Voices

My voice is both my greatest strength and greatest weakness. I’m often mistaken as being insincere but I am also often applauded for my firmness and ability to act in an authoritative manner. Both of these characteristics relate to my voice. My voice was also the target of some gentle prodding by coworkers at the ambulance company after they heard me giving a patient report over the radio to the hospital for the first time.

People who matter the most to me don’t seem to notice or care. But every so often I’m reminded of my tone when I meet new people or interact with individuals in social situations.

Voice does not seem to be particularly important to men. Men of all vocal ranges seem to do all sorts of things. However, female voices are laced with stereotypes and expectations that are simply untrue.

I cannot think of a successful female politician at any level with a high voice. In fact, I cannot think of too many actresses who are successful who do not at least have the ability to speak in deeper tones. Yet, I can’t think of one who doesn’t escape some kind of derision—there’s an expectation that they’re tough.

When trying to make friends, the deep voice is a burden. So many times I will reach out and try to demonstrate that I am a friendly and caring person, yet for reasons I can never quite ascertain, I have left a poor impression. This almost always occurs with females. This is never an issue with males.

Ladies, our voices matter. The pitch, tone, and other characteristics don’t matter. What matters is that whatever voice we have, we use. If someone has a voice you associate with something negative, learn something positive about them. If someone has a voice that makes you think they’re unintelligent, ask them about what they’re passionate about. Counter all of the unusual voices you hear with facts about the person the voice belongs to.