Women-Find your Voice and Be Heard — Women’s Voices in the Indian Corporate & Business Environment

Location: The conference room of a large financial organization.

Agenda: To brainstorm ideas for a new service…… As the discussion gains momentum, one of the women vice presidents has an incredibly good idea shaping up in her head. After some hesitation, she clears her throat and tries to speak. But her soft, apologetic voice is lost among the high decibel male voices in the room.

The number of women in the corporate & business environment in India is on the rise. And yet, women have a hard time being heard. They feel that their voice often undermines their message in a male dominated setup. Women have to contend with unique challenges related to vocal communication in getting their point across. According to Caroline Turner, an expert on gender differences and a former corporate executive & business attorney, women’s voices are not fully heard in the business & corporate environment in the U.S.A. She says that “the feminine style of speaking sounds less confident as a woman speaks more humbly, often posing her point as a question. While a man speaks in declarative sentences, sounding confident, regardless of whether he has the facts or the expertise. In the business world, where the masculine style is the norm, the feminine style of speaking is perceived as lacking in confidence”.

In Asian countries like India, cultural & social factors often influence the way women use their body and voice to express themselves. As a result, free & full vocal expression is restricted. Women’s voices are often not heard in the corporate & business world.

Dr. Sadhana Nayak M.S [Otolaryngology], D.O.R.L 

Many professional women do just about everything they can, to ‘disempower’ their voices. Some of the physical & vocal habits and factors that restrict effective & powerful vocal communication in women are:

1. Women often slouch, allowing the spine & chest to collapse and shoulders to slump forward. Apart from squeezing the voice, a collapsed spine & body convey diffidence

2. Women have a naturally higher pitch, compared to men, as they have shorter & thinner vocal folds, and a smaller larynx (voice-box). The pitch of the voice tends to rise further whenever a woman is nervous or under pressure. As a result, they end up sounding shrill, squeaky or immature – vocal qualities that undermine their professional ability.

3. Upspeak or uptalk is a trend among young urban professional women. It is a rising inflection at the end of a sentence, making every sentence sound like a question. The end result is that they sound unsure and diffident.

4. Women tend to speak with a breathy voice- a vocal habit where the vocal folds are held apart, allowing more air to escape. A breathy voice is soft & therefore not heard, and the speaker comes across as immature.

5. Women often develop breathing patterns & habits like taking in quick shallow breaths using the upper chest or holding the breath, to avoid expressing their point of view fully. This disempowers the voice, as the breath is the source of power for the voice.

6. Women tend to use an apologetic tone more than men as they have traditionally played a nurturing role in society.

Apart from physical & vocal patterns that women develop, the demands of fashion and use of modern technology have created additional problems for the woman’ s voice. Working on computers for long hours encourages women to slump. Clothes fitting snugly at the waist and on the chest do not

allow them to breathe deeply. High heels misalign the body and spine. Put together, it is a combination that restricts the voice.

Voice coaching starts with changing physical, breathing and vocal patterns to allow organic and free vocal expression. The coaching initially focuses on allowing a full flow of the voice through a relaxed & aligned body and spine, developing an empowered & supported breath, an open throat & a relaxed jaw. It progresses to clear speech and intonation- learning pitch inflections & volume variations, the power of pausing & pacing, and projecting the voice. The coaching is designed to help women in the corporate and business world find their voice and express themselves fully. A clear, smooth & modulated voice projected from a relaxed body conveys confidence and increases your credibility in any communication situation – whether it is a presentation, meeting, conference or a client interaction.

When you enhance the tone, flexibility, modulation and power of your voice, you project yourself and your ideas clearly, with all the energy and passion you feel. Every communication whether on the telephone, in a meeting or before an audience becomes an empowering experience.

About Dr. Sadhana Nayak

She is a Mumbai based vocal medicine specialist and voice coach for professional and artistic voice users. She has trained business leaders, corporate speakers, actors, news anchors and singers in India and the U.S.A

Website: www.drsadhananayak.com

Email: drnayakvoice@gmail.com

Mobile: +919819752312

Timing: 11 a.m- 5 p.m

The Importance of Hydration for a Healthy Voice

Hydration is important for healthy vocal folds. Drinking enough water to keep your body hydrated is vital for it to function efficiently. The adult human body is approximately 60- 65 % water. Dehydration or inadequate hydration affects every cell, organ and system in the body, including the vocal system. Those who seek help for voice problems & disorders are often not aware of the importance of hydration. They usually have their own reasons for not drinking enough water - some who drink as few as 1-2 glasses a day because they think it is adequate; others who believe their tea, coffee or cola intake takes care of their hydration; some who argue that they don’t drink water since they don’t feel thirsty.

How does inadequate water intake affect the voice?

Inadequate water affects the efficient functioning of the vocal folds. The vocal folds are responsible for phonation i.e converting the airflow from the exhaled breath into acoustic energy or the raw sound. When we speak, the vocal folds vibrate & there is contact between the two vocal folds. Normally, the natural structure of the vocal fold lining and a thin layer of mucus protect the vocal folds from voice problems or injuries, that can be caused by long hours of speaking or singing. Mucus acts as a lubricant for the vibrating vocal folds & water provides the raw material for producing mucus. If you don’t drink enough water, mucus tends to be thick & viscous [sticky], and the vocal fold tissues dry up. This makes your vocal folds vulnerable to voice disorders. Water also hydrates and lubricates the mucous membranes [lining] of the throat and mouth, making speaking & singing easier. Dehydration increases your vocal effort while speaking or singing.

Professional voice users and performers, including corporate & business speakers, actors, singers, television anchors, newscasters & radio jockeys use their voice for long hours, often at the extremes of their pitch & volume range. Using the voice for long hours tends to dry up the throat because we often breathe through the mouth while speaking or singing. They work in dry environments like airconditioned offices, studios, that further contribute to drying of the throat & voice. As a result, they are vulnerable to vocal problems and injuries, if they fail to drink enough water.

Recognizing dehydration or dryness of the vocal folds

These are a few indicators [Note that the following symptoms could also indicate other vocal or health problems]

• Your mouth and throat feel dry and scratchy

• You often need to clear your throat

• Your urine looks yellow/dark

• Voice use is effortful

• You feel thirsty very often

A few factors that contribute to dehydration of the vocal folds

• Caffeine in coffee, cocoa, chocolates, colas

• Alcohol

• Dry, polluted, hot & airconditioned environments

• Excess consumption of sugar/ sweets/ lozenges

• Mouth breathing- habitual or due to a blocked nose

• Health issues like diabetes, hypertension, anemia, among others

• Medication used for colds, cough, depression, anxiety, hypertension, very high doses of vitamin C, among others

                                Dr. Sadhana Nayak M.S [Otolaryngology], D.O.R.L 
                                             
Staying hydrated for a healthy voice

The amount of water you drink depends on your voice use, health, lifestyle, physical activity and environment. A general recommendation for healthy adults, especially if you are a professional or occupational voice user, is between 2.5 to 3.5 liters of water in a day. Here are a few ways to keep your body & vocal folds hydrated, however busy you are. [Check if you have renal, cardiac or other health issues, that call for restriction of water intake]

• Keep sipping water. Don’t wait till you are thirsty. Thirst is a sign of dehydration

• Eat fruits and vegetables as they will contribute to your water intake. They will also give you the additional health benefits from fiber, vitamins and minerals

• Reduce your consumption of coffee, colas, alcohol & other vocal dehydrators. For every unit of coffee, colas, alcohol you consume, drink extra water

• If you live or work in an air conditioned, smoky or dusty environment or under hot lights in a studio or on stage, drink more water

• If you exercise or work out regularly, compensate for the loss of water through sweating, by drinking more water

• Keep water handy at all times. Always carry a bottle of water with you. Have a bottle or two at your work desk.

• Start your day with a glass or two of water.

• The color of your urine is an indicator of how well hydrated you are. The paler, the better.

• Air travel dehydrates the vocal folds. Speak less and drink more water when you fly.

• Keep your vocal folds well hydrated before a performance, presentation or rehearsal

• Seek medical help if you are a mouth breather


Does drinking water during a performance/presentation help in hydrating the vocal folds?

This will instantly moisten the lining membranes of your mouth and throat, but it takes time to reach your vocal folds. Water reaches all the cells in your body, including those in your vocal folds through the blood stream. It takes anywhere between 45 to 90 minutes for water to reach your vocal folds & hydrate them.

Warm or cold water?

What is more important is to drink enough water, whichever way you like it. If cold water does not affect your throat, there is no reason for you to stop drinking it. However, drinking cold or iced water just before or during a performance may contract/tighten the throat muscles & constrict/ shrink the blood vessels. Water at room temperature, before and during a presentation/performance is a safe bet.

About Dr. Sadhana Nayak

She is a Mumbai based vocal medicine specialist and voice coach for professional and artistic voice users. She has trained business leaders, corporate speakers, actors, news anchors and singers in India and the U.S.A

Website: www.drsadhananayak.com

Email: drnayakvoice@gmail.com

Mobile: +919819752312

Timing: 11 a.m- 5 p.m

Are you projecting a positive and winning vocal image?

A positive vocal image is the secret of successful business, corporate & political leaders, and media personalities. The inflections, modulation, projection, energy & quality of your voice, and clarity of speech comprise your vocal image.   During verbal communication, your vocal image sends signals about who you are and helps your listeners decide whether they will continue to listen to your ideas & words and act on them. And all this happens in a few seconds at a subconscious level. It is well known that our appearance and how we present ourselves has an instant impact on the people we meet. What we are not aware of is that once the initial impact of our appearance has worn off, what stays with people is our vocal image.

Your vocal image is the instant impression that listeners form of you, based on the sound of your voice and it is an impression that stays with them. Your vocal image decides how your listeners perceive you and respond to you. Within 6-12 seconds of listening to your voice, your audience has assessed you and made up their mind about what kind of a person you are, and what they think & feel about you. They have already formed an impression about your personality, character and intellectual ability, and decided whether they will continue listening to you or mentally switch off.

Dr.  Sadhana Nayak M.S [Otolaryngology], D.O.R.L

Your vocal image defines your personal and professional image. It has the potential to make or break your career, since your listeners often draw conclusions about your ability and personality, based on the way you speak. In situations like job & promotion interviews, presentations & public speaking, client briefs, business & professional interactions, videoconferencing & telephonic communication, speaking as an expert on television or radio, your voice image helps you create a lasting first impression on your listeners in a short time. Studies have shown that people with an effective vocal image were considered more intelligent and attractive as compared to those who looked good but had a negative vocal image.

What is your vocal image saying about you?

We automatically associate voices with personalities. Following are a few examples of a negative vocal image and the personality traits attributed to the speaker, based on their vocal image:

•  High pitched, squeaky voice - Nervous, high strung, irritating, immature

•  Hard hitting voice - Aggressive

•  Nasal, whiny voice - Complainer

•  Curt staccato tone- Rude, unfriendly

•  Soft inaudible voice, mumbling - Introvert, shy, diffident

•  Overtly loud voice - Dominating, arrogant

•  Monotonous - Boring, uninteresting, dull

•  Upward inflections at the end of sentences - Indecisive, unsure

•  Shrill, piercing tone of voice - Irritating, pushy

•  Sing-song rhythm of speaking- Immature, childish

•  Fast pace of speaking -  Anxious

•  Slow pace of speaking with long pauses - Boring

•  Dropping sounds at the end of words & sentences – Careless, lazy

Is it possible to transform your vocal image?

It is possible to cultivate an effective voice image and convey the professional and personal image you desire. Almost 45-50% of professionals in urban India are dissatisfied with the sound of their voice. Most of them accept it as their natural voice, as they have always sounded like this, from as far back as they remember. This is not true.

You are born with a free, vibrant, clear and expressive voice, which is your authentic voice. Your physical vocal instrument involves various systems including your body, breathing, throat, mouth, vocal folds [vocal cords] and speech organs. We often develop negative vocal habits, patterns & tensions at each stage in the process of voice production, without being aware of it.  If you want to transform your vocal image, you must work on your vocal instrument to unleash the free, vibrant, clear and expressive voice that you were born with- your authentic voice. If you want to project a personal and professional image of confidence, credibility & authority, you need to unlearn all the vocal & physical habits and patterns, that restrict & limit your authentic voice. Voice science & medicine have made great progress in the last 20 years and we have a much better understanding of how the voice works and effective approaches to enhance your vocal image.

Most of us spend a lifetime, acquiring the necessary knowledge and expertise in our area of work. We also need to learn how to convey our personality & expertise through the right vocal image. Whether you are on stage or on camera, in the boardroom or at a client brief, it is a positive vocal image that helps you sound authoritative & credible, command attention, and connect with your listener.

Training your Voice, Speech and Body for Confident and Effective Communication

All the preparation in the world can go into a presentation. You can have an impressive PowerPoint, excellent content and wear your best suit. However, the words of your presentation or communication count for next to nothing if your voice squeaks, cracks, sounds monotonous, is tremulous or weak and it looks like you want to run from the room.

Training Your Self- your voice, speech and body, so that you can communicate fully and confidently, even when you are nervous or under pressure, is essential if you are a corporate or business speaker, professional or entrepreneur making a presentation, selling an idea or a product. Working on the quality, expressiveness, modulation, power, projection and tone of your voice, clarity of speech, and physical presence is a vital aspect of communication skills training. Vocal communication training is about tapping into who you are and seeing what you can bring to the communication moment. As a voice specialist and coach, I stress on the importance of consistency in the messages conveyed by the body, voice, words and language.

Dr Sadhana Nayak

For example, if your shaky, inaudible voice is saying ‘I’m terrified and I don’t want to be here’, or your monotonous voice fails to convey your message effectively while you are trying to sell a business strategy or get your dream job, your credibility is shot. To make matters worse, an audience or listener will take most of their information from your body and your voice, rather than the words or language you use. So even though the content of your presentation might be excellent, your body language and voice will attract a lot of unwanted attention, if they aren’t equally well prepared. Within the first few seconds of speaking, the audience decides whether they are going to continue to listen to you.

An increasing number of corporate leaders, business owners, professionals and entrepreneurs find that their voices let them down at meetings, presentations, media interviews, and are taking lessons to improve the way they sound. An authentic, free and flexible voice emanating from a relaxed body conveys confidence, increases your credibility, brings out your uniqueness and is essential to a good presentation or interview.

Prior to the 1950s globally and 1980s in India, voice training emphasized on developing an elocution based style of speaking which was very different from the integrated and organictechniques of voice training today. The style of training in the past imposed a system of speech that sounded artificial. The approach to voice training today is to develop an individualistic style of speaking that sounds credible, authoritative and conversational.

Voice training teaches you to look at the way you use your body and breathing when you speak. Your voice is your breath turned into vibrations. When you are anxious or nervous before a presentation, the resultant stress tenses up the muscles of your body and vocal system, squeezes your throat and makes your breath shallow. As a result you fail to effectively express your ideas and your uniqueness as an individual. Voice coaching initially involves an organic process to help iron out all the tensions, to release the breath, to find freedom and flexibility in the voice and to allow the full resonant flow of the voice. On achieving this, the focus of voice training shifts to learning how to highlight key words, develop the right rhythm and pace of speaking, vocal tone, modulation and projection to make an impact on the listener.

Most corporate and business speakers, I work with, say they don’t like the sound of their voice or they dislike listening to their voice on a recording or an answering machine, and yet did not seek help. Many believed that speaking well is a skill that just came naturally to some, who are leader material. Until recent years, people presumed that they were born with their voice and could do nothing to improve it. But it is not. There are skills involved, just as there are for actors, media professionals and singers. And it is possible for every individual to maximize the potential of their voice and speech for communication through effective vocal training.

   Website: www.drsadhananayak.com

   Email: drnayakvoice@gmail.com

   Mobile: +919819752312

   Timing: 11 a.m- 5 p.m 

Why is it important to have vocal coaching?

For individuals who are aspiring to become successful vocalists, it is important for them to have good voice and same can only be achieved by undergoing vocal training from the best centers in the city. The choice of best centers can bring in tremendous improvement in voice quality and help them achieve their career targets easily. Vocal coaching can be of help in various ways and same has been listed below.

Presence of professionals at coaching centers

Enrollment with the best vocal coaching for public speaking can enable individual get education or knowledge from the best professionals in the town. The professionals at the centers analyses, monitor and also supervise the individuals and offer them best methods following which good vocals can be achieved.

Effective regimen

After getting associated with professionals, they can help you to achieve effective regimen which in future is quite useful for having a long and successful career. Even individuals who have achieved great heights in their career, they also make a point to stay in touch with coaching centers or professionals such that they can stay stable and successful in their career.

Confidence and encouragement

For individuals who are trained by specialists in the field they tend to develop more confidence in comparison to other people. Such individuals become capable of presenting themselves in the crowd and also achieve high goals in life. Such trainings at the end are helpful for personal growth of an individual and hence should be pursued.

From the facts mentioned above it is well evident that pursuing or enrolling at vocal trainingMumbai centers is an important decision to make. Hence same should be taken wisely and utmost benefits should be achieved from the same.