Your verbal brand can make or break you, and you probably didn’t even know you had one. It’s ultra-important in every situation your find yourself in, from virtual meetings to interviews, first impressions, and presentations.
Did you ever know someone magnetic and charming? Someone who made you feel good when you were around them? Someone who said the right thing, never at a loss for words but didn’t talk too much?
Conversely, have you ever known anyone who puts people off? Their voices are strident, and they seem mean and nasty? I’ve had many people come to me and say in a grating, harsh voice, “I don’t know why everybody thinks I’m so mean?!”
These people are showing you their verbal brands. And the second one doesn’t know it.
Are you magnetic and charismatic?
How does your voice sound, and what words do you choose? Are you crystal clear & magnetic? Branding is ultra important for your firm as well as for you personally.
But what’s your voice and speaking style saying about you? It’s putting out messages that may not represent you.
Your voice & your speech are a massive part of your brand. Your verbal brand is speaking for you, and you need to make it represent you at your very best.
When people misinterpret what you say or fail to laugh at your jokes, your verbal brand may be misrepresenting you.
When you take a long time to tell a story and never really get to the point, your verbal brand is failing you.
When you explain your incredible idea at a meeting, and they look at you with blank faces instead of outrageous applause, well, your verbal brand is doing it wrong. Because that’s not who you are.
You are intelligent and funny! You do have great ideas! People can’t see that because of how your voice and speaking style are (mis)representing you.
Your Verbal Brand
4 Definitive Techniques to Making Small Talk
Is your voice tight and in your throat? You may sound aggressive or in a bad mood. Aggressive is not the same thing as authoritative, by the way.
If, in an attempt to sound authoritative, you seem aggressive, then you’re doing it wrong. To have a credible, assertive, yet warm sound, you need to open your throat & use a lot of air. Having an open throat and using a lot of air results in a full, resonant sound that comes across as credible & highly persuasive.
Do you place your resonance in the front of your mouth? You need to place the vibration over the back of your tongue to get a gorgeous, magnetic sound. People are drawn to you, listen to you & they do what you tell ’em when you have a magnetic sound.
Do you hate the sound of your voice? That’s an article giving you the deets as to how you can change it!
Being a Great Communicator Can Be Rocket Science, and It’s OK
9 Secret Steps to Influencing Others
Want to be more influential? We all want to communicate our most important messages in a way that encourages others to take action. Whether that action is voting for our candidate or picking up milk from the store, the words we use and how we speak play a huge role in getting the job done.
How You Speak is Your Verbal Brand
My clients are super smart go-getters. They say, “What’s standing in the way of my getting what I need out of life?
To get what I need out of life, I need to be considered credible & authoritative by others. That leads to my being persuasive. That’s how I get what I need out of life.”
So my clients have the cajones to record themselves. With me. We do it together. It doesn’t hurt! They comprehend that when they know:
1. precisely what they’re doing wrong and
2. how to fix it
they can make improvements in their lives permanently! It’s a given that we have to study the sciences, languages–all academics in school. We go to the gym and learn how to play sports & musical instruments.
None of us was born the best that we can be–at anything! You’ve worked hard on everything at which you’re great.
Beethoven studied under a few composers! (Most famously, Hadyn) He was born with incredible talent, but he still had to learn and practice!
If you want to be persuasive & get people to believe in your brand, you need to invest some time.
The Top 5 Reasons Why Your Employees are NOT Closing Deals
If your team isn’t getting it done, the reasons may not be what you think they are. Download this e-book for the hidden problems holding business people back.
Your Words Impact Your Verbal Brand
What words are you choosing? Is your terminology making you seem abrupt or even wishy-washy? Do you use ten words when you could’ve delivered your point in fewer?
These things don’t help people to see you in a strong & authoritative light. Too many words & a misleading tone of voice can get you overlooked when you’re saying something genius.
Polish up Your Verbal Brand
First, think about your communicative partners. Yup. You’ve got communicative partners if you’re out there speaking with others or giving presentations.
Are you putting your communicative partners first when you speak? (I’m referring to everyone with whom you communicate. An audience, a client, your team, etc.) That gorgeous Maya Angelou said,
I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.
Your words & your tone determine how you make people feel. Just saying, “Hi, how are you?” with a gorgeous, fully resonant voice makes people feel great. Pair it with a smile & they’ll want to hire you & spend more time with you!
What Crimes are Getting You Interrupted, Micromanaged, and Ignored?
Be Succinct
Next, Use direct language. When paired with your gorgeous, warm voice, you’re not confusing people as “beating around the bush” does. Be concise. This helps people to understand your message completely.
Unfortunately, when you use too many words, people don’t get your full meaning causing them to be unable to follow your call to action. Thus, an ineffective verbal brand. You can easily change an unprofitable verbal brand to a highly effective one by listening to your words & making them succinct.
An Introduction to Accent Reduction
This brief introduction will get you started on the road to speaking Standard American English.
Stop Undermining Yourself!
Thirdly, to have a super-strong verbal brand, remove the “underminers” like “just,” “actually,” “honestly,” “well,” filler words, etc. These words undermine you, resulting in a verbal brand that’s weak & insecure. I’m not the filler word police. Don’t use too many. And when you’re making a speech or on an interview, try to keep it down to 0 or 1 🙂
You don’t want to say, “I just wanted to say…” Remove that entirely from the sentence and say it!
I’ve got lots more, folks, but some people are telling me my articles are too long 🙂
You can get in touch with me here. Do feel free to leave a comment–I’d love to hear from you!
Work on Your Verbal Brand
Yes, you definitely have to work on your verbal brand. Because you have a verbal brand, whether you like it or not, make sure it represents you!
Record yourself–do not be afraid! Then analyze what you hear and then apply what you’ve read here. The results will be life-changing.
If you need help making your verbal brand as capable, authoritative & marvelous as you are, we’re here for you!
Take The Voice Spa
“This course is so much more than a voice spa! It taught me to have a great voice and be super comfortable in high-stakes situations! Thank you, Ita.“
Kellie Smith
“I’ve tried a number of public speaking courses over the years and even hypnosis. Your Voice Spa has been by far the most helpful thing I’ve come across.”
-Betsy Clark, Ph.D. co-author of F-35: The Inside Story of the Lightning II
The Volcie Spa online video course.
First post I’ve seen where someone identifies the verbal brand and it’s importance in communication. Awesome!
Thank you, Jasmine!
Thank you so much for the free article!