Truth 14
Your Tone of Voice Should Command Attention

What do teachers, military officers, and other leaders have in common? They know how to use command tone. When they speak, others listen and want to follow them. Whether your audience is motivated or apathetic, a commanding tone lets you project your voice so that others hear you and respond.

Voice coaches help leaders create their own command tone to reinforce their leadership messages. Patsy Rodenburg, head of the voice department at London's Royal National Theatre, has coached many of the world's great actors, from Judi Dench to Olympia Dukakis, and politicians like Tony Blair. Her books and classes focus on how you can project yourself into your part with your voice. When an American came to Rodenburg for coaching on her leadership communication, she focused on two areas that would make an enormous difference for the executive: a commanding voice tone and crisp, clear enunciation.

• Command tone. Think of your voice projecting to the other side of the room without a hint of shouting. Rodenburg maintains that a commanding voice happens when you breathe correctly from the abdomen. Barring an injury to the lower back, anyone can practice diaphragm breathing simply by letting the lower ribcage/stomach area expand with each breath. If you think of your voice as a sound projecting from inside your ribs, or abdomen area, rather than from your throat, your tone will be more commanding. It will also reach across the room without your shouting.

It's well nigh
impossible to have
crisp, clear
pronunciation when
you are rushed.
Don't rush, no
matter how little time
you think you have.

• Crisp, clear enunciation. You may feel silly at first, but exaggerating the clarity of how you say every word is a good way to prepare your communication. Rodenburg would have you practice carefully pronouncing each word of a famous poem so that the content ceases to matter and you can focus on the clarity of pronunciation. Justice Sandra Day O'Connor is said to have claimed that when she learned to enunciate clearly, she started to compete with men on an equal basis.

You'll find that it's well nigh impossible to have crisp, clear pronunciation when you are rushed. Don't rush, no matter how little time you think you have.

Command requires speaking with strength, energy, clarity, and crispness. Your leadership tone of voice has a huge impact on how others remember and respond to you. Practice your command tone and enunciation so that others will hear you and follow.