Your tone is a big part of nonverbal communication. It can seriously interfere with your message being accepted by an audience. You may unintentionally sound shrill, whiny, condescending, or dismissive.
Tone may be a problem for people who serve others: teachers, librarians, social workers, nurses, and claims adjusters. When you are overworked, it’s hard to remember to soften your tone when you are not “on duty.”
Sara Marks discussed the importance of tone recently in blog posts on June 26 and July 15. (She is the Instruction Services Librarian at the Fitchburg State College Library). Becoming aware of your tone will lead to changing it, as she mentioned earlier in a post on Sara’s way or the highway.
The classic movie example of shrill tone is the Wicked Witch of the West in The Wizard of Oz: “I'll get you, my pretty, and your little dog too!” There is a very dismissive teacher in the Pink Floyd video nightmare Another Brick in the Wall.
Tone is critical to your ability to connect with your audience. Shrill, unpleasant screech tone will turn them off just like scratching fingernails against the blackboard will. Tone should convey warmth and enthusiasm,like we are inviting the audience in.
ReplyDeleteI have been told that I have very pleasant tone to my voice, which is important,because it offsets my stuttering and allows the richness of my voice to be the focus, rather than the stuttered words!
Pam:
ReplyDeleteThanks for giving an example of a pleasant tone.
There are three similar examples of an intimidating, dismissive tone in these Mitchell and Webb comedy routines which feature a Bad Shop Clerk, a Bad Waiter, and a Bad Vicar
Richard
Pam:
ReplyDeleteThanks for giving an example of a pleasant tone.
There are three similar examples of an intimidating, dismissive tone in these Mitchell and Webb comedy routines which feature a bad shop clerk: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I9cP-1kC3So
a bad waiter: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zVEHqwLVvpI
and a bad vicar: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CGDndcxH-O4
Richard