IMPORTANCE OF VOICE

IMPORTANCE OF VOICE

The critical role of voice in oral communication cannot be over-emphasized. Following findings of a study are both interesting and revealing:
What you say - 07 % (mostly hearing)
How you say - 38 % (hearing and seeing)
Body language - 55 % (seeing)
From the above it is evident that „what is said‟ in not as important as „how it is said‟. And „how‟ is greatly influenced by the reproduction of sound waves, their transmission and reception by the listeners.
The quality, tone and texture of your voice and the manner and speed of its delivery have a major role in influencing the audience. Combined with other etiquettes / mannerism, „how it is said‟ is over five time more effective than „what is said‟.

VOICE POWER

VOICE POWER

Human voice has been hailed as the „organ of the soul‟. Human beings are very fortunate to have been blessed with the ability to produce, modulate and throw the voice in the way they desire to influence the audience. With devotion and practice, they can reproduce the voices of different animals, birds etc. They are also able to replicate the sounds of different musical instruments.
Voice is an important part of ones‟ personality. A talented manager could not progress much in his career because he had a squeaky voice. Another erudite person wanted to become a trainer but because his voice crackled often, it failed to make the right impression on his wards. There are also instances when a hoarse or husky voice was thought to be very seductive and women with husky voice could easily command attention in party circuits.

PARALINGUISTICS

PARALINGUISTICS

The literal meaning of „para-‟ is „like‟; the subject relates to a field that is „like language‟. It is not a language because it does not involve any words. However, no words can be spoken or sung without the sound that accompanies it. It is a non-verbal communication, known as „vocal communication‟. Without it, words do not convey the intended meaning. Thus the entire subject of communication has three distinct components:
 Verbal is what of the message i.e., words
 Vocal is how of the message i.e., voice of the speaker
 Visual is the supportive body movements without which a face-to-face message is incomplete.

 VOICE POWER

Human voice has been hailed as the „organ of the soul‟. Human beings are very fortunate to have been blessed with the ability to produce, modulate and throw the voice in the way they desire to influence the audience. With devotion and practice, they can reproduce the voices of different animals, birds etc. They are also able to replicate the sounds of different musical instruments.
Voice is an important part of ones‟ personality. A talented manager could not progress much in his career because he had a squeaky voice. Another erudite person wanted to become a trainer but because his voice crackled often, it failed to make the right impression on his wards. There are also instances when a hoarse or husky voice was thought to be very seductive and women with husky voice could easily command attention in party circuits.

IMPORTANCE OF VOICE

The critical role of voice in oral communication cannot be over-emphasized. Following findings of a study are both interesting and revealing:
What you say - 07 % (mostly hearing)
How you say - 38 % (hearing and seeing)
Body language - 55 % (seeing)
From the above it is evident that „what is said‟ in not as important as „how it is said‟. And „how‟ is greatly influenced by the reproduction of sound waves, their transmission and reception by the listeners.
The quality, tone and texture of your voice and the manner and speed of its delivery have a major role in influencing the audience. Combined with other etiquettes / mannerism, „how it is said‟ is over five time more effective than „what is said‟.

WRITTEN COMMUNICATION SKILLS

WRITTEN COMMUNICATION SKILLS

Writing makes a person perfect. It is an important part of communication skills in the hands of budding students. Since writing is a deliberate and intended expression of one‟s thoughts and feelings, its quality is usually better than oral communication which can be immediate, quick response and faster than written communication. Although an ancient wisdom suggests that one should think before speaking, the quality of choice of words, phrases and sentences is not as good as it is in written communication.
Writing is a skill that can be acquired. Perfecting the art of writing, however, requires a lot of hard work. It is a skill that can distinguishes a person from the group. A successful executive, while sharing the reasons for his quick promotions in the first five years‟ of his career admitted that it was largely because he could write better than others. The verbal edge is the winning edge - a competitive edge over rivals.
There is a famous saying, “reading makes a full man, conference a ready man and writing an exact man”. It must be understood that whatever is written or said is the real self of the persons doing so. A good writer feels from the heart and then writes.

AN OVERVIEW - NON-VERBAL COMMUNICATION

AN OVERVIEW - NON-VERBAL COMMUNICATION

Human beings have always communicated with other members of the species. Before spoken languages were developed, they used different parts of the body to convey their emotions, feelings and ideas. People have been aware of using parts of the body to convey their thoughts since times immemorial. Whenever brain assumes certain attitude, it gets communicated to people around through body parts as they respond intuitively with specific actions, gestures and expressions. Persons trained in body language can secure reliable feedback from their audience and distinguish when the speaker is telling a truth or lie. Women have eyes for details and are more receptive than men in picking up these cues and clues.
Objective of learning body language is to gain knowledge and modify own behaviour, change oral communication in line with the feedback and respond quickly for better total impact on the audience. Monitoring non-verbal cues enables people to improve interaction, establish rapport by learning what pleases / offends and bring about a subconscious motivation to conscious level for complete understanding with others.
Communication is 7 % verbal, 38 % vocal and 55 % non-verbal – nearly 80 % coming from the upper part of the body. Advantages to managers are that body language is visual, happens simultaneous to oral communication, makes message more intense, enhance environment for interaction / negotiation and is very effective in small gatherings. Limitations are that, being non-verbal, it is not taken as seriously as oral / written communications, gets influenced by local culture / customs, listeners / observers have to be very careful and attentive to notice and infer and is not very effective in large gatherings.
It is now recognized that besides body parts, clothing, hair styles, jewellery, accessories, cosmetics / perfumes and even pair of spectacles / sunglasses play significant role in body language. A person is also known by his dress and address.
Five major areas of study of body language are kinesics (movements of body parts), paralinguistic (voice power), proximics (concept of personal spaces), chronomics (impact of time and timing) and neuro linguistic programming (role and influence of human senses and mind).
Kinesics is the most important part of non-verbal communication and covers facial expressions including smiling, eye contacts and related gazing, glancing and eye blocking, hands, palms, handshakes, double handshakes, arms etc, thumbs / fingers and legs, body postures, standing / walking styles etc.

KINESICS - Walking styles Including Leg and Feet Postures

KINESICS - Walking styles Including Leg and Feet Postures

Style of walking can help detect the type of personality traits of individuals. However, walking style alone should not be used as the determining factor. This has to be taken together with other postures, gestures etc. Some of the common styles of walking are:
(i) Walking with hands in pocket
This is a portrayal of a macho image. He may be shy, withdrawn and critical of happenings around.
(ii) Walking with hands in pocket, disorganized walk with head bent
The person may be depressed.
(ii) Walking with hands in pocket, disorganized walk and kicking an
imaginery object
The person might be upset and angry.
(iv) While walking, his eyes are focused on the ground
The person is lost in his thoughts.
(v) While walking, his eyes are focusing in the air
He is pre-occupied and is looking for solution to problems.
(vi) Strutting style of walking
He is a person of extreme certainty of opinion and very confident of himself.

Like arms and hands, legs and feet also play significant roles. A few important and common postures are:

(i) Leg Postures

(a) Standard leg-cross posture
In this posture, one leg neatly crosses over the other leg – usually right leg over the left for men and left leg over the right for women. This posture indicates nervous, reserved and defensive attitude. This is a supportive gesture and occurs with other postures and should not be interpreted in isolation. It is common among the audience listening to a lecture. It also happens during cold weather. If it happens with arms folded in front of the chest, it will be foolish to expect any positive outcome from the interaction.
Standing leg cross posture
When attending a meeting or a function, one finds a number of persons standing with cross legs and folded arms in front. They also stand at a distance from one another indicating they are strangers to one another. This group would remain well buttoned up. You will also notice another group who are standing with arms unfolded, coats unbuttoned and more relaxed than the previous group. They know one another well, moving in and out of each others‟ intimate distance frequently.
(e) Cold or defensive posture
Many persons claim that they cross legs and arms because they feel cold. This is often a cover-up because there is a difference between the two. When a person feels cold, he puts his arms under the armpit and not under the elbows. When one feels cold, a person folds his arms in the form of a body hug and legs are crossed but straight, stiff and pressed hard against each other.
(f) Ankle-lock posture
Ankle lock is also a negative gesture similar to cross leg and cross arm posture. In male version, ankle lock is combined with clenched fists on the knees or with hands tightly gripping the arms of the chair and feet are together near the ankle. In the female version, knees are held together and legs crossing below the knees. Hands are either on the thighs next to each other or one above the other. This kind of posture is common among candidates for interviews. They try to hold back negative thoughts, emotions and nervousness. Litigants sit with ankle lock in the court. Girls in miniskirts sit in that position and observers are likely to misinterpret!

(ii) Feet postures

(a) Foot-lock posture
This posture is almost exclusive to women – toes of one foot lock around the other leg. It is a defensive position. In this posture, women become a mental recluse, retreating like a tortoise in to the shell.
(b) Standing erect with evenly distributed weight on both legs
Person is confident
(c) Standing with tilted body weight
It is a clumsy and casual posture
(d) Standing with drooping shoulders and sagging body
It is a timid and weak personality.
(e) Standing with arms held loosely by the side of the body
Person is open and friendly.
Postures represent ones‟ personality. Observers are able to recognize persons from a long distance because of the familiarity with their standing postures even before they are able to see them clearly.