56. Why Sinatra Stood

The Voice of “The Voice”

The legendary crooner Frank Sinatra had several nicknames, chief among them was “The Voice”; and for good reason: His rich, resonant vocal quality was without equal. “The Voice” took very good care to optimize his golden sound. One of Mr. Sinatra’s standard techniques—practiced by all professional singers, as well as announcers, actors, narrators, and other performers whose voices are their livelihood—was to stand when he recorded his songs.

Look at any photograph of any singer in a recording studio, and you will see that they are standing upright in a soundproof booth with a microphone suspended in front them. Their sheet music is propped on a stand raised to the singer’s eye level. This arrangement provides a valuable lesson for businesspeople who present over the web or on a telephone, and particularly on a speakerphone.

When anyone—including any presenter, our primary focus—talks into the handset of a telephone or a speakerphone while seated, that person will naturally lean forward, hunching the shoulders, constricting the lungs, and reducing the air supply. Leaning forward also drops the chin and constricts the throat, reducing the air supply even further. Standing up straight expands the lungs to fill with more air and lifts the chin to open the throat, creating an open channel for a full column of air.

Some businesspeople, who present online frequently, take this matter into account. Will Flash of Microsoft Corporation, who now manages a group of internal studios for the company, was previously the Broadcast Host of Microsoft’s web meeting platform (formerly LiveMeeting, now Lync¹). That role as called for him to present online several times a day. Each time he did, Mr. Flash stood up and pushed a button to elevate his motorized desk. In an instant, he replicated the configuration of a professional sound recording studio: By standing, he expanded his lungs and by looking at his computer screen at eye level, he opened his throat.

You don’t have build a soundproof studio or install a motorized desk in your office, but in this globalized world where online presentations have become standard operating procedure for many businesses, be sure to take these simple steps to optimize your voice. Absent the essential elements of eye contact, facial expressions, and gestures that you use to augment your story during in-person presentations, your voice becomes the primary vehicle of delivery when you present on the web.

Make your story sing!