Change Your Voice, Change Your Attitude: Record Yourself And Listen Back To It

Of course we understand that when we feel a certain way, we talk a certain way.

When people listen to us they can often consciously and unconsciously pick up on the types of emotions we are broadcasting (even if it’s only in a subtle way).

For example, if you’re speaking slower and more softly than your typical speaking voice, people will sense that you are a bit down or sad.

But the way our voice and emotions interact can often be a two way street.

How you speak doesn’t just influence how others perceive you, it also influences how you perceive yourself and your mental state.

In one fascinating study, participants were told to read a short story about buying bread. They recorded their readings, then used a computer program to modify their voices to sound either happy, sad, or fearful.

When participants listened back to the modified recording, they didn’t realize it was modified. However, when asked about their feelings during the reading, their reports were congruent with however their voice was modified.

If a participant’s voice was modified to sound happier, they believed they were happier during the recording.

This shows us that our voices play an important role in how we pick up emotions. And when listening back to our own voices, we may often be surprised by how it sounds and what types of messages are being communicated.

One interesting thing to do is to make a recording of your voice and then listen back to it to see how it sounds. This can be a fun exercise in self improvement, especially once you try playing around with your voice more and seeing how it sounds in different tones.

In this article, I share three different vocal exercises that can help give you a better understanding of your voice and how it reflects your attitude.

Exercise #1: Normal reading voice

First find an article to read in a newspaper, magazine, or on a website.

For the sake of experimentation, try to choose something neutral that you don’t have much of an emotional attachment to. Maybe something educational about science, or economics, or world news.

Then find a way to record your voice. Most of us have easy options to choose from like a cellphone, or computer, or tablet.

Once you have your recording device, press record and read the article out-loud to yourself in your normal, everyday reading voice. Don’t try to change your voice at all.

To make it more realistic, imagine that you are reading the article to a friend or a small group of people.

Next, listen back to your recording and make a mental note of how your voice sounds.

Ask yourself:

• What’s the speed of my reading? (fast vs. slow)
• What’s the pitch of my voice? (high vs. low)
• What’s the volume of my voice? (loud vs. soft)
• What’s the tone of my voice? (soothing vs. rough)
• How animated is my voice? (monotone vs. dynamic)
• What attitudes and emotions are conveyed in my voice?

At first, many people don’t like the sound of their voices because they aren’t used to hearing them.

How your voice sounds inside your head can be very different from how it sounds to others. So when you first hear your voice from an outside perspective, it can be a bit jolting and awkward – but this is completely normal.

This is a simple exercise in self-awareness to get more familiar with your voice and how it sounds from an outside perspective. Now let’s play around a bit!

Exercise #2: Exaggerated sad voice

For this second exercise, we are going to start to change your voice and play around with it.

Use the same article you read in your normal voice, but this time exaggerate it to a super sad voice.

I say “exaggerate” because it makes the exercise more fun (and less serious), but it still shows you the ways that a different tone of voice can have an impact on your mental state.

Record yourself reading the article in your exaggerated “sad voice,” then listen back to it.

Ask yourself:

• How has my voice changed compared to the last recording?
• How did the speed of my reading change?
• How did the pitch of my voice change?
• How did the volume of my voice change?
• How did the tone of my voice change?
• What emotions are being expressed? Sadness? Anything else?
• How do you feel listening to this recording compared to the last one?

As you recorded and listened back, you might’ve noticed a small uptick in sadness.

Sure, you were just “playing pretend” and “acting,” but your mind was still influenced by this shift in your voice, and thus your mood followed along (even if just a little bit).

It’s interesting to observe how your mind changes when you change your voice, especially when you change your voice in a dramatic way.

This is especially true when you mimic other people’s voices, or even famous lines from a movie. You begin to “take on the role” of the voice (through body movement, attitude, behaviors), especially if you’re a good actor.

Exercise #3: Exaggerated happy voice

For this final exercise, we are going to change your voice to a “happy voice.”

Use the same article you’ve been reading, but this time when reading exaggerate it to a super, over-the-top happy voice.

Again, we want to exaggerate and have fun with it. This isn’t meant to be a super serious exercise. The point is to play around and discover more about yourself.

Once you’re ready, record yourself reading the article in your exaggerated “happy voice,” then listen back to it.

Again, ask yourself:

• How has my voice changed compared to the last recording?
• How did the speed of my reading change?
• How did the pitch of my voice change?
• How did the volume of my voice change?
• How did the tone of my voice change?
• What emotions are being expressed? Happiness? Anything else?
• How do you feel listening to this recording compared to the last one?

As you recorded and listened back, you probably noticed a small difference in mood between this one and your last one.

Again, it’s interesting to see how our voice and emotions are intertwined.

By changing your voice you can begin to shift your mindset – and the rest of your body will follow.

For example, while reading in your exaggerated “happy voice,” you may have noticed changes in your body language, facial expressions, and gestures as well.

It’s almost impossible to change your voice without having some influence on your mind.

Of course, this doesn’t mean you should mimic an exaggerated “happy voice” around other people all of the time. That would be very annoying – and likely come off very fake and inauthentic.

The main purpose of these exercises is to show you how your voice influences your attitude.

The goal of this article isn’t to tell you to “fake your voice” or pretend to be someone else. No, I believe in being honest and authentic with yourself and others at all times.

However, the goal is to be more mindful of your voice and tone. Pay more attention to the ways that it has an influence on you and how you communicate. And when necessary, adjust it according to the situation.

Often we speak in ways without even realizing it, especially when we are in an emotionally charged situation.

We may say something in an angry or sarcastic or condescending way, and the person immediately picks up on it and dishes it back at us. Then we find ourselves thinking, “Why are you giving me THAT tone?” – when in fact we are the ones who escalated the situation first, without even realizing it.

We can better avoid these situations and misunderstandings by being more mindful of our speech and our tone. For example, knowing when to “speak softer” vs. knowing when to “speak louder” depending on the situation and the person you’re talking to.

Being mindful of your speech is hugely important for your communication. While it’s difficult to self-monitor your voice every time you speak, being just a bit more aware of your tone can make a big difference.

Here are a few more ways you can play with your voice and see how it changes you:

• Practice a confident tone while reciting positive affirmations out-loud or in your head (after all, the tone of your inner voice matters too).
• Combine a confident voice with power-posing. Get both your mind AND body moving in a more positive direction!
• Observe other people’s tone of voice. Often we can learn more by how people speak rather than the specific words they use. This is an important part of empathy and emotional intelligence.
• Create your own self-hypnosis recording. This is a great way to record positive thoughts and listen to them when you need an extra boost in motivation or inspiration.

Overall, don’t underestimate the importance of your voice. It matters. And it makes a big difference on your overall attitude and mindset.

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