because communication has relational and contextual levels for meaning making, the
tones of your speech delivery speak to the listeners’ emotions and esteems relative to the
For example, facts speak to your analytical and technical sides of your brain and core
company.
deliveries so that you can arouse and fulfill the expectations of your diverse
situations.
And that is organic vocal delivery of ideas; it occurs when you are able and
then invoke your intellectual and emotional capacities to relate and move
The more words you spit out of your mouth per minutes, the faster your rate. And
conversely, the fewer worlds coming out of your mouth per minute, the slower your rate.
Fast rates of delivery puts you as a speaker in a disadvantage because the audience
members may not understand, comprehend, hear, process or internalize all that you are
A slow rate may tell the audience you are thoughtful, considerate, deliberate,
compassionate, concerned, very involved with the topic and respectful of them as
listeners. But, there is a catch: slower rate may also lead the listeners to feel you are
condescending, patronizing, not sure of yourself, not knowledgeable about the topic, not
interested in them or the speaking event, and consequently, not excited about the topic.
A middle-of-the road pitch is ideal. You are assured. You prepared. You pause. You
establish appropriate eye contacts. You determine that rate by knowing the audience,
knowing the context , and knowing the purpose for the speaking event.
It is like your boom box or car stereo system. Or, your home entertainment system: you
can raise its volume or lower it as much or as low as you want, depending on your mood
and the situation. When you have friends over and /or if you happen to have a get-
The speaking situation, the number of persons in the audience, the topic, the
demographic composition of the speaking event all combine to determine the volume of
your delivery.
You have to be able to modulate the volume (that is the loudness and non
Absent public address system you become the loud speaker, the amplifier, the modulator,
You must speak to be heard. But you must not yell or shout or whisper.
That is very commonsense. So I used to think until I sat in a restaurant with an attractive
lady friend who became an “item” of interest to two boisterous middle aged men three
tables from us. They became louder and louder. It became obvious that they were either
rude, ignorant, disrespectful, or arrogant to ignore the norms of public etiquette or they
Your bedroom volume is not appropriate for classroom either. Boardrooms speech is
quieter and calmer but deliberate and deliberative. Courtrooms are even more subdued
and deferential as is the church, temple, shrines, and mosques, unless the assigned
The auditorium accommodates loud volume of speaking. Absent public address systems,
you are expected to speak loudly. When activities are ongoing, you will need to raise your
It is similar to volume in some ways. Your emotional and /or psychological involvement
with the topic or affiliation with the audience may influence the pitch of your
presentation at any point in time. Usually, you are to use variations of pitches to address
A singer can vary his or her notes depending on the size of the audience, the size of the
room, the venue of performance, and the lyrics. The political aspirant varied the pitch
tone and pitch would have to mirror the situation, the content, and the demographics
specifically. Here, the pitch would be low, deliberate, and the volume as well as the
A high pitch is advised when in a jolly and exciting mood with friends and acquaintances.
Rhythm is an aspect of pitch. It refers to a lowering of the voice while speaking and
When there is a rhythmic flow in the choice of words and in the sound in your
presentation, there is a melodic quality that is pleasing to the ears of your listeners.
So, you need to be slow and deliberate. Enunciate for emphasis. Pronounce
for effect in the arrangement of your words to ensure a flow, in the ways you
Rhythm is the cadence; the rise and fall in your vocal presentation. It matters. It gives life
5. Pace. It is the natural rate at which you speak. It could be either too fast or too
slow.
In a public speaking arena, you must gauge your pace to the audience.
Learn to talk slow; but not to lull your audience to sleep and yawning.
But you also must speak fast to an audience that is predisposed to processing fast data
and facts.
The key again here is to know your audience and gauge to them accordingly, your content
and the other qualities of public speaking I have discussed in this posting.
6. Pause. This is the conscious, deliberate and intentional breaks you take and
insert during your speaking.
They are temporary and short silences or interludes during speaking. They are
They are different from speech disfluencies or irregularities that are physiological,
Yet, excessive pauses could become distractions from the flow of effective deliveries.
Do not allow your intentional breaks to be perceived as false starts, show of discomfort,
slips of the tongue or mispronunciations of long and difficult words and phrases. So
It is how words flow out of our mouths to create the sounds in the ears of the listeners.
Speeches that flow smoothly and effortlessly, and the words roll with the sentences make
Fluency makes the listeners follow the ideas as you the speaker relay them.
Speech flow is also a function of the words you choose, the ordering of the words, the
I am not saying that you should not have deliberate breaks and pauses. These tactics are
also part of that flow. You stop. You break. And you pause, to give listeners time to
You use internal summaries, connectives, transitional statements, and signposts to make
the journey through the speech content a smooth and enjoyable ride to the audience. All
know’s;” “em’s;” “eh’s;” and so on. These take away from fluency and your credibility as a
speaker.
8. Intensity. Is an attribute of vocal volume and pitch used to control the loudness
or quietness of your delivery.
It is an aspect of pitch and volume that has a lot to do with the passion and the emotion
Intensity can be manipulated by the speaker to suit the situation and the expectations of
9. Articulation. Is how clearly your words come out. It is from the word ‘article.’
It requires you clearly and crisply say every ‘article’ or letter, in every word you use in
your presentation. For example, “I want you to understand the importance of saying
An inarticulate phrasing would be, “I wanna let you understand the importance…..”
Other examples are “gonna,” “gotta,” “ya know,” “dat,” for “that” and “tink,” for “think”
10. Enunciation. This is the ability to make your ideas stand out clearly through
your language in words.
It is the commitment to pronounce words and their constitutive parts clearly. Here you
Here, you do not swallow the last syllable or articles. You do not omit letters in words.
Summing Up
In any fora for the presentation of ideas, the voice is the most important human organ to
expectations of the speaker, and the audiences. Several vocal characteristics and qualities
make these activities successful. I have discussed ten of them in this posting: tone, rate,
It is imperative that any speaker mind their human voice for effective communication,