the voice

When one talks about the voice it means volume and quality at the same time. Volume, just like your radio, cassette, or DVD can be controlled.

In public speaking the volume of the voice could spell the difference between a successful delivery and a failure. Needless to say a soft voice sounds weak and does not project the kind of conviction so vital in making your audience agree with you or believe in you.

Self-confidence is greatly expressed in the voice. Someone who is sure of himself speaks in a powerful voice. He only whispers in the bedroom with close members of the family. But onstage he is a dynamite. He keeps the audience awake with his power and enthusiasm.

The quality of the voice however is something that a speaker has no control over for it is built-in along with his other physical attributes like the color of his hair and eyes, his height, the shape of the nose, etc. Voice quality is a gift. It is something you're born with. But does the quality of the voice matter in public speaking? It does but this aspect can be overlooked if you work on the other aspects of effective communication like the content of your speech, volume of the voice, body language, audience rapport, etc.

There was one very effective radio personality whose voice sounded no different than the croaking of a frog. But how come people listen to his radio programs? How come he gets invitations to speak in several gatherings? It is because of what he has to say, what he has to share with his listeners that make him a much-admired speaker.

To sum it up, the volume of your voice reflects self-confidence while its quality does not really matter that much if you're good in all the other areas.