5 Vocal Cues That Help You Exude Charisma & Get Respect When You Talk
In your career and beyond, these trips can transform your connections.
People Images Yuri A | Shutterstock.com Diving into Vanessa Van Edwards’ book on the power of vocal cues and communication, career expert Hanna Goefft took to TikTok to share the specific changes you can make to the way you speak to both command respect and exude charisma — no matter who you’re talking to.
“Vocal cues are how we say what we say,” Goefft shared, “rather than just what we say. This includes our tone, our inflection, our cadence, volume, and pitch … We can master our own vocal cues to have the impact that we want.”
Here are 5 vocal cues that can help you exude charisma and command respect:
1. Speak on your ‘out breath’ for confidence
“If you want to demonstrate more competence in your voice, you need to learn how to speak in a way that exudes confidence and authority,” Goefft explained. “Instead of taking a deep breath and speaking on the ‘in breath,’ instead breathe out, and speak on the ‘out breath.’”
You’re not only slowing down your voice and breathing, but you’re also lowering your voice. People tend to respect lower voices, interpreting them as “more confident” than their higher-pitched counterparts.
Practice a natural lowering of your voice in conversation — nothing too drastic, just something that feels comfortable.
2. End your statements with a down tone rather than using upspeak
If you’re making a statement, whether in a passing conversation or in a work meeting, ensure you’re ending it with a down tone rather than an inflection. According to Goefft, "It will make you sound uncertain and less confident in what you're saying.”
“Try to speak on the lowest comfortable end of your natural voice and use a controlled and deliberate pace,” Goefft said.
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Setting the pace of conversation, confident-sounding speakers often utilize down tones to make their points with confidence and surety. Inflection or upspeak tends to make you seem uncertain, unless, of course, you are legitimately asking a question.
3. Smile while you’re speaking
If you’re looking to channel warmth in your conversations alongside confidence and respect, the biggest advice vocal coaches give is to smile. Not only does it reassure the person you’re speaking with, helping them let their guard down and feel more comfortable, but it also exudes positivity that affects everyone in the conversation.
“It has been proven to change the sounds of your voice, even if somebody can’t see you smiling,” Goefft explained, adding that even on the phone, you should be smiling to channel charisma and warmth.
4. Utilize reassuring sounds to show that you’re listening
In job industries across the board, from corporate offices to healthcare, the key to successful communication lies in active listening.
Like Van Edwards writes in her book, using reassuring and engaging body language alongside verbal cues is necessary — “using ‘mhm’ or ‘yes, that’s interesting’ as brief responses to somebody talking… can show that you’re listening.”
You don’t have to overdo it, Simply use brief responses while someone else is talking, like nodding your head, to remind them that you’re interested in what they have to say. In the same way that you’re looking for respect and focus, give it right back to them.
5. Use energy and inflection to show that you’re excited
“Here’s a tip to practice this,” Goefft said. “Before going into any presentation, interview, or salary negotiation, try recording yourself. Practice what you want to say and listen to whether the vocal cues you’re sending are having the impact you’re wanting them to have.”
Sometimes, we can overdo transforming our vocal cues and energy, which often comes across as insincere or ingenuine. Find someone that you trust and practice. Have them stop you when they aren’t resonating with how you’re saying something, then go back and try again.
These vocal cue techniques aren’t something that you can learn overnight, but they are incredibly powerful tools to practice across your daily life. When you’re getting coffee in the morning, interacting with a stranger, or going into a meeting with your boss, practice what works for you.
Zayda Slabbekoorn is a News & Entertainment Writer at YourTango who focuses on health & wellness, social policy, and human interest stories