Shannon Dolan is Director of Performance Power. She works as an executive coach, trainer, and keynote speaker. She specialises in corporate performance skills, elite presentation skills, and personal branding. She has had great success coaching women of all levels ranging from Managing Director to Graduate level at such firms as Citibank, Commonwealth Bank, PricewaterhouseCoopers, Cochlear, and Oracle Corporation.

In business, I do not believe there are necessarily a lot of gender differences. There is one area however where there is, our voice. Men, due to their physical structure often produce a voice with greater depth, volume, and resonance. Women due to their physical structure often produce a voice that is lighter, softer, and finer. This causes some problems for women and I have been called in many times to work with women where their voice is actually getting in the way of them moving forward in their career. Their voice may sound too young, too unconvincing, too whiny, and to be honest their voice is being tuned out. We are drawn to a voice that is warm, strong, passionate, interesting, and melodic. We move away from a voice that is strident, nasal, and flat. 38% of the impact we make face to face is the sound of our voice, and on the telephone it is just about everything. If that voice is one that people do not want to listen to, then they are definitely not hearing that great initiative you want to put forward or any message for that matter. It is certainly not about having a voice like a man or acting like a man in any way as far as I am concerned. There is great power in being a woman in business. But awareness of your “business voice” can support you in moving forward in your professional goals. Your voice is one of the most important business tools you have.

Here are ten tips for enhancing and developing your professional voice:

1. Breathe deeply into your diaphragm. Feel your ribs, waist, and back expand. Most people breathe rather shallowly into the upper chest. This gives a weak sound.
2. As you exhale allow your sound to ride on the breath. This will give it a sound that is connected and impactful.
3. Hum in the shower, with the radio in the car, around the house, and feel the vibration in the face and body as you do. This is the resonant part of the voice. Develop it and connect to it to have a warmer tone.
4. Bite into your consonants and open your mouth on your vowels. Create a clear sound. It does not matter what accent we have or what language we speak, these are unique aspects of ourselves; but we need to be understood.
5. Remind yourself often to relax any areas of your body that are tense. Relaxation in the body creates a great sound that really travels with very little effort.
6. Project your voice in meetings taking a breath and then sending your voice to the person you are addressing. Really see it travel outside your body and reach the others at the end of the table.
7. Read the newspaper out loud. Concentrate on bringing the words to life. Be aware of the commas and full stops to give your speech a considerate and engaging pace.
8. Read out loud to children to build melody and interest into your voice. No one stays engaged very long to a monotone voice.
9. Yawn. Just not in front of your audience! Yawning is one of the quickest, easiest, and best ways of warming up your voice and giving it a great sound. It relaxes you as well.
10. Consider your words and what you are saying. Words have meaning. Words are beautiful. Words can move mountains.

Shannon Dolan’s work is all about you! She supports people and businesses in being the very best they can be; in understanding their true strengths and their personal power. Learn more at www.shannondolan.com