Speak to Influence : How to Unlock the Hidden Power of Your Voice - Softcover

Susan-berkley

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0966430212 ISBN 13: 9780966430219

Publisher: Campbell Hall Press, 1999

Synopsis

Speak to Influence, achieve greater confidence and credibility by improving the sound of your voice. You will discover how easy it is to: Speak without stress; Project a polished professional image; Have a warm, friendly voice that puts people at ease. Here's just some of what you'll learn: Be a stress-free speaker; 26 ways to have a million dollar telephone voice; Leave voice mail that gets returned and gets results; Eliminate annoying 'verbal viruses' forever; Play your voice like a finely tuned instrument; How to never, ever be boring -- and much, much more.

About this title

About the Author

Susan Berkley is a top voice-over artist and former radio personality whose voice has sold millions of dollars worth of products and services on TV and radio commercials. She is also the telephone voice of many Fortune 100 companies. A speaker and consultant, Susan is CEO of Berkley Productions, Inc, a company that provides voice mastery training for business, customer service and sales professionals.

From the Back Cover

Achieve greater confidence and credibility by improving the sound of your voice. You will discover how easy it is to: project a polished professional image; speak with energy and enthusiasm; have a warm, friendly voice that puts people at ease. Here's just some of what you'll learn: broadcaster's secrets for overcoming stage fright; three steps to build rapport with anyone, anytime, anywhere; eliminate annoying "verbal viruses" forever; 7 ways to play your voice like a finely tuned instrument; how to never, ever be boring- and much, much more!

"As a sales psychologists I have seen sales professionals lose very large commissions due to weak voices and what clients perceived as a lack of enthusiasm. This book contains wisdom that, if used, will put thousands of dollars of extra income into the pockets of readers." Donald J Moine, PhD, President, Association for Human Achievement, Inc.

"Speak To Influence is a 'must read' for anyone who wants to communicate with confidence and power."Gerri Detweiler, speaker, consultant, author The Ultimate Credit Handbook

"The tips, tactics and tremendous ideas for content and delivery in Susan's book will have them standing up applauding for more. A must for every speaker-even the pros." Bernard Hale Zick, CEO, The International Society of Speakers, Authors and Consultants

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

What are non-words? They are meaningless fillers that speckle our speech, distract from our message, drain our impact, and annoy our listener. I call them "verbal viruses" because they seem to be contagious and we pick them up without being aware of it.

The most common verbal viruses are "uhh," "ahh," and "um." But they also include "like," "you know," "well," "so," "okay?" "sort of" and other meaningless phrases we use to fill up the blank spaces between our thoughts.

Using meaningless phrases like these can cause the conversation of an intelligent adult to sound anything but intelligent. In fact, it brands the speaker as someone who is not very bright, whether or not this is true. I have heard these verbal viruses in the speech of lawyers, doctors, and other well educated adults. They are jarring to the ear, inconsistent with a professional image, and demeaning to the speaker.

The biggest problem with verbal viruses is that they make us appear unsure, hesitant, and even incompetent. Nobody wants to be labeled with these descriptors, but non-words still creep insidiously into our speech. It is an unconscious habit--we don't even know how many times we use them until we hear ourselves on tape.

And as long as you are checking yourself for annoying vocal habits, be sure to check your evaluation tape for irritating mouth sounds, as well. These include frequent smacking of the lips, and clicking or popping noises.

INOCULATE YOURSELF AGAINST VERBAL VIRUSES

How do we stamp out these verbal viruses? The cure is simple. The most powerful way you can eliminate unwanted filler words and annoying mouth sounds is to replace them. And the best thing to replace them with is a pause. Whenever you catch yourself using a non-word, just stop talking for a moment and say nothing. Now, I have to warn you--the first few times you do this, it will probably feel as though there is an enormous, scary, canyon-sized gap of silence while you wait. But I promise you the listener will scarcely notice.

As you practice pausing between thoughts, you will become more and more comfortable in the gap. And you will also discover something interesting: A pause helps draw the audience in and captures its interest. Studies show that you can pause for as long as four seconds, right in the middle of a sentence, and it will seem perfectly natural to those listening to you.

Start practicing your pauses today. Before long, you will discover how wonderful silence can be. It can help you gather your thoughts while giving the listener time to reflect on what you have just said. More importantly, the power of the pause adds drama and impact to your message, while making you seem more confident, poised, and in-control.

Here's more proof of the power of the pause. If you are ever called upon to speak in front of a noisy crowd, don't try to shout above the din. Just stand at the front of the room and say nothing. The room will gradually fall silent and within minutes you will notice that all eyes are on you, eager to hear what you have to say. The sound of silence is the most eloquent sound in the world.

While silence is, indeed, golden, here are three other tools to use to break the non-word habit.

1.Send yourself copies of the voicemail messages you leave for others. Listen to them at the end of the day and note whether or not any unwanted fillers crept into your message.

2.Enlist the help of your spouse or a friend. Explain what you are trying to do, and invent a code word he or she can use every time you use a filler word.

3.When you feel you are about to use a non-word, take a breath, hold it for a moment, and then begin to speak. The focus on your breathing will occupy your mind, keep you calm and centered, and make the silence between the words seem much less scary.

Edition details

• Publisher: Campbell Hall Press
• Publication date: 1999
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0966430212
• ISBN 13: 9780966430219
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 168