Don’t Like the Sound of Your Own Voice: You Are Not Alone.
Why is it that we cringe when we hear a recording of ourselves?
It’s because you normally hear yourself speak from inside your own head. You are used to hearing your voice before it fully escapes your skull. It is only when it is a recording that you hear it as others do.
The good news is that everyone else already knows what you sound like, it’s only you that is taken aback!
Regional accents also take their owners by surprise. ‘I sound so Essex/ Birmingham/ Yorkshire’ is another common reaction we get on playback of role-play presentations or interviews.
I personally love regional accents, provided they are not so strong I can’t understand what is being said. I think the variety and distinctiveness is entirely positive for anyone giving a presentation or a media interview.
There used to be a prejudice against strong regional accents or foreign accents on the BBC, but this was already falling away when I worked there 30 years ago. Now they are positively encouraged.
Neil Nunes was not universally popular when he first appeared as a continuity announcer on Radio 4, but I have always loved hearing his voice. He is now a regular news reader, instantly recognisable with a deep voice and a Jamaican accent.
Neil Nunes’ unusual voice initially caused controversy when he started on BBC Radio 4, but now he is a regular presenter of the evening news.
In 1994 while at the BBC, I argued and won for the then unknown Adrian Chiles, with his Birmingham accent, to present our new business show Wake up to Money on Radio 5 Live. I felt his voice was usefully different and gave him authenticity, while giving the show a distinctive personality. (He was also a very hard-working and brilliant presenter.) Adrian was a huge success and almost immediately snapped up by our rivals at Television Centre. Business news is easily thought of as stuffy, and a regional accent freshened it up. It’s a formula followed many times since, notably with Steph McGovern. In this video, Steph herself explains how being northern with a good strong accent has been her unique selling point.
Most of us are familiar with research that says some regional accents are trusted more than others. This is an issue debated in the world of marketing. The paragraph below comes from the website of an outsourcing consultancy About Match.
In recent years the number of businesses adopting regional accents for their adverts and contact centre services has witnessed a sharp increase. A PH Media Group survey uncovered a recent 27% rise in UK companies using accents in on-hold (telephone) marketing. Of the total, 37% said they deliberately adopted a particular accent to reinforce their brand’s identity. The survey explored associations people have with certain accents, uncovering that Scottish is perceived as trustworthy and reassuring, while Manchester is seen as industrious and creative.
Yorkshire is an accent perceived as wise and honest – a good reason for Broadband supplier Plusnet to feature a Yorkshireman in their TV campaign. Also, the accent is a nod to the brand’s Yorkshire routes, helping to reinforce its identity.
Another ‘hang up’ about the way your voice sounds may be related to class. Whilst we are not such a class-ridden society as we were, there is still plenty of unconscious and conscious biases related to class as seen in this Reuters report on branding and accents. But the world is changing fast and all of us working today are being told to step aside from those snap judgements. Accept people for what they are and the talents they bring.
I have a strong hunch that often it is an individual’s perception of class bias, rather than the real bias of any audience that causes the most damage. Don’t let your accent be an excuse to hide your talent.
You can, of course, change the way you sound but it takes time and work. In my book, it is much easier to own the way you speak and use it.
My advice to all presenters or media interviewees is to embrace who you are. Provided any audience clearly understands you, your voice is an asset, as individual as your face. Being distinctive is valuable. Provided you get everything else right – interesting, useful presentation, entertaining, informative interview – the way you talk will just be enjoyed and, if you are lucky, remembered.
The Media Coach team always feels it is a privilege to work with underconfident individuals who have a message to get out there. Sign up for our bespoke Presentation Training or Personal Impact Training and challenge us to transform you from shrinking violet to sunflower.
Lindsay Williams is based in London but runs training sessions in multiple time zones, including the US, Europe, Africa and Asia, working online or travelling to host small and large scale training events. With 20 years of experience as a communications consultant with corporations and international organisations, Lindsay also runs Personal Impact Training and Pitching Via Zoom courses.
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