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The Human Voice is the Most Powerful Sound in the World (Ten Common Pitfalls to Avoid When Speaking)

Author

Howie Chan
March 03, 2024

The ten pitfalls is written by Oliver Aust, a communications expert and CEO of EO Ipsos Communications. He is also the author of the 'Speak Like a CEO' newsletter. ​Sign-up​ now and get his Presentation Hack ebook: 50 powerful strategies to captivate any audience for free.

"Listen to me. Hey! Please listen!"

Who else has kids who can "mute" their parents whenever they like? We speak because we want people to listen, but more often than not, we don't have a captive audience. Although I have no answers for how to get your kids to listen to you, I do have some tips to share with you today about speaking to an audience.

Why is speaking important?

Research shows that on average, we say about 16,000 words a day. And if you total the time when we speak, it is about 1 hour and 54 minutes.

Not only do we speak a lot, it can have a big impact.

The human voice can start a war and it can heal a nation. It can close multi-billion dollar deals and it can soothe a hurt child.

Turns out, we are about 5x more interested in speaking over listening. Just look at the views of two Ted talk videos, both by sound consultant Julian Treasure:

​5 ways to listen better ​- 11.8 millions views

It's no accident that we are interested in speaking, because it's a very powerful thing.

BASE PRINCIPLE

Your voice is a tool that can be sharpened for good.

WHAT IF?

What if you could speak more confidently? What if people listened and are persuaded by what you have to say? What if your voice was your most powerful instrument?

Oliver Aust​, an expert on communications who regularly coaches CEOs and founders on how to speak with impact, shares 10 common pitfalls we need to avoid when speaking:

  1. Uptalk: Rising intonation turns statements into unintentional questions, undermining authority. Avoid questioning yourself in every sentence.

  2. Filler Words: Excessive “um,” “uh,” and “like” dilute your message. Allow intentional pauses instead.

  3. Asking for Affirmation: Adding “right?” or “correct?” can seem insecure. Seek affirmation judiciously.

  4. Speaking in Past Tense: Past tense sounds transient. Opt for present tense for something more enduring.

  5. Overusing Qualifiers: “I think” or “maybe” weakens authority. Speak confidently by ditching qualifiers.

  6. Monotonous Monologue: A flat tone causes minds to wander. Inject energy through vocal variety.

  7. Mumbling: Enunciate clearly so your audience can understand you.

  8. Strong Accent: While accents are fascinating, strong ones hinder understanding. Focus on clarity.

  9. Jargon Overload: Excess jargon alienates audiences. Aim for simplicity.

  10. Epic Story, No Point: Rambling stories lose interest. Ensure tales have a clear purpose.

Often we don’t even notice that we are doing it. I noticed my inflationary use of “you know” because I listen to my own podcast episodes to draft the show notes and this newsletter.

You can do the same: Conduct a communications audit. Record yourself to identify areas for improvement, and focus on enhancing one aspect at a time. Repeat for continual improvement.

Public speaking is a skill that can be improved. And listening to ourselves is one of the quickest ways to do it.

"If you can speak, you can influence. If you can influence, you can change lives."

~Rob Brown

Live your legend 🤘🏽,

Howie Chan

Creator of Legend Letters

Sources:

  1. Dimitrije, Curcic, How Many Words Does the Average Person Say a Day?, Wordsrated.com, November 7, 2023 - ​LINK​

  2. Treasure, Julian, How to Speak So That People Want to Listen, Ted talk, June 2013 - ​LINK​

  3. Treasure, Julian, 5 Ways to Listen Better, Ted talk, July 2011 - ​LINK

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