Executive presence rarely comes naturally and yet it is the wow factor that all key talent are expected to possess. It is the key determiner for entry to the exclusive ‘C-Suite Club’, according to Geri Stengel of Forbes Online Magazine.  And if absent, that upward trajectory can be stopped in its tracks if you don’t look, sound, and act like an Executive, she warns.

HR Magazine recently caught up with David Pope, Managing Director, All Voice Talent Ltd, Hong Kong’s only studio-based voice coaching organisation, to find out why vocal skills are crucial for those who want to fast track up the succession pipeline.

Speak with power

Whilst many established executive coaching programmes do focus on voice projection as one small yet vitally important part of executive training, very few focus solely on the voice. According to Pope, however, vocal skills can make all the difference in ensuring that a message is delivered clearly and with impact.

He explained, “One’s voice is the cornerstone of executive presence and vital to our ability to command attention” says Pope, whose programmes take place in a professional recording studio.”Your vocal performance directly affects the way your message will be received and how you say something is equally as important as what you say. So often, the impact of a sharp, informative speech or a compelling power point presentation is undermined by poor vocal delivery.”

Listen to be heard

In Pope’s view, (having spent 25 years in recording studios) intense exposure to one’s voice is the only way to become self–aware of one’s vocal strengths and weaknesses.  He cites tone, pitch, intonation and pace as the vital building blocks of good vocal technique, and executives get to explore these facets through a range of practical exercises.  They then, thanks to the studio technology, hear themselves in action, often for the first time.

He explained, “It’s incredible how many of our programme participants understand that their voice is crucial to their success, yet have never truly heard it before and so have no idea of its impact.  There is no escaping the vocal subtleties and nuances - for better or for worse - especially when heard through headphones and in stereo.  For many this is the eureka moment when they finally realise the full effect of their voice, begin to feel its power, and understand how to use it more effectively.”

Pope and his team offer Executive Voice Coaching programmes, which take place in a professional recording studio attracting senior executive level talent from all areas of business life. Here they coach individuals and small groups to explore their vocal power using audio record and playback functions to hone in on and highlight the voice.

Take a new approach

For key talent, understanding their vocal ability will change the way they approach work situations where the voice is everything, such as teleconferences, speeches, webinars and pitches.  It is also a necessary step in acquiring the skills to manage their voice properly, and determine the way it is received. Vocal power brings with it a deeper sense of confidence and this can impact not only on one’s overall executive presence, but all areas of professional life.
Commenting on his own participation on All Voice Talent’s Executive Coaching programme Robert Broad, Vice President at Weber Shandwick in Hong Kong commented, "It was very gratifying to gain an awareness of my voice, how it can work for, and against me in different scenarios, and to learn the nuances and techniques of control. I walked away thinking about how I could incorporate these lessons into all aspects of my working life.”

With many talented individuals jostling for a limited number of leadership positions the competition is fierce. Success is determined by several factors, one of which is executive presence, a skill set of which voice is a critical part.  Ultimately, the ability to know the effect your voice has on the way you are heard, and to use it to your advantage will determine whether or not you move up the succession pipeline and gain entry to the exclusive ‘C-Suite Club’.

Find the power of your voice. Get in touch with All Voice Talent at [email protected]