ISSUE 19 / JANUARY 2016
THE
Human
TO SELL IS
SHARON GRANT
7Using Your Vocal Tone
STEPS TO HAVE GREATER INFLUENCE
MARIA PELLICANO
LIVING YOUR
Values BRENDAN BOLTON
HOW TO NURTURE YOUR
Team Members VANESSA MEDLING
WWW.INTERNATIONALCOACHGUILD.COM
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LIVING YOUR VALUES
Brendan Bolton 8
HOW TO NURTURE YOUR TEAM MEMBERS SO THEY NEVER WANT TO LEAVE
Vanessa Medling 11
TO SELL IS HUMAN
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Sharon Grant 15
HOW TO BUILD RAPPORT WITH YOUR CLIENTS
Pooja Lohana 18
7 WAYS TO HAVE GREATER INFLUENCE USING YOUR VOCAL TONE
Here’s to you!
Maria Pellicano
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24
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LIVING YOUR WRITTEN BY
Values
Brendan Bolton
ICG Int. Accredited Professional Master Coach
BRENDAN BOLTON IS (AMONGST MANY THINGS) A DAD, ENTREPRENEUR, BUSINESS CONSULTANT AND A VERY ORDINARY SURFER. If you keep your eyes and ears open there are amazing lessons to be learnt from the most unlikely of places...
about his exercise regime. Peter told me that he has a very strict structure to what he does with his life and with his body
My neighbour Peter leads a very healthy
– he eats right, drinks very little (if any) alcohol
lifestyle.
and exercises everyday, regardless of the
I often see him riding his push bike (with boogie board strapped to the back) to the
weather or any other external factor. I asked him if this was hard to maintain, he
beach for his swim, which he does three
gave me a quizzical look and replied,
times a day.
‘It is important for me to do it, so that makes it
On the weekend I saw him mowing and
easy for me to do everyday, I just do it.’
weeding the lawn and this morning he waved
As I was walking back to my house Peter’s
at me as he took off on his motorbike to burn around the neighbourhood.
words struck me right between the ears. Peter has just told me one of his Core Values:
Did I mention that Peter is 91 years of age?
Health & Exercise.
Yes that’s right.
Is this an assumption on my behalf? No.
Ninety. One. Years. Young.
How do I know that?
He was cutting up some palm fronds in his
Because he consistently shows the world that
front yard recently and we started chatting
it is so by ‘just doing it.’ page 8
The words that stood out to me as he was
I thought about what Anthony Robbins once
saying them were ‘important’ ‘I just do it’ and
said, ‘It’s your decisions about what to focus
‘that makes it easy for me to do.’
on, what things mean and what you’re going
Why? Because these are the signposts that show us how Peter has been able to successfully manage his body, so that at 91 years of age he is able to do more than many people a
to do about them that will determine your ultimate destiny.’ I thought to myself ‘If I don’t move right now I will stay in bed and eventually feel disappointed in myself for not doing what I
third of his age manage to do.
set out to do.
Physical exercise and movement is ‘important’
So I got out of bed, went to my class and was
to him, he doesn’t talk about it, think about it
quietly very proud of doing so.
or procrastinate on it, he ‘just does it.’
The point of this story is that sometimes the
This action, this doing, it just ‘makes it easy for
best way to achieve or goals and live our
him to do it.’
values is to ‘just move’ or to ‘just do it.’
This man is a walking, breathing, riding and
Whether we are thinking about our exercise
swimming embodiment of what he stands
regime, our study or being a fully functioning,
for.
self-actualised professional human being, the
He is living his Core Value in all of its inherent
most important thing is to:
glory every single day on this earth. This got me thinking about my own Core
• Focus on what we want
Values and about whether I am playing at
• Think about what these things really mean to us
100%. How am I living them?
• Find out what action are you going to take to achieve them
Am I honouring them and in turn honouring my true inherent, glorious spirit? I normally love my morning exercise classes but today I woke at 5AM and for some reason today I felt lethargic, sluggish and quite unmotivated. I was lying in bed, conjuring up a thousand different reasons as to why I could choose not to go and then I remembered two of my own core values: Health and Connection. If I lay in bed would I be honouring my value
Next time you are procrastinating about doing what is necessary to live your Core Values remember what my neighbour Peter said to me last week: ‘The doctor told me that I had to give up surfing when I was 72 but I’ve got plenty of life left in me yet!’ Haven’t we all?
of Health? Would I be honouring my need for
Good luck in making the moves to live your
Connection?
life to its fullest. Stay happy and keep smiling. page 9
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Nurture Leave
HOW TO YOUR TEAM MEMBERS SO THEY NEVER WANT TO WRITTEN BY
Vanessa Medling
ICG Int. Accredited Professional Master Coach
VANESSA MEDLING IS AN EXPERIENCED, PASSIONATE AND INSPIRATIONAL LEADER AND COACH. AS A PROFESSIONAL AND PERSONAL COACH, SHE EMPOWERS PEOPLE BY CONNECTING THEM WITH RESOURCES THEY NEED TO TRANSFORM THEIR THINKING. THIS THEN ALLOWS THEM TO BE AT THEIR BEST. Have you ever loved a job so much you couldn’t imagine ever leaving? Remember a time when you bounced out of bed eager to get to work? Left work with a smile on your face and a feeling of really belonging to a tribe? I do. It was one of my first jobs, pretty much straight out of University. I knew the basics of my role well enough, and there were lots of new concepts to get my head around. I loved working with the people in my office because we all got along really well. It was fun! My boss valued my input and often told me directly that he did. Then one day I noticed the bubble had burst. I started looking around for another job,
wondering where did it all go wrong? Over lunch with an older ‘wiser’ friend he told me with a heavy sigh “don’t be disheartened – all great jobs have a shelf life”. I had just met my expiry date. Is that true? We can only ever expect pockets of greatness in our work life? For many years I believed it. But as my career progressed and I climbed the ladder of leadership it dawned on me. If I wanted to be a great leader with a loyal following of enthusiastic team members, then I couldn’t accept this as the truth. There had to be a way for me to create an “in love with work” feeling in my team.
page 11
Then one day I hit the jackpot! I discovered the six core needs. It’s the secret code to unlocking how to nurture a team member so that they will never want to leave. Forget the expiry date, the key to a long-term relationship is all in your hands. According to Tony Robbins there are six basic, universal needs that make us tick and drive all human behaviour. We simply must meet these needs in the same way we need to breathe in oxygen. Find a way to lead using the six core needs as your guide and you will reap the rewards. Why? Because once someone meets all six in a resourceful way, then that team member will never want to leave.
If your team member appears to prefer certainty be careful not to give too much of this without any variety. This will lead to boredom. At the opposite end of the spectrum, if there is too much uncertainty in the work environment then the team member will likely feel overwhelmed or stressed. You goal is to balance these needs for each individual according to their preferences in a resourceful way. The next two core needs to seek out are:
3. SIGNIFICANCE
The first four needs are identified as needs of the personality.
• People who value being respected, needed and wanted
Imagine a set of scales where one side sits higher than the other. On the left sits certainty, comfort and security. On the right there’s uncertainty, variety and adventure. Each of these needs are present in all of us, however we will tip the scale with one side slightly higher than the other:
• T h e y a r e d r i v e n b y a s e n s e o f importance in the work that they do
4. CONNECTION • People who are driven by a sense of belonging
1. CERTAINTY / COMFORT • People who need to feel a sense of control over things, which in turn helps them to feel secure • Predictability and order leads to these people feeling comfortable
2. UNCERTAINTY / VARIETY • People who love variety and change. They have a desire to bring fun into what they do and dislike routine • Chaos and spontaneity creates a feeling of adventure for them
• Their need for communication and approval is high Significance is the doorway to the soul. We all want to feel important, special and needed. As a leader, if you can nurture this need first then connection will follow. Encourage the whole team to work together to produce great results and acknowledge each of them for their contribution. Use every opportunity you can to provide genuine positive feedback about your team member’s work. page 12
The final two are identified as the needs of the spirit. You need to allow your team member to meet the first four needs resourcefully before you can progress any further. It’s the meeting of these final two when people feel truly fulfilled.
5. GROWTH • The need for continual learning and development intellectually and spiritually
So get to know your team on a personal level. Chat over coffee, stop by in the morning and ask them about the night before or their weekend. Find out what they love to do, listen to what they talk about. Every story they tell will leave clues for you to determine what their driving needs are. Once you know this, you then deserve the opportunity to nurture a team who will stay with you and follow you wherever you lead them.
6. CONTRIBUTION • The need to give back to others and serve them beyond our own desires
page 13
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Human
TO SELL IS
WRITTEN BY
Sharon Grant
ICG Int. Accredited Professional Master Coach
SHARON HAS 5 YEARS’ OF EXPERIENCE WRITING AND DELIVERING QUALITY PRODUCT AND SALES TRAINING AND COACHING SESSIONS FOR THE FLIGHT CENTRE TRAVEL GROUP. HER ENERGETIC AND DYNAMIC APPROACH AND UNWAVERING COMMITMENT TO LEARNING MEANS PARTICIPANTS LEAVE HER SESSIONS FEELING CHALLENGED AND INSPIRED. I met Lance 12 years ago. At the time, he was in reservations and would help me make bookings for my clients to go on amazing cruise holidays. Fast forward 6 years and both our careers had progressed – both still in sales roles, just at a fancier level of pay grade and responsibility. And here we are in a meeting room, discussing our supplier/distributor strategy at a state level. I remember at the time my company did not rate very highly in the partnership. We really didn’t sell enough of their products to warrant any real investment in time or money from them. So I did not get the desired outcome for my company in that meeting. That noon, I learnt a huge lesson. They
didn’t believe I (my company) added value to them… and they were right. Part of the reason was I was too focussed on “me”. Over the next 12 months, I focussed on “selling” the idea of selling cruise holidays to my agents – no easy feat as there were 1200 of them! The difference that made the difference? I focussed solely on what was in it for them. I was full of passion, conviction and determination. I was fuelled partially by my love of cruise and travel, and more importantly, because I wanted to serve. I wanted Lance to win. I genuinely liked the guy. I knew that if I grew cruise sales, then his sales would grow too. It was a win/win.
page 15
In those 12 months, we doubled our cruise sales. The following year we grew 20% on that, then 30% again the following year. The more cruises we sold as a company, the more my 1200 agents benefited. For the first time EVER in the history of our partnership – that spanned decades, they received free cruise holidays and other great incentives from Lance and his company. And yes, that day did come. In the lead up to a signifcant sales event, Lance told me I’m totally booked every morning with sales trainings for sales agents for the next 3 months. That felt so good. WHY MOST COACHES FAIL AT SALES Simply put, a sale is an exchange of goods and/or services for money. It is that simple and straightforward. It isn’t romantic or embellished or fancy. It isn’t sleezy or pushy. It’s a transaction. And there-in lays the problem. So many people make it about the transaction. Or more precisely, what they can get out of it. In my discussions with coaches around sales (and you can physically see them convulse when I do it), it is this fundamental problem that prevents coaches from really helping more clients. Coaches are too focussed on themselves. I was the same, until I consciously switched my mindset. Now I find out what the problem is and I find a way solve it. That makes me feel good. Can we all agree that you are about what other people’s problems are? That you have within you, a vehicle to help the client
find a way solve their problems? Of course you do; you’re a coach. WHAT YOU FOCUS ON IS WHAT YOU GET If the idea of sales gives you the heebie jeebies or you think you suck at it, you are so right. And you have been gathering evidence to prove you are correct. Hurrah for you. You are right. And oh so wrong. So what are you focusing on? Because what you focus on is what you get. When I was a retail travel agent, I didn’t focus on selling holidays. I didn’t focus on the clients that didn’t book. Or the ones that complained about EVERYTHING. I focussed on what the clients that did book were going to experience and the way it could bring significance, connection and variety into their world. I provided certainty for them in the unfamiliar, and sometimes confusing territory. I focused on the difference I was making to a lot of lives. Families, couples, girlfriends travelling together, all would have shared memories and experiences for a lifetime. Because of me. I knew this because clients would bring me presents back; they would share their photos with me; they would tell their friends and family about me. That felt so good. QUESTIONS TO REFLECT ON What do you currently focus on? What could you focus on instead?
page 16
MAKING YOUR MAP SALES-FRIENDLY What you focus on is dependent on your beliefs – it’s about what you make sales mean to you. If your map is that sales is sleezy and pushy and you suck at it, you are not going to feel good about helping more clients. As you think, you behave. So you won’t be able to help more clients until you change your map.
Interestingly opportunities started to come to me without trying too hard... and my colleague is still in denial that I was ‘just lucky’. QUESTIONS TO REFLECT ON What behaviours are you currently aware of that are below the line? What new behaviours will you being seeing above the line?
Because the quality of your map will determine the quality of your results. So will your behaviour.
ABOVE THE LINE
OPPORTUNITY, ACCOUNTABILITY, RESPONSIBILITY
For example, to me, selling simply means that I find out what the problem is and I solve it for them.
CHOICE
As a coach, you are selling the ability for your client to say yes to themselves. You must get over whatever limiting beliefs around sales you have that are holding you back from helping more clients.
BELOW THE LINE
BLAME, EXCUSES, DENIAL
QUESTIONS TO REFLECT ON What do you currently make sales mean? What could you make it mean in order to get the results you want? SALES IS PLAYING ABOVE THE LINE Are you accountable for your results – or do you blame and make excuses? One of the reasons I sought out a sales role is that I could own how much I earned. I knew that the person sitting beside me wailing that marketing was not creating enough enquiry got crap results. Classic case of below the line thinking. In contrast to that, by taking some initiative to make the enquiries come through, I was able to earn 3 times what they did in one month.
WE’RE ALL SALES PEOPLE Thanks to the likes of Etsy and Ebay and so many others, everyone can be their own entrepreneur. Daniel Pink, Author of To Sell is Human commissioned a study which indicated that employees from all industries spent 40% of their time selling not just objects but ideas and techniques too. If you have a job, you sold yourself to get it. The message is clear. We all sell something at some point. So let’s get good at it or let it have gone!
page 17
WRITTEN BY
Pooja Lohana Online Business Coach Writer & Editor
HOW TO
BUILD RAPPORT WITH YOUR CLIENTS
POOJA LOHANA IS AN ONLINE BUSINESS COACH + FREELANCE WRITER & EDITOR. SHE HELPS ENTREPRENEURS SHINE THEIR BLOG AND COPY, AND SIMPLIFIES ONLINE MARKETING SO THEY CAN MAKE MORE SALES AND LIVE THE UN-9-5 LIFE. REACH HER AT WWW.GHOSTWRITERPOOJA.COM.
WHY COACHES NEED TO BUILD RAPPORT
Ever get this feeling? You meet someone for the first time and there is a harmonious understanding. You hit it off instantly without having to make effort. You feel like you’ve found your match. Your conversations flow easily. The rapport between the two of you is smooth as cake. How good does that feel? And then there are times when we are not so lucky. Staying on the same page as the other person feels like a lot of effort. But here’s the thing – rapport can be built especially when you meet new people (or clients). You can find a common ground, ask engaging questions, and be interested and empathetic.
In coaching terms, rapport is defined as the time when your words become your client’s thoughts. Your desired outcome during a session is to build rapport with the client at any moment in time. You can start by “matching” their behaviours. The basis of rapport is that when people share similarities, they tend to like each other. And when you like someone, you are willing to assist them. 38% of all communication is tone of your voice, 55% is physiology. So a lot of it happens outside of our conscious effort to communicate with words.
page 18
A huge opportunity therefore exists for
4. MATCH THEIR BREATHING
communication outside of normal channels – and that’s where rapport comes into picture. To benefit from coaching, your clients need to be 100% ready and open to feedback. Having a solid rapport makes this process seamless.
HOW TO BUILD RAPPORT WITH YOUR CLIENTS: 6 STEPS THAT WORK 1. MATCH THEIR MODALITY There are four different representational systems: Visual, Auditory, Kinaesthetic, Auditory-Digital. Depending on what your client’s preferred modality, you’ll match them by pacing and then leading. For example, if you’re meeting someone who is highly visual, you sit up, and breathe from the top of your lungs. You want to get excited and pace up. Whereas if you meet someone who is auditory, you’d slow down a bit and modulate your voice more to really
You can pace your client’s breathing by breathing in and out at the same time they do. By pacing them this way enough number of times you gently lead them into a different representational system (once a rapport is established). 5. MATCH THEIR SIZE OF INFORMATION CHUNKS If your client deals with big pictures, they won’t like going into details with you. You pace them by using big-picture ideas and then lead them into detail-oriented conversation, should that be necessary. Same applies to someone who’s at the other end of the spectrum and deals with details – if you only provide them with the big picture, they may not have enough information to deal with and feel out of sync during the session. So it’s worthwhile to pay attention to their chunk size and match it.
listen.
6. MATCH THEIR COMMON EXPERIENCE
2. MIRROR THEM PHYSICALLY
Share common experiences, background, beliefs, values and ideas where appropriate.
You actually copy their physical movements, posture, facial expressions, eye blinking and hand gestures. This makes them unconsciously think: “They are just like me!” 3. MATCH THEIR VOICE You match the tone, tempo, timbre and volume as well as any words they use a lot. If they use the word “literally” a lot, say it back to them by using it in your sentences.
A WORD OF CAUTION It’s easy to get lost in details and focus too much on the need to establish rapport. Be wary of doing that. Be fully present to them. The more you feel the need to match and mirror them, the less you’re present. You’re thinking about the idea of rapport instead of being in rapport with them. page 19
Also, be subtle when matching and mirroring other people. That said, most people are in a trance while talking anyway, so this may not always be necessary because they may not notice you at all.
HOW TO RAPPORT
KNOW
YOU’VE
BUILT
Imagine coaching someone who is from a different culture, doesn’t speak fluent English, and has completely different behavioural traits.
When you’re in rapport with another individual, you can feel it physiologically. It occurs in the area of the legs and chest and you could say it feels like nervousness or anticipation. You can also feel the colour of your own face change and a warm feeling rise up the neck, which is then matched by your client. This means you’ve established rapport by successfully pacing (which is 5 to 10 minutes) and then leading. Go ahead and practise these rapport-building with your clients today.
Guess what? All of that doesn’t matter – because if you build rapport with them, you will still be able to coach them effectively.
It’s one of the ingredients that make coaching work.
page 20
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“
WRITTEN BY
Maria Pellicano
ICG Int. Cred. Master Practitioner
7 Using Your Vocal Tone
WAYS TO HAVE GREATER INFLUENCE
MARIA IS A STUDENT AT THE COACHING INSTITUTE AND A PASSIONATE COACH TO SINGERS AND SPEAKERS. SHE HAS BEEN HELPING HER CLIENTS FOR THE PAST 20 YEARS TO HAVE THE BEST-SOUNDING VOICE OFFERING TAILORED EXERCISES FOR INDIVIDUAL VOICE TYPES. MARIA IS ALSO A SINGING TEACHER AND DEDICATES HER TIME TO HELPING HER CLIENTS DEVELOP THEIR MINDSET, AND APPLY THE RIGHT TECHNIQUES TO ACHIEVE THEIR SINGING GOALS. FIND OUT MORE AT WWW.MARIAPELLICANO.COM Have you ever been to an event where the speaker is instantly able to take you on a journey by connecting with you through the passion you hear in their voice? In this moment you feel completely engaged to the content of their message, you totally trust their authority and knowledge of the subject.
“THE
ONLY
REASON
TO
MASTER
THIS TECHNIQUE IS TO BE SURE THE BODY DOES NOT INTERFERE WITH THE
SOUL’S
FREE
EXPRESSION”.
LA MERI
Would you like to be able to do that? You can harness your voice by finding out how to choose your vocal tone for your message which means you will communicate more freely and connect with your audience.
Just like an actor who begins his interpretation of a character by finding a suitable voice, you must consider who you are being when delivering your message content.
page 24
HERE ARE 7 VOCAL ELEMENTS YOU CAN CONTROL WHEN SPEAKING: 1. You can control the PITCH of your voice Each voice has a natural or optimal pitch level at which an individual gets the most amount of sound with the least amount of effort. A low speaking pitch can be a result of your vocal resonance being stuck too low in your throat making you sound very deep and muffled. A high pitch or a nasal quality often makes the speaker sound insecure, shaky or nervous and when this happens the voice is unbalanced and lacks an even calming and persuasive tone. To locate your optimum pitch say, “Uh-huh.” The first pitch on “Uh” is the lower pitch and the second pitch on “huh” should be the higher one. Your optimum pitch is the sound of the second pitch, the higher one. Say “Uh-huh.” Notice the second pitch that you sound for the “huh” and now say your name straight after “huh”. Notice whether it was like the first pitch or the second one. If it was lower, try again and say your name on the same pitch as the “huh”. 2.You can control the PACE of your speech The ideal speaking rate in every day conversation should be somewhere between 120 to 160 words per minute. Speaking slowly can help to emphasise a point and bring clarity to your message. However speaking too slowly can also be monotonous so your listeners may become impatient and just tune out. Speaking more quickly can give the impression of passion and enthusiasm and show that you are confident and know your
subject. The down side is that speaking too quickly can make it difficult for people to keep up with you or even understand what you’re saying. Sometimes people tend to speak quickly when they’re nervous or unsure of what they’re saying. Record yourself, listen back to it and use an app called TickTalk (which will help you speak at the pace of whatever your conversations is about. There is a speed for every conversation. When you speak about money or if you are an auctioneer you need to speed up your vocal pace, however if you are speaking on a sensitive topic you may want to slow it right down. 3.You can control the PAUSES of your speech A pause at a crucial moment could help the meaning and effectiveness of the message. Build them into your speech sparingly. The space a pause creates helps your listener ponder on the message. You must count 7 seconds for a pause to be effective. If pauses are too short it will sound like you’re scrambling for words, well-timed pauses create a sense of intrigue and curiosity. Practice this speech with deliberate pauses, record yourself and listen to how you change the emotion in it as you pause. “...Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. (pause) Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. (pause) It is our light (pause) not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves (pause) Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? (pause), actually who are you not to be? (pause) You are a child of God…” (pause) Marianne Williamson
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5. You can control the VOLUME of your voice A projected or restrained voice can affect the clarity of your words. To speak out loud is to resonate, which mean to create echo. By releasing our voices we allow a free resonance, this helps our voice project and sound louder in a healthy non-forced way. A forced voice distorts the resonance and vocal projection is then muffled.
4. You can control the TONE of your voice This is the quality or character of sound. Everyone has their own best unique vocal tone. Are you saying one thing and others are hearing another thing because your tone is not matching your message? You always remember the tone because it’s emotional and people connect with feelings of your speech more than to the words you speak. If you sound monotonous, unemotional or lifeless, you may be boring and turning any potential client relationship off. If you sound, depressive, angry or aggressive this tone style can intimidate your client. When you’re flexible with your vocal tone you’ll have more influence. As you gain more control over your voice you can modify your vocal tone to sound passionate even if you are not feeling excited. Experiment with reading a variety of scripts where you can access different emotions and then notice how it changes your vocal tone. Use high level emotions such as excitement, depression, anger, love, hate and record yourself. Notice how your vocal tone changes, and decide which vocal tone you would like to use for your next speech. page 26
When you force your voice, your larynx raises and your voice becomes strangled and limited, you may then feel like your voice is stuck in your throat. Some call it a “lump in the throat”. Do you love cheering on your team at the top of your lungs? Yelling can strain your vocal cords and make it difficult for you to speak. In worst cases, yelling can lead to vocal nodules, or bumps on your vocal cords. Do a lip-trill to release the voice. Trill from the deepest pitch you can find to the highest (squeakiest) pitch you can find without lifting your neck or head. Project this lip trill straight out of your lips horizontally and ignore the vertical vibrational sensations. 6. You can control the INTONATION/ INFLECTIONS in your voice This is a modulation of the voice where it can go higher and lower, also known as the rise and fall of the speaking voice. A vocal inflection is when you emphasise individual words to make them stand out by raising the pitch and making it sound like you are asking a question, and when you inflect with a lower pitch it ends the phrase. Emphasising certain words can change the meaning of a sentence as well as the intention behind it. Working on your inflection or intonation will help you deal with a monotone voice and bring a more dynamic and interesting expression to your message.
Read the following. Hello, how are you? I heard you’ve been ill but I see you’re better now. I’m glad. When are you going to be back at work? The first time you read it do not emphasise the bold words, read it as a sentence. You should find the tone is concerned and sympathetic. Now say the same line again but this time emphasise the words that are in bold. It will sound as if you doubt whether the listener really has been ill and may even sound sarcastic. 7. You can control your ACCENT in your voice An accent is a distinctive way of pronouncing a language associated with a particular country, area or social class. Usually the problem sounds of most accents are the vowels A, E, I, O, U and Th as in “the” and “thin”, W as in “wish”, V as in “van” also R and L.
Another issue that comes up when we hear a strong accent is the rhythm of the English language (in comparison to individual’s other spoken languages). The English language is different and therefore flows differently when we hear it. Clap to the beat of the English language and notice the rhythm in it. You will notice that the English language is spoken in a legato (flow). If you speak in another language clap it out paying attention to the rhythm and the pauses; is it staccato (broken)? Notice if the language rhythm is flowing or stopping and starting. E.g.: My second language is Italian; the language has a stop/start feel to it and the rhythm of the words flow differently because of the rhythm of the language. Changing this rhythm can also alter the meaning of your message. By recording yourself you can then notice what parts of your speech can be changed to create more flow and this will help you deliver a message that is easily understood by others.
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